Test drive Mercedes Benz A-class W176 since 2012 Hatchback

Sustainability

Last summer, our Sergey Ivanov returned from Belgium, where the press presentation of the Mercedes A-class returned. Having crossed the editorial threshold and licking a tea bag in the circle, he told how he almost turned over on this very A-class, leaving the car only with a miracle.
Everything (and with everyone) happens on the tests-someone almost flew to the ditch, someone almost laid out the car on a lamppost, etc. In general, at that moment S. Ivanov considered the result of his own mistake in the management and decided to tell readers not to talk about it. How we regret - still! - That he did not turn over then ...

Baby-Benz was first shown two weeks after the return of S. Ivanov-at the Frankfurt Motor show. The audience was delighted. Everyone considered himself an eyewitness to the new automobile revolution. In the news of CNN, a small Mercedes flashed almost more often - that, in the Paris Tonnel.

And a month later, Mercedes Wunderkind presented everyone with his kinder-sulfur: the world flew around that during the next test drive, when stopping at a speed of 60 km/h, the Teswell magazine Teknikens Varld laid an A-class on the side. On dry, moreover, asphalt. From this moment in the releases of CNN, the lucky Swede was little inferior in the popularity of Monica Levinsky, and we began to regret that it was almost considered. Otherwise, our employee (and with him - and our magazine!) Could go into history ...

The feat of the Swedish test was repeated by his colleagues from Denmark and Germany itself. In November 1997, the German concern announced the temporary cessation of A-class sales and a review of 2500 already sold machines for technical improvement.

Recall that the causes of unstable behavior of cars on tests were covered in the suspension parameters that were not calculated for all occasions and in the wrong selection of tires. Yes, and the center of gravity of A-class due to the sandwich construction of the floor was noticeably higher than that of classmates. (By the way - none of the cars sold the first Mercedes series A -class has turned over.)

Work on errors did not demand a lot of time from engineers and managers of the company. First of all, on all versions of A -class, more rigid and short springs from the sports version of Avantgard and low -profile tires of the Goodyear Eagle NCT3 dimension 195/50R15 - instead of 175/65R15. Thus, the center of the pressed masses of the car sank, and the clearance decreased - in front by 22 mm, from behind - by 42 mm. A more rigid anterior anti -resistance stabilizer was used. The track of the rear wheels was increased by 10 mm. In addition, at A -class, they began to install ESP in a serial (and free) electronic stabilization system (motor #5, 1997), which used to be an option worth $ 1300. Thus, Baby-Benz has become the only small class car in the world, the standard equipment of which includes such a powerful computerized complex. (Before that, ESP was the privilege of only the most expensive versions of Mercedes: S-class, all-wheel drive E-4Matic, M-class SUVs and rear-wheel drive C- and E-class performed by AMG.)

Now the advanced Mercedes-Benz A-class came to us. The test on the Khodynsky field in the pouring rain. At our disposal A140 is not the most powerful modification with an 8 -valve 1.4 L82 l.S. This is exactly what the scandal began at one time. Box - 5 -speed mechanical. Complete - Elegance. The task is to check how ESP affects the stability of the car on a slippery highway at high speeds. Alexey Vasiliev is called to the rescue, this season that has already put one car on his ears, however, racing. Go.

To begin with, we note that the visibility of the forward left leaves, as they say, to wish ... the front and remote roof racks from the driver deliver the Mercedes to the driver more inconvenience than the same in the mini-vein Renault Espace ...

The acceleration is even, confident - we did not expect anything like this from the city car. Quick acceleration - and without any tear. The motor unconditionally pulls in the entire speed range. Switching gear is fast and clear. Direct segments of the new Khodynsky highway allowed to disperse Mercedes to 150 km/h. The most loud sound is the noise from the water cut by the wheels. (Traditional Kia Sephia in all respects with an 8-valve 1.5 liter with an engine before dropping the speed before turning, managed to accelerate only 140 km/h, and in terms of noise the leaders turned out to be its motor and oncoming air flow. A more unsuccessful partner for a “It’s hard to find a class,” you say. So we don’t compare them - this is so, by the way.)

With high -speed entering the turn, Mercedes did not show any signs of disobedience. We noted only a larger one - compared to the cars of the traditional layout - the roll in the turns. Only the roll, but not the departure of the wheels, and even more so not the separation of them from the road. It was not possible to track the moment of eSP operation. (Recall: with the start of gliding of at least one wheel, this system begins to slow down others, and if this is not enough, cuts out the fuel supply, limiting the engine speed and torque. These measures provide approximately equal speed of rotation of all wheels, and therefore stable progressive movement of the car .) We did not notice any hinging of the wheels. They did not even notice a decrease in the revolution of the motor, which would certainly be accompanied by a slowdown in movement. At a speed of about 100 km/h, Mercedes was eagerly prescribed arches on flooded with water coating of the airfield. (On the same Sephia, such turns in the in a speed of 80 km/h had to go through and at the same time in half of the cases - with a skid.) However, such approximate behavior could well be explained only by excellent adhesion properties of tires.

It would seem that everything is simple: turn off the ESP and evaluate the changes in the behavior of the car. But the Germans reasonably decided not to experience fate anymore and made the system constantly activated. Therefore, in order to feel how ESP works, we began to simulate extreme situations.

A short rearrangement, during which the car was suffered a fiasco a year ago, is called a moose test. As already mentioned, then everything happened on dry asphalt and at a speed of about 60 km/h, i.e. In a completely ordinary situation. Here the asphalt is flooded with water ...

Speed \u200b\u200b60. A sharp maneuver to the left, 20 meters in a straight line and back, on the previous path. After turning left and reverse adjustment, quite natural (only with a large amplitude) of the body is upgrade. Thanks to the hard suspension, the car quickly stabilizes, or rather, was ready to quickly stabilize - we are already filling it to the right. The force on the steering wheel grows, but continues to be within the comfortable zone. The last left turn is the most difficult. To return the A-class to the original trajectory, you still have to use force. Management losses do not occur, none of the wheels and does not go into sliding.

Speed \u200b\u200b80. Dramatically break the trajectory of the car on the smooth wet asphalt at such a speed, few will come to their heads. It came to us - and ESP worked. After a jerk of the steering wheel, a decrease in traction is felt - that's all. ESP does its job - cuts off the torque of the engine. The car traveled to an imaginary moose, remaining all the time completely controlled. The maneuvers are over ...

It should be noted that the ESP begins to react to the beginning of a skid certainly no later than the driver notices him, and definitely earlier than he manages to take measures. So it remains only to think about it, the wheels would have gone to the yuz, if not for all the smart electronics itself. And how other cars are used under these conditions, it was possible to see on the same Khodynka ...

Of course, a short hard suspension (just like a sports version), and low-profile tires were contributed to the stability of the car. On a perfectly flat highway, such a hodovka is indispensable - it makes control more strict and, at the same time, retains an acceptable level of comfort. It will be difficult to remain serene on the road of moderate unevenness: any macronericity is transferred to the body, and the movement resembles the racing on the truck along the lane. Note that in such conditions an A -class remains true to its brand - the hardness of the body and the quality of the assembly of all parts of the cabin exclude the appearance of creaks and other extraneous sounds.

I remember that after the first acquaintance with ESP (installed on the four -eyed Mercedes 4Matic), I compared its effect with the obsessive service at the hotel. Now I am convinced that it is better to have such an assistant than hanging on the belts with a head down 10 centimeters from asphalt, finding herself from a gentle touch of the airbag. Moreover, today it is much more difficult to get with a-class in CNN reports than, for example, to light up in a road patrol. So - let it be: ESP is a superfluous thing. In addition, having paid for Mercedes-Benz a-class from $ 30,000 to $ 35,000, you will receive it completely free.

Yuri Tikhvin
 
 

Source: Motor magazine [No. 10/1998]