Test drive Mercedes Benz A-class W176 since 2012 Hatchback

"Mercedes" said: "A"

Small and Mercedes are incompatible concepts. At the mention of the word, Mercedes the brain of any thinking creature gives out only two associations: a three-beam star and a large strong male car. But it seems that times are hopelessly changing. As the autopilot already wrote, this year a historical event occurred in the homeland of the six hundredth: the first Mercedes of the A-Class rolled out of the womb of the pillar of the automotive industry. And he made his debut on the salon in Geneva. This made it about the same impression on society as if BMW suddenly began the release of wheelchairs.
Fans and fans of the star were a lot puzzled. Having set aside beer aside and scratching him in the back of the head, they asked: what happened to Mercedes? ... And really, there was something to be surprised at: the new Mercedes cub was not only small, but also a front -wheel drive.
Having traveled along the roads of Belgium to Mercedes, Autopilot correspondent tried to understand what happened.
The first and most powerful impression is a very nice, even stylish car. Outwardly, he resembles a small pretty bugshachka, completely unlike his serious older Zhuk brothers. The breed is slightly guessed only in the shape of a hood and a radiator grill. And here a hint, not so arrogant and defiantly (look, I am a Mercedes!), As on previous models.
Creating their brainchild, the designers of the Mercedes did not really think about the stereotypes of the automotive industry. It was more important than something else. The concern’s strategists were calculated back in the early 90s: the sales time of expensive large cars will be approaching to an end, in line - the middle class of cars at a reasonable price.
It is he who, due to his mass and accessibility, and by no means single sales of an exclusive car, will bring income to manufacturers. A certain portrait of such a car was even compiled: from 3.5 to 4.2 meters long and cost from DM25000 to DM45000. And in the mid-90s, the Mercedes concern went to the people, having planned his class A.
Naturally, meticulous Germans, before lowering the brand before the production of products, which was previously called Asian, carefully calculated the potential of the market. It turned out that at least 350 thousand (!) Potential buyers of the new car would be typed in any way in the Germany alone. And the argument is simple here: let it be small, but still Mercedes! There was no doubt: we get down.
Outside, A -class - hatchback. His power unit is partially below the floor level, so you sit in it quite high, as in Minivan. Bukka’s salon is no less than in a Mercedes C-class. If desired, you can easily remove the rear seats: in this case, the trunk volume increases to 1800 liters. And then in a baby you can transport, for example, a refrigerator. The hatch in the car is simply huge - you can easily stand in full height, even being in the rear of the cabin.
Perhaps it makes no sense to list all the options that the A -class is supplied with: here you can find everything that is supposed to be a modern car, and even Mercedes - even more so. Note that side airbags here are provided in standard configuration. The developers of Bukashka-Mercedes came to the issue of passenger safety with a thorough firm. For example, with a frontal collision, the engine leaves under the feet of passengers, and the salon remains unharmed.
A-class is equipped with 1.4 and 1.6 liters gasoline engines and 1.6 and 1.7 liters turbodiesels. Gearboxes - mechanical and automatic. For road tests, we chose the A-160 machine with a 1.6 gasoline engine and a mechanical box.
It’s wonderful to move around the city at a-class: a wonderful overview, high landing and small dimensions allow you to easily maneuver in the flow of machines. Sometimes, however, it was not possible to make everyone from the traffic light - after all, 1.6, this is 1.6. But there are no problems with parking: without a headache, you squeeze even into small holes. The suspension turned out to be soft enough: you can drive a paving stones without much discomfort. Swaying along Brussels, we came to the conclusion that for the city A-class is quite suitable. Exceptional brakes were also noted: at a speed of up to 40 kilometers per hour, even with a relatively slight effort on the pedal, the car stops almost instantly.
Driving on a bright red bug, we became the object of healthy curiosity of the local population. The Belgians have not yet managed to get used to the unusual form of the new Mercedes and, seeing our little car, rejoiced like children. The drivers of passing cars literally turned their heads and shook their heads approvingly. It was worth stopping, a few interested passers -by gathered near our Mercedes. We, with knowledge of the case, explained to the uninitiated Flemings that the Russians here test the products of the Mercedes. The Belgians listened respectfully.
Having talked with the indigenous population, we decided to leave for an almost 100-kilometer car Brussels-Smayur. By the way, it is forbidden to ride in Belgium faster than 120 kilometers per hour. May the Belgians forgive us, but we could not resist and immediately drowned the gas to the floor, out of Russian habit, flashing the empty roads with the far light of the headlights (so, just in case). Acceleration seemed a little sluggish. However, some kind of respectable European mistress, on which the A-class is designed, does not have to start at all so that the body feels the rigidity of the back.
The engine said about himself that he was in place, somewhere at the mark of 4 thousand revolutions. Having accelerated to 165 kilometers per hour and continuing to put pressure on the gas pedal, we were surprised to find that the car did not want to go faster. And 175 - the last record - we set, rolling on a smooth descent. Probably, we did not reach the passports 182 km/h due to the non -roll engine. But it was pleased that even at maximum speed, and holding on the road quite confidently. In principle, there is no difference - that 60, that 160. Only the landscape outside the window is replaced a little faster.
Changing the car to the A-140, we decided to ride along a mountain winding road. The new Mercedes includes well - still a front -wheel drive model. Once, however, they barely fit in: the speed was 80 kilometers. The car had an unpleasant roll, and we decided not to tempt fate anymore. In general, the 1.4 engine does not make the car very aggressively: sometimes you think about whether it is worth it to overtake if a turn appeared ahead.
According to Autopilot, representatives of the Daimler-Benz company, a Mercedes A-Class will appear in Russian dealers in October this year. In Europe, the car will cost about DM30000. Having evaluated the advantages of the new model on personal experience, it can be assumed with confidence that in the Russian market Mercedes will be in certain demand. This ideal city car is the best suited as a second family car, and, as it seems to us, the representatives of the weaker sex will especially like it. And, finally, many wealthy Russians will prefer him to other small -leafers only because the usual three -beam star flaunts on his hood.
Model/Modification Mercedes-Benz A-160
Manufacturer Daimler-Benz AG, Germany
BODY
Type of hatchback
Number of doors/places 5/5
ENGINE
Type gasoline, with multi -point injection
The location in front is transversely
Working volume (cubic cub) 1598
Number/location of cylinders 4/in a row
Cylinder diameter/piston stroke (mm) 80/79.5
The degree of compression is 11.0
Power (kW/l. P.) 75/102
Moment (nm at rpm) 150/4000
Valve number/cylinder 2
TRANSMISSION
Front -wheel drive
Gearbox five -speed mechanical
SUSPENSION
Front Independent, such as Mcphereson
The rear independent multi -link
STEERING
Type gear-rake, with hydraulic power steering
Brakes
Front disk ventilated
The rear drum
ABS standard equipment
Wheels
Drink size 5.5j/15
Tire size 175/65 r15
Dimensions/about EME/Weight
Length/width/height (mm) 3575/1719/1598
Wheel base (mm) 2423
The track front/track of the rear (mm) 1502/1440
Radius of turn (m) 10.30
Dry mass (kg) 1020
The volume of the fuel tank (L) 50
Dynamic characteristics
Maximum speed (km/h) 182
Acceleration to 100 km/h (sec) 9.6
What else
Mercedes with his A-class invaded the market sector, where manufacturers of mass-production reign. Such as Volkswagen, Opel, Renault, Citroen. It’s too early to say how much a piece of the pie will be able to tear Mercedes, since the cost of the new model significantly exceeds the price level that has prevailed in Europe. On the other hand, the technical level of A-class is a muffle higher than that of competitors.
However, recently there has been a tendency to increase it. So, Audi A 3 became one of the first small cars to offer the owners a fairly high level of comfort. It is noteworthy that these babies install very powerful motors - in our case, everyone has power for 100 horsepower.
The opposite example of Mercedes and Audi are Citroen Saxso and Volkswagen Polo. They attract a mass buyer primarily at their cost.
Until now, cars of this class have been, as a rule, second or third in the family. Today in Europe, the tendency to the fact that such machines will be the first and only are more clearly manifested in Europe. This is determined, first of all, the tightness of European cities. Turning to a small car, spoiled buyers want to see the usual level of comfort in it. It is such requests that the Mercedes A-Class is designed to answer.
 
Stepan Rybakov (photo of the author)

 

Source: "Autopilot"