Test drive Mercedes Benz A-class w169 2004-2007 hatchback

Hatchbek in a nastart

Mercedes-Benz a-class: only the clearance disappeared

... And the point is not at all that the letter Ases the beginning of everything alphabetically, both ours and them. It’s just that your correspondent always believed that Mercedes-Benz A-class is undeservedly deprived of the attention of consumers in our country.
By the way, in more civilized European countries, these cars are in line and they are very popular.

You can ambiguously refer to the appearance of this indigenous resident of the metropolis, but nevertheless the fact remains: a class was, is and will always be a real Mercedes. To the core. Do not believe? Now I will try to prove it. I must say that the author of these lines is well acquainted with Ashka of the previous generation. The fact is that such a machine was purchased for the needs of the editorial office. This was one of the very first copies, then only went on sale. A kind of funny toy bright blue. The car has proven itself very well in several years of daily operation. There was only one serious problem of low clearance. Because of this, even a couple of times I had to change the Carter pallet, which our negligent driver regularly pierced.

So let's see what really has changed in the new Ashka compared to the old model. Of course, first of all, the appearance. But the main difference is in size. The car became noticeably longer and wider (which does not immediately catch the eye, but the person will immediately pay attention to this), and the main advantage of this fact will be appreciated by the rear passengers. Personally, I really liked the beautiful designer development of the line of the back of the body. The wings and trunk seem to go to the lantern, where the lines of the lid of the trunk and the rear wings converge in turn. This is the result of the long and laborious work of the designer. From now on, A-class began to look much more swift. (As for the road clearance, it, unfortunately, increased so slightly that it is not necessary to talk about it.) However, the main changes are waiting for the driver and passengers in the cabin.

It is very spacious even for quite overall mkmobile test pillets. The mandatory program of the consumer test of the car includes riding in the back seat. Given the fact that the car was tested by three pilots plus the photographer, and, we repeat, all four guys who clearly eat porridge in childhood, the shame, so to speak, the salon really exceeded all our expectations. Of course, if we would, say, five on one A-class, it is theoretically possible that we could experience some discomfort in terms of ergonomics of the salon. And the four hefty men easily fit in the salon of a test Ashka.

The trunk, covered with a strict curtain, became much more impressive. Now you can pour 435 liters of luggage into it (in the old version, the trunk was 45 liters less) by the way, the salon itself struck us primarily the quality of the decoration of materials. An excellent expensive soft plastic, coupled with very comfortable seats, and visibility in a circle now does not cause any complaints. All five active headrests are adjusted in height (though manually), except that the central rear creates some kind of discomfort in the review in the raised state, he completely covers the driver's rear window.

Torpedo is very much like a new E-class with its roundness and neat convexities. This is not the old A-class at all with his obsessive circle of ducts and a running panel of devices. True, the presence of light fabric on the doors is some kind of doubt, but we will consider this a flaw configuration. Moreover, the future buyer or customer has a lot of options for finishing the cabin with all kinds of materials.

I was very lucky. During the test, the strongest snowfall fell on the capital, and the manager of the company Panavto recommended that I take the latest model snowmobile, which would be much more relevant, given the natural disasters for the test. But there is a test. Given the low clearance of the model, Aischka easily and without hesitation overcame serious snow obstacles. At a time when all of Moscow stood in wild traffic jams or moved in space at an average speed of about 510 kilometers per hour, I had the audacity to go 40, and where all 60 (it is in such extreme situations and the insidious Moscow was revealed. Practice shows, almost all of their skill actively strives for zero.)

Given that it was necessary to steer at a fairly extreme level, Ashka struck me with her handling. This was a little reminded of the eternal competitor of BMW. Very sharp steering, coupled with a frying with a suspension. After all, the good old McPherson is, however, slightly modified. But behind the updated suspension plays a key role in controllability.

The developers replaced an independent multi-link design with ... dependent (apparently, the events of seven years ago are still fresh, when, due to the excessively freedom-loving rear suspension, the newly released A-class overturned in the most harmless situations). Now, under the trunk of a new Ashki, a curved beam (attached to the body with a rubber -metal support), supplemented by a reptile stability stabilizer and a slightly modified Uatta mechanism.

By the way, this suspension became steaming in the bend under the influence of the rod of the mechanism, the bridge is slightly rotated after the front wheels. The cunning system also prevents body rolls with sharp turns.

Indeed, on the road, the baby was more than stable. Among other things, it is also equipped with a selective damping system of shock absorbers is adjusted by stiffness depending on the quality of the coverage of the roadway. Of course, here it was partly to sacrifice the smoothness of the course, but ...

We went to the test the basic version of the A150 A-Class. A one and a half -liter engine with a capacity of 95 horsepower, coupled with a mechanical five -speed gearbox, I must say, copes with its task. Of the standard set, there are only two front electric windows, climate control (all the Meruses in the Standard) and perhaps a multi-line, which has been managed by excellent music with a CD changer, cruise control and telephone (option). And do not forget about four airbags, as well as about an impressive set of electronic assistants, in addition to anti -lock and anti -circulation systems in the base of Ashka, is equipped with terminal stability and help with emergency braking. Such a car costs a little more than 20,000 euros at the official dealer. Then it all depends on the thickness of your wallet.

In total, seven engines of 4 gasoline and 3 diesel engines, strategically important in Europe are proposed in the range. A150 (95 hp), A170 (116 hp) and A200 (136 hp) slightly modified, but already quite well -known motors of the company. And diesel engines will also be actively offered to Russian customers. They look as follows by A160 CDI (82 hp), A180 CDI (109 hp) and A200 CDI (140 hp). In addition, by the beginning of the summer season, a top gasoline version of the A200 Turbo will be released with a capacity of 200 horses. And this Ashka is capable of throwing a glove to many competitors ... Of course, such cars are supplied with either mechanical or automatic transmission. Now, in addition, Autotronic variator also appeared on A-class, which allows you to move very smoothly and silently. True, such a box is more suitable for very calm drivers (or drivers).

By the way, to buyers of the second generation of A-class, instead of the previous long version, the dealers will offer a car with a 3-door body. Let it have less space for the rear passengers and baggage, but it has a more dynamic appearance. And, among other things, it is cheaper than five -door for 700 euros.

In any case, the new A-class managed to prove the full right to a very successful existence in his market segment. You can relate differently to its ambiguous appearance, but the fact remains: the new Ashka 100 percent quality made Mercedes-Benz. And only for one name, many are ready to pay serious money. And they will bet on the right horse ...

Alexey Gusev
 

Source: Mkobil magazine [07.02.2005]