Test drive Mercedes Benz A-class w168 1997-2001 hatchback

New car for new Europe

In October 1997, Daimler-Benz will go on sale. This seemingly ordinary event could remain against the backdrop of the latest prime minister of the oldest German company, which presented CLK and SUV M-Class this year, if not for one circumstance. Mercedes-Benz first shows a small class car, called A-Class. Daimler-Benz not only challenged his immediate competitors, expanding the production range of cars, but also made an attempt to gain a foothold in the market sector, occupied by manufacturers with many years of experience in the development, production and marketing of small-class cars. The presentation of Mercedes A-Class was held from June 16 to July 16 this year in Brussels, where representatives of the automobile press from around the world were invited. Motor magazine was also among the invited, and today we will share the first impressions of the new Mercedes A-Class car.

Brussels was chosen as the place of presentation not by chance. It is in this city that the main political bodies of the United States of Europe are concentrated. And it is this city that is a symbol of the united Europe. According to the leaders of Daimler-Benz, the new Europe needs a fundamentally new car, and how it can be embodied in Mercedes A-Class.

What is the new Mercedes with the declared price in DM30.000? We had the opportunity to get acquainted with the design of the car, the history of its creation and make an introductory trips in different road conditions: we started from Brussels, then moved to a high -speed highway, and from there to narrow picturesque roads in Ardennes.

The main feature of Mercedes A-Class is that it contains many innovations for cars in general and Daimler-Benz in particular. The length of the machine is only 3575 mm with a width of 1719 mm and a height of 1598 mm. Such dimensions and a base of 2423 mm suggest the comfort of the driver and passengers. To check how convenient the A -Class is, it was enough for us to make the simplest - to get into the salon. It turned out to be a fairly easy thing. Access to the front seats simplified the wide -ejected door, freeing an impressive doorway. Accommodation on the rear seats also did not cause any special problems. When you open the doors, the first thing you see is a high threshold. The floor is at the level of its upper edge, which is why all the seats are located higher than on ordinary cars. This is the secret of the truly Mercedes comfort of this small car, which managed to maximize the ranks of the seats without prejudice to passengers, since the internal panels of the mudguards, usually going into the salon, were lower than the floor of the body.

It will be appropriate to talk about the design of the floor and how it is related to the safety of the car, the level of which is traditionally high in all Mercedes-Benz cars. At the preceding test drives of the press conference, an exposition was deployed where everything was possible to find out about Mercedes A-Class, starting with the 1982 NAFA concept car and the 1993 A-Vision prototype and ending with a machine broken on Crash test. Daimler-Benz experts could answer any journalists interested in the question, which helped to better understand the ideology of creating a new car.

The high floor of the machine is the result of the use of the so -called sandwich concept in the body design, the bottom of which has two levels, of which the upper one is the floor panel itself, and the lower is formed by the details of the plastic protection of the car units located under the floor. Between the sexes, the compartment designers squeezed the fuel tank, the battery and a niche with a full-sized stock. In front of the floor, the level of the floor was raised, and the intercept space expanded. An unusual power unit was installed in this place. Block engine-transmission is extended in length due to the strong inclination of the engine and attached to the subframe of pressed aluminum parts, which, in turn, also carries the front suspension and the steering mechanism. The subframe is attached to the body at eight points forming four rows of rubber -metal supports, and the rigidity of the first and last rows is higher than the middle. This is done to send a power unit under the bottom of the car in the case of a frontal collision. An important element of the sandwich concept is the power scheme of the body, consisting of two longitudinal elements of the box, connected by six crossbars, and a whole-stamped sidewalls connected by a roof and a partition of a motor compartment complement the picture.

A-Class-Benz A-Class-Benz cars paid increased attention. This small car must meet all the requirements of standards for cars and, in addition, prove that it is also Mercedes. The presented result of the Crash test and its video allows you to make sure that Daimler-Benz experts brilliantly coped with the task. Without large deformable zones, unlike ordinary cars, A-Class uses the entire body design plus the mentioned attachment of the power unit to absorb the energy of the impact, protecting the front seats with airbags in front and the side and the system for restricting the tension of inertial belts on all seats. Significantly reduces the likelihood of passengers of damage, raised on an average of 200 mm half of the car body. It is believed that in general, the level of security of Mercedes A-Class is comparable to E-Class.

A -Class uses four different engines - two gasoline and two turbocharged diesel engines. Gasoline engines have a working volume of 1397 and 1598 cm cube.

In the future, it is planned to release an engine with a volume of 1.9 liters. As for diesel engines, their volume is the same - 1689 cm cubic meter, and the difference is in various power. All motors have the same block of aluminum alloy cylinders, cast -iron sleeves are used on the diesel engine, and gasoline are equipped with silica alloy sleeves. The fundamental difference in engine design is contained in different heads of cylinder blocks-on all gasoline engines there are 8-valve heads of 2 valves per cylinder, and 16-valve gas distribution mechanisms are used on diesel engines.

It is worth saying about diesel engines. All of them with direct fuel injection and the fuel supply system under high pressure using the general cylinders of the pipe-reiver, which maintains constant pressure. This system is called Common Rail Injection, which can be translated as an injection from a common tank. The fuel is launched into the combustion chamber by a computer-controlled electromagnetic flap in two doses, and the first supply of a small amount of fuel precedes the main one on a fraction of a second, this is enough to heat the chamber and reduce the content of nitrogen oxide in exhaust gases.

For the first time, the Mercedes cars use front -wheel drive in the transmission. It is the same on all A-Class cars-dry single-disk clutch, a 5-speed manual gearbox or a 5-speed machine. The gear rates are the same, respectively, in all mechanical and automatic boxes, only the main pairs in different types of engines differ. On manual boxes, automatic clutch with hydraulic drive can be installed, included at the end of the transmission lever.

A front suspension of the Macpherson type with a reptile stability stabilizer connected to a persistent plastic lever, and the back is made independent of the longitudinal levers with a reptile stability stabilizer. The steering mechanism is rack, equipped with an electric pump with an electric pump controlled. Disk brakes on the front wheels (ventilated on the A-160 version), rear brakes drum on cars of all modifications. ABS, APS and the system of maintaining exchange rate stability are standard in all trim levels.

Let's get back to the cabin. With relatively small sizes, it, as already noted, provides a high level of comfort for 4 adults and, moreover, allows you to make short -altitude trips five. The designers thought about tall people, supplying the front seats with three adjustments - along the length, height of the pillow and the corner of the back of the back, so finding a convenient position was a simple and easy thing. The steering column adjustable in height also helped.

The location of the governing bodies is very convenient, everything is thought out to the smallest detail. The form of the torpedo is quite modern and devoid of bells and whistles, the fashion for which, as a rule, is short -lived. The salon provides the ability to transport various goods due to the wide range of changes in the configuration and installation of seats. In total, there are 36 options, starting from a completely passenger car with a small trunk to a single car - only with the driver's seat. An interesting feature is the sliding roof installed by order in the form of narrow transverse plates resembling blinds.

Mercedes A-Class is supplied in three performance. The basic is Classic, more comfortable - Elegance, the most dynamic - Avantgarde. The latter is characterized by a low and more rigid suspension and tires in size 195/50R16 and is available only in the A-160 modification, and the first two shods in rubber in size 175/65R15. They differ in wheels. Classic is traveling on steel stamped disks, and Elegance and Avantgarde flaunt specially made for each cast discs. In salons, you can also find the differences corresponding to each option. This is different in color of the upholstery of the seats, and on Avantgarde they found use and leather inserts on the pillow and back.

The visibility from the driver's place is excellent, the front racks do not interfere when moving in corners, and a short hood allows you to see the road almost in front of the front wheels. The rear review is also good. All the dimensions of the car are felt right away.

I managed to travel on three cars: A-140 Classic, A-160 Elegance and A-160 Avantgarde. Two cars were equipped with automatic clutch, and the classic was an ordinary five -speed gearbox with traditional clutch. A working engine in the cabin is almost not heard in all modes of movement.

There were no problems with the usual transmission - everything works easily and clearly. It was interesting to know how automatic clutch would behave. The start of the engine, the inclusion of the first gear, and the car is slightly twitched, which resembles the behavior in a similar situation of the car with an automatic machine. I add gas, and Mercedes is obediently touching, the revolutions are growing. I drop the gas and turn on the second, then the third - then everything goes in the usual order. The training passed instantly and wanted to experiment. Sometimes it turned out to switch to the highest gear without dumping, but this procedure went down almost without a bitch and a bitch. It was possible to feel well moments of turning on and off the clutch. The habit of not using your left foot is produced immediately, and when you find the machine with ordinary controls again, you can’t understand for some time why the programs are not turned on?

The accelerated dynamics pleased on all cars, especially with Avantgarde. On the autobahn, he confidently held 180 km/h, did not give up the speed limiter anymore. The car behaved quite steady, but reacted to the cars passing nearby with small body rolls. The Classic and Elegance rolls with more turns, which is explained by a higher center of gravity, a softer suspension and an increased height of the tire profile. The work of the suspension in all cars did not cause complaints.

In turns, A-Class demonstrates almost neutral rotation. This indicates that the car is able to find a way out of an extraordinary situation.

The steering wheel amplifier works fine. The force on the steering wheel grows in proportion to speed.

The brakes also cope well with their duties, the Abs is turned on only at the right time and does not disturb the driver in trifles, and so that it reminds of herself, it is necessary to make a lot of effort.

In general, Mercedes A-Class liked it. In this car you feel very confident, despite its modest size. If you try to determine the circle of future A-Class buyers, then the car is most likely suitable for young families and women leading an active lifestyle.

Sergey Ivanov
 

Source: Motor magazine [No. 8/1997]