The Mercedes-Benz A-Class is a car manufactured by German luxury automaker Mercedes-Benz. It has been marketed across four generations as a front-engine, front-wheel drive, five-passenger, five-door hatchback, with a three-door hatchback offered for the second generation, as well as a saloon version for the fourth.
As the brand's entry-level vehicle, the first generation A-Class, internally coded W168, was introduced in 1997, the second generation (W169) in late 2004 and the third generation (W176) in 2012. The fourth generation model (W177), which was launched in 2018, marked the first time the A-Class was offered in the United States and Canada. This fourth generation A-Class is also the first to be offered both as a hatchback (W177) and sedan (V177).
Styled by Steve Mattin and launched at the 1997 Frankfurt Motor Show, the A-Class was noted for its short, narrow footprint, its overall height, and an interior volume and level of equipment competing with larger cars. The A-Class subsequently gained length and width over its successive generations, losing some of its height. Approximately 3.3 million A-Class models had been manufactured by the 2021 model year.
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First generation (W168; 1996)
History In 1994, Mercedes-Benz confirmed that it would be launching a compact car - the A-Class (A 160) - by early 1997, and (A 190) by early 1999, which would be the company's first venture in this sector of the market; it was hinted at this stage that the new car would be shorter than the average supermini but as spacious and practical inside as a large family car.
The A-Class was presented to the motoring press late in 1996, and launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show in the autumn of 1997, the W168 A-Class was quite unusual for Mercedes-Benz featuring a front-wheel drive layout and unusually tall but yet short body and Avantgarde at the 1999 Geneva Motor Show and 1999 Frankfurt Motor Show.
This was the first complete exterior designed by Coventry University trained Steve Mattin, for which he was named Autocar magazine's 'Designer of the Year'. Earlier, Mattin had mostly worked on design for the W210 E-Class in 1991. Concurrent to the W168, he designed the exterior of the W220 S-Class. The final design freeze occurred in January 1995, at 32 months before August 1997 start of production.europe.autonews.com/article/19970303/ANE/703030836/a-class-sets-new-record-for-mercedes
Between 1997 and 2004, 1.1 million first generation A-Class models had been sold. Overall, Daimler lost €1,440 per vehicle produced.
The A-Class was facelifted in February 2001, with minor alterations to the headlights, front and rear bumper design and the addition of a new longer wheelbase version. It was launched at the Geneva Motor Show.
Moose test issue and recall The W168 became infamous in 1997 after flipping over during the traditional "moose test" performed by the Swedish automobile publication Teknikens Värld. According to the report, the W168 overturned when manoeuvring to avoid the "moose". Mercedes initially denied the problem, but then took the surprising step of recalling all units sold to date (2,600) and suspending sales for three months until the problem was solved by adding electronic stability control and modifying the suspension. The company spent DM 2.5 billion in developing the car, with a further DM 300 million to fix it.
Engines All A-Class models are powered by four-cylinder engines, with 1.4 L and 1.6 L petrol models at launch (M 166 series), followed by two versions of a 1.7 L diesel engine (OM 668 series). In 1999, a larger 1.9 L petrol model was added, with the 2.1 the last W168 version to be launched in 2002. Also two AMG versions were produced, a 3.2 in 2001 and a 3.8 in 2000, though very few of these were made.
ModelYearsConfigurationDisplacementPowerTorqueTop SpeedFuel Consumption/Efficiency (EU-Norm combined)Petrol enginesA 1401997–2004M 166 E 141397 cm3 at 5,000 rpm at 3,750 rpmA 140 L2001–2004A 140 Automatic2000–2004M 166 E 16 red.1598 cm3 at 5,000 rpm at 2,500 rpmA 140 L Automatic2001–2004A 1601997–2004M 166 E 161598 cm3 at 5,250 rpm at 4,000 rpmA 160 L2001–2004A 1901999–2004M 166 E 191898 cm3 at 5,500 rpm at 4,000 rpmA 190 L2001–2004A 210 Evolution2002 – 2004M 166 E 212084 cm3 at 5,500 rpm at 4,000 rpmA 210 Evolution LA 32K AMG (Prototype)2002M 112 E 32 ML Supercharged3199 cm3 at 6,100 rpm at 3,000–4,600 rpm A 38 AMG (Prototype)1998M 166 E 19 (two engines—front and rear)3796 cm3 (2x 1898 cm3) at 5,500 rpm at 4,000 rpm Diesel enginesA 160 CDI1998–2001OM668 DE 17 A red.1689 cm3 at 3,600 rpm at 1,500–2,400 rpm2001–2004OM 668 DE 17 LA red. at 3,600 rpm at 1,500–2,800 rpmA 170 CDI1998–2001OM 668 DE 17 LA at 4,200 rpm at 1,600–3,200 rpm2001–2004 at 4,200 rpm at 1,600–3,600 rpmA 170 CDI L
Safety TestScorePointsOverall:N/AN/AAdult occupant:27
Production
DaimlerChrysler invested EUR 900 million in developing the Rastatt plant where the A-Class is produced, and created 1600 new jobs (for a total of 4700). A further 600 people work in the office building at the plant site.
Mercedes-Benz began W168 production on 17 February 1999 at its new Brazilian facility in Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais. The Brazilian plant was the company's first factory in South America dedicated to passenger cars, with an investment of US$840 million and 10,000 employees. The factory initially produced A-Class and C-Class models, assembling them from pieces manufactured in Germany. The target for the cars was regional markets (from Argentina to Mexico) with modifications made to the cars to suit local conditions, like a protection for the motor base. By May 2004 production stopped in Rastatt plant. In September 2005 Brazilian Juiz de Fora factory stopped production of A-Class cars.
A210 EVOLUTION AMG originally considered a highly dynamic, supercharged flagship for the first-generation A-Class, but ultimately chose a more balanced concept that met the demands for comfort, everyday usability, and reliability. The result was the A210 EVOLUTION, derived from the A190 and offered exclusively in silver or black. As only the second Mercedes model to bear the “EVOLUTION” name and limited to 2,629 units, it is a rare and distinctly sporty-luxurious variant. It combined an enlarged M166 engine with extensive equipment—including leather/Alcantara upholstery, an AMG-style body kit, sports suspension, stainless-steel pedals, wide tyres, exclusive 17-inch wheels, and a unique dual-exit stainless-steel exhaust. Available in both short and long versions, the A210 EVOLUTION paired enhanced driving dynamics with the A-Class’s flexible interior concept, while many of its components could also be ordered individually and the Designo programme offered additional high-end customisation options.
Mercedes-Benz A-Class "F-Cell" (2004)
It is a version of 5-door A-Class hydrogen fuel cell vehicle with electric motor. It has a driving range of .The A-Class and the drive of the future: F-Cell and HyPer
Three A-Class F-Cell cars were used in the 2003 Frankfurt International Motor Show for press shuttle service. On 18 June 2004, 4 production F-Cell vehicles were delivered to Deutsche Telekom and BEWAG/Vattenfall Europe in Berlin.History of fuel cell development at Mercedes-Benz
In 2007, the A-Class F-Cell were delivered to Landsvirkjun and Reykjavik Energy.
A DHL version of F-Cell was unveiled in FC EXPO 2008.
Reception According to a 2008 British customer satisfaction survey by Which?, the A-Class with manufacture years between 1998 and 2004 came third from bottom out of 217 models surveyed with a score of 65 percent.
Second generation (W169; 2004)
Initial release
The W169 used high-strength steel alloys with bonded joints. Standard equipment included front as well as combined head and thorax-protection side airbags. The front airbags were adaptive with two-stage gas generators operating according to the severity of accident. Optionally rear side airbags (for side-impacts in the backseats) and side-curtain airbags were available.
The force exerted by the seat belt system during a collision adapted dynamically to collision characteristics. The 'active' head restraints (standard for driver and front passenger) were designed to reduce neck injury, especially in rear collisions.
The cargo capacity of the W169 was increased by 15 percent over the W168.
Seven four-cylinder engines were available: four petrol (gasoline) (A 150, A 170, A 200, A 200 Turbo) and three diesel (A 160 CDI, A 180 CDI, A 200 CDI) partnered with either five- or six-speed manual gearbox. A continuously variable transmission system called "Autotronic Constantly Variable Transmission" (CVT) is an optional feature.
The petrol A 200 Turbo provides and of torque (rotational force); the diesel A 200 CDI has and .
The most powerful engine achieved 0- in 8.0 seconds with a top speed of . The newly developed direct-injection CDI diesel units use a common-rail direct injection system that improves fuel consumption and reduces exhaust emissions and engine noise.
All the engines met EU4 emissions limits. A particulate filter system was available as an option for the diesel units to reduce particulate emissions by about 99% without the need for additives.
The A-Class was a front wheel drive car and featured traction control (ASR) as standard, as well as electronic stability control and anti-lock brakes (ABS).
Handling was improved by precision tracking and anti-roll support, and by a Parabolic Rear Axle.
A "Selective Damping System", in which the shock absorber forces respond differently according to conditions, was standard. For example, under normal conditions it operated at soft absorption; while cornering at speed it changes to full damping force.
Sales of the W169 were targeted at 50,000 units in 2004. Dr. Joachim Schmidt, Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing, Mercedes Car Group, said that target had been reached even before vehicles arrived in dealer showrooms.
Japan models went on sale in 2005-02-04. Early models include 5-door right drive versions of A 170, A 170 Elegance, A 200 Elegance. 5-door right drive version of A 200 TURBO Elegance was added in 2005-11-10. Due to the body width being larger than 1700 mm, it could not be registered as small car in Japan. (See Vehicle size class#Japan)
2008 update
The W169 Model facelift changes included redesigned front and rear fascias and lights, and optional stop-start function on A 150 and 170 models. Active Park Assist enables the car to parallel park itself, with only throttle and brake inputs required from the driver.
The five-door Hatchback and the three-door Coupé vehicles debuted in spring 2008, alongside the refreshed 2009 M-Class and B-Class. Early models include A 160 CDI, A 180 CDI, A 200 CDI, A 150, A 170, A 200, A 200 TURBO.
Japan models went on sale in late August 2008. Early models 5-door versions of A 170, A 170 Elegance. Japan models of A 170 was renamed to A 180 in August 2009.
A-Class Special Edition 2009 (2009) The Special Edition is a limited (5500 units) version for all model variants of the A-Class. It includes the BlueEfficiency package, black radiator louvres, 16-inch titanium silver light-alloy wheels in a new 9-spoke design (tyre size 195/55 R16), a "Special Edition" badge on the mirror triangle, two-tone colour scheme in black and grey, Audio 20 radio with CD player and Bluetooth hands-free system and the Light and Sight package with a rain sensor, automatically dimming rear-view mirror, an illuminated vanity mirror in the sun visor, separately adjustable reading lights in the rear, a reading light for the driver and illuminated front foot wells, Seating Comfort package (height-adjustable front passenger seat, seat cushion angle adjustment and lumbar supports for the driver and front passenger). Standard exterior features also include fog lamps and a free choice of metallic paint finish.
Mercedes-Benz A-Class E-CELL (2010)