My family and I were on holiday in Honfleur, France in 1998. We noticed a crowd at the other side of a car park and being nosey we wandered over to investigate. As we got closer we saw a fabulous looking soft top Rolls Royce but the crowd were looking at something else. We got closer still and saw that sitting right next to the RR was an A-Class. There must have been 20 or 30 folk crowded round discussing the car. I don't think anyone had seen one before. The fact that it drew such a crowd and everyone was ignoring a beautiful RR right next to it really showed what a head turner it was at the time.
I remember when this thing rolled in Teknikens Värld's moose test, back in 97' I think it was. It was huge at the time. Front page in major Swedish newspapers. I actually think it has aged quite well!
@@rimmersbryggeri , trevlig länk, men varför svarade du trafikmagasinet, de hade väl inget att göra med kommentaren ovan din? Så därför svarade jag teknikens värld, ifall du trodde att det var i trafikmagasinet den välte, vilket det alltså inte var, utan i tidningen teknikens värld, precis som den första kommentaren sa.
@@GoldenCroc Jag minns bara hur Perstad och Borglund pratade om hur de mottagit hot efter deras test av a-klass. Förstod inte varför de skulle ha fått det om det var teknikens värld som gjort avslöjandet.
My father owns an A160 that runs but isn't really in great shape after several light accidents and subpar repairs, doesn't get used much since he has a company car for daily driving. But being in rather bad condition makes it a great car for me to learn to drive with since it won't matter much if I mess it up some more. The battery location is awkward for jump starting, but at the same time it is easy enough to push start the car. For working in the city it's probably one of the best vehicles to own, it's small and easy to park but can be unbelievably spacious with the removable seats, more than enough space to transport small furniture or appliances.
A proper A class. Flawed but thoughtful and innovative in its design and execution - for the consumer if not for mechanics. Owned a 99 160 Avantangarde for a decade - plenty of space, was compact enough so you could park it anywhere - and it had the full webasto slatted panoramic sunroof which gave a it near convertible like feel. Downsides...the ride was very crashy, the front seats didn't offer much in terms of support on a long journey, and a common problem on these was play in the steering column U/J due to the extreme angle of from the wheel down to the the rack. The car was originally designed to be a hybrid - the twin sandwich floor pan was meant to accomodate a large battery pack. For all its faults we loved ours and it gave good service for over a decade and 120k miles. A couple of points to make out - Avangardes had 1/2 leather as standard - and the original factory UK fitment head unit was Sony. I'd love another - and it's interesting that Andrew Frankel has just bought back the original Autocar and first UK registered Mercedes press car. If only Mercedes could have followed the power of its convictions and taken the development of this concept further.
i’m 18 and i own a 2001 w168 1.4 petrol manual this car is extremely good for it s age and perfect for city and hanging out with friends. I am just one month older than it is😂😂
@@nostradamusglaskugel9340 That sounds like they need a starter service. Unless the batteries are low. But starters do need service, not often but they need it from time to time. Mine has been serviced once.
Great video! I've owned two of these. But I'd mention two things: 1) The moose-evasion test didn't involve the brakes, because they assumed you'd have the cruise control on, and 2) You might like to mention that this car with the manual has a synchronized reverse gear! (almost unique)
This car looks like french broke into Mercedes factory and held the Mercedes employees as hostages and then forced them to build it with a gun against their head. This car is bonkers lol
Who is the classic prejudice that I had for years, until I bought a car. The car is a TRUE MERCEDES, with all the qualities of a Mercedes. "Never judge a book by its cover."
I had never realized how clever these were! The only thought I ever had while seeing these was the failed moose test but now I wish I could find a clean one.
Marvellous car . A class act . Excellent modularity that would put the current A class to shame . They had a marvellous panoramic sunroof . The Mk 2 was even better and I think was one of the best cars ever designed or produced .
@@keewee23 Here in New Zealand it's hard to find a place to test max speeds, so I've never tested it, but I've certainly been able to get over 140km/h easily.
Not all of Mercedes efforts in the 1990s were great, but I respect their commitment to engineering every car to the same high standards. They did the same with the W201 in the 1980s, it may have been their smallest and cheapest car, but it was engineered to the same level of quality and safety as the S-Class, and the 190 became the best car MB ever built.
Objectively this car would be perfect today. Raised seating position like a SUV, already designed to take batteries in the "sandwich" floor, extremely space efficient, ~50 cm shorter than current "small" cars like VW Polo, Honda Jazz, etc. But no one would buy it bc people nowadays only care about posing...
In pretty sure most people would find it very ugly. Even if a company makes objectively the perfect car in terms of everything. If it looks bad. It wont sale.
Hired an A140 in Switzerland. Impressive how much room there was in it for the size. As much room as in a Focus but Fiesta sized. Interior feels built to a price. Does feel a bit like a smart in places. Engine a bit noisy at a cruise. Seats over firm. We all had numb bottoms. A yellow warning light occured but the message written in German and we couldn't work out what it meant! Just hoped it would make it back to the airport which it did. Overall it felt like a very intelligent piece of design. Very safe too once it was modified to pass the elk test.
I never knew just how bonkers and advanced the A-class was - perhaps a bit like the A2 was. I looked at having an A-class for my first car quite seriously - it was a bit different and I really liked them in this spec, black with decent alloys. I then went in one which was a courtesy car and it completely put me off - the interior felt like a plasticky old Japanese supermini to me with random mismatched switches everywhere. I still have a bit of a soft spot for them though. That tea shelf though ... I think I made a glaring error in not having one! Side note - funny you should say about wading. Last weekend someone local to me tried to drive an 02 plate one through flood water and got trapped inside - had to be recovered by 4X4 response and freed by the fire brigade! Presumably auto locking doors followed by frying all the electrics! D’oh! That’s probably more the idiocy of the owner, rather than the car’s fault!
Well, about the advanced part, that is only 50% true... For example, they cut costs by installing a conventional -rear beam axle- torsion beam axle which was presumably the reason why it flipped over so easily. That was pretty poor. HOWEVER, they learned from that disaster and installed the first standard ESP system for lower class cars. They had to learn in a hard way that their car was bad, but they improved it then and it got very advanced. Look at where the a class is today! The progress is enormous!
PS: There were also some really cool concept cars like the TWIN engined A class, sadly though they didn't make it to production... but yes you are right, the "fixed" models were ultra advanced in safety things and the car might not be beautiful, but it is a really crazy, unique design! ;D
@@jbenekeorr Oh sorry wait, fake news!!! I meant " *Twist-beam rear suspension* ". I hope that is the right term. I am not a native English Speaker, so I am sorry for giving you wrong information. ^^
We had one of the last 2004 w168 auto Mercs for the wife it was revised quite a lot compared to early ones and it had almost everything in the line of gadgets except rear electric windows, one very interesting and spacious cars.
I owned a V Reg W168 A140 Avantgarde. It had the Lamella folding roof. Mine came as standard with a Sony CD player, I believe it was a factory fitted option on the Avantgarde spec.
Great review as ever. You’re much more complimentary about the driving experience than other reviews I’ve seen. It would be great if you could seek out an A2 to test as a companion to this - I’m currently thinking of buying one.
It helps this is the 1.9 with a manual, the smaller engines with the auto/semi auto wouldn't be anywhere near as good. I agree, the A2 is a fascinating car, I need to find one
furiousdriving The A2 Owners Club (A2OC) is extremely active - joined a few days ago - and I’m sure someone there could help. Strangely there seems to be a much more active community for them than for the A-Class.
@@furiousdriving Wont see the engine in that one! Wonder how regular non Audi mechanics cope with the ones that are left? Im sure the owners club member will have the answers.
Great review! Looking at a 210 Evolution of this gen as a replacement for my C180. My grandparents had 4 different A classes so I definitely have a soft spot for these
Seeing your review, I think I’ve begun to appreciate late 90s design a lot more. That whole bio/organic sort of design seems so futuristic and interesting now, though at the time, as a kid, I thought it was too soft and vague. If only materials at the time were a bit better.
Just a note on the gearbox options, you had the fully automatic, the manual and the semi-automatic which was just an automated clutch but still a traditional H-shifter, an utterly nonsense gearbox option. They also did the A210 Evolution which is rare, was supposed to be the 'hot' version and there was also my favourite A-Class, the long-wheelbase which didn't cost much more, much larger rear with massive legroom
Had one of these, great little car. Looked fabulous in black with crazy wide AMG alloys - and the diesel engine. It also had a bonkers power sunroof, a series of louvred panels that shuffled to the back. Hugely economical, so easy to manoeuvre, and I remember it used to like to spit its power steering belt off - a warranty fix.
Another great video - thanks! It’s amazing how different it is to the current A Class! I’m always surprised they gave the current A Class the same name
I think they made a mistake trying to clone the 1 series BMW to woo a more youthful target group. The sandwich floor of the W168 and W169 would have been perfect for an EV's battery packs - now, they are very ill prepared for going electric.
@@notroll1279 So true. I also commented that this platform was basically an electric vehicle platform. If only. They could've owned the electric car game right now.
Had a 170cdi auto lwb, loved it, the extra 6inches made a huge difference, got a double bed mattress in the back. ESP was standard on all A class, mainly to stop them falling over,
I was thinking the exact same thing and just commented on it. Batteries in the floor and the electric motor in the front and even one at the back since their was a twin engine version. Imagine. I wish we can get such innovative stuff from Mercedes again. These days they're building electric vehicles on normal car platforms like the EQC being based on the GLC. Despite being electric the EQC still has the tunnel in the middle. Why can't they re use this concept? This car was so ahead of its time. It pains me that no electric version was made. They could've owned the electric game right now. My heart breaks.
The best thing about this car is, that nearly everybody underrates it. I am absolutely in love with my A190L (long version). Even for me, a currently 21 year old carguy, this is a nice car to have. It is the perrfect allrounder for me in terms of sportiness and comfort. I even think about taking it to the nürnburgring with my sportsprings an exhaust.
My ex wife had the long wheelbase 1.7 diesel version. The lwb makes a huge difference, you can fit just about anything in it, rear legroom was ridiculously big. I removed the rear seats once ( totally flat floor) and slept in it. Often mocked cars but about the most practical I've ever driven
Thank You for the pretty useful video, but please do not forget to keep an eye on the autofocus while filming (to avoid mistakes like here 11:59, when a battery compartment is totaly blurred).
My father had a later one. It drove very well and was quite nippy. Excellent slick gearchange. It didn't have the removeable front passenger seat like the earlier models though. You could turn them into a small van. Brilliant design.
Owen Steele we had one for +10 years until we switched in 2017 for a 2013 Volvo V40 CC. It was incredibly spacious and the interior was still so impeccable!
Thank you for the vid - great as usual! Why not to buy a W168? They rust, the manufacturing quality wasn't terribly good, the sunroofs were innovative and very large but prone to leaking and the automatic gear boxes were short-lived. They lost comparisons with the Mk IV Golf which was deemed the better driving car AND cheaper. I find the idea of a compact car with a full size interior quite appealing - but I'd rather go for the successor W169 instead (and still watch out for rust, especially at the sills and lower end of the doors...).
Both my dad and my sister own W169 A150s. Both in black. Really great cars, a bit more grown up in style than the W168 imo. More "C Class"-like dashboards in them. Dad's is an Avantguarde auto and sister's is the base Classic spec. I always wondered why Mercedes didn't stick with this city car model when they replaced the A169 with a family hatchback model. Don't know what the model code is. Why not do things a little more different to BMW (1 series) and Audi (A3)?
I think this is down to image, the short and tall 168 and 169 have not what you'd call cool, and since almost all manufacturers are now trying to project a sporty and dynamic image MB went with a conventional approach. Which is a shame because we have a W169 200CDI in the family and its actually a really good car, small exterior but very practical (also goes well with the 2.0L Turbodiesel).
Had a LWB version 1.6 Auto. Very nice car around town and the load space was superb. If only they sold this configuration again today, with the sandwich area holding batteries.
I love the graphics on the B-pillar - it looks like a very odd game of Tetris. I bet one of these would make an interesting electric conversion due to the deep floor design - perfect for holding batteries.
I loved the A Class. Same interior space as a C Class but half the size. Brilliant engineering cool first aid kit. 125 bhp. You're quite right, what's not to like. The were lovely in white, red, silver, royal blue and a dark metallic green.
That was a lovely and very detailed review of the Mercedes A class. I have been looking to buy a used one and was a bit concerned about the drive quality (hard suspension) and body roll based on other reviews but this video puts my mind at ease. A lot of thought has gone into making it safe and practical and it is perfect for my needs now. Thank you for doing the in-depth review, really appreciate it. :)
I had one of these as a hire car in Italy for a couple of weeks ,just after it was launched. It was ok on the autostrada , fairly quiet and the ride was ok. But , on ordinary roads , if you took a bend a bit quick , it was disconcerting in the way it leaned and understeered. It was the first high riding car I ever drove and I have never driven another since! Lol
Very intriguing little car. Back then, Mercedes always made sure of one thing regardless of the model of car and size, and that was the stability / solid feel. On another note, this car would've been a great EV conversion I would think. It basically has a skateboard type chassis. All that space in the sandwich platform literally screams electric vehicle. The space beneath the floor for batteries. And the way the engine was situated would be perfect for an electric motor. No airbox would be needed so there could be a frunk. I think this car was even more ahead of its time in this respect possibly. Very very interesting. I'd love to have a go in one.
I coming from 2018 Mercedes C AMG Coupé , 2020 BMW X2 and all the other Brand new cars to the 2001 Mercedes A Class just one week ago and I must confess, it’s way slower , much cheaper materials and got not all the Hightech inside. But it’s charmant in its own way. I am very surprised by the cargo space inside. You can put out every seat and transform this little city car into a mini-van!
A lot of cars of this era (eg. Ferrari, Porsche) did not have alarm/immobiliser installed at the factory - the regional dealers or importer installed market relevant items. So it's possible that is why the system looks that way. Might be wrong.
I've never considered an A-class before. Lots of features I like - a low position battery and a washer bottle you can see are both sensible, and as for the removable seating! V-good review - thank you :-)
I love the W168 series! My father had two those.. The first one was a A160 with AKS gear system, and the second one was a A190 manual. So.. After 15 years, and a lot of Fords at my garage, I was looking for a cheap and reliable car. ..Well, I bought another A190.
The 1st gen a class is my favorite Mercedes design and one of my favorite designs overall. It's a cute car. The US just got it's first a class cars and they're limited import electric cars. The new ones aren't my favorite because they lost the charm but it's nice to see variety in a sea of trucks and SUVs.
I think I would prefer one of the first series A Class cars to the current model. Some months ago I was upgraded to a rental A Class current model. I actually had to spend about 30 minutes with the handbook before I had the confidence to take it out, in the dark, on less than familiar roads. Call me a technophobic, old f@rt septuagenarian, but not everyone can immediately figure out all the tech for its own sake basic controls. The other problem for me was the on/off turbocharger - very difficult to modulate - when you want to overtake in traffic you pull out and suddenly find yourself heading much too quickly towards the rear of the car in the passing lane. I dare say I would, in time, master all these difficulties, but... Thanks, anyway, for a very informative review.
promerops the current model is just a posh Renault that’s why. Most of the current line up is Renault underpinnings sadly. The w168 was a proper Mercedes
@@louisjames1062 Incorrect. The new A Class is pure Mercedes. Please do your research before spewing out incorrect statement. The new A Class only uses ONE ENGINE shared with Renault and that is the base model 1.5 diesel. The 1.3 petrol was CO DEVELOPED with Renault much like bmw CO DEVELOPED the previous gen mini engine with Peugeot. NONE of the A Class underpinning have anything to do with Renault. So please.
I had the misfortune to clock up 20,000 miles in one of these. I'd had a couple of dodgy Fiat experiences and thought by buying a Merc I was doing a good thing. How wrong I was. It was a '98 'S' plate bought in 2000. Commuting on the rough concreted surface (as it was at the time) of the M42 and it almost shook itself to bits. The drivers seat collapsed (I'm not that heavy!), the seals were appalling to the point where you could feel the door buffeting in a strong sidewind, the body creaked and groaned if you hustled it and the door bins vibrated like crazy if any music had even a modest amount of bass (and you needed to have the music turned up because the road noise was, well, noisy, thanks in part to the wider, lower profile tyres that were fitted after one got tipped on a magazine test). Unfortunately I have nothing good to remember the car by but the owner(s) after me must have liked it as it survived until 2013 and the last odometer reading was 139,379 in 2012.
Nice to see the MK1 A' class getting some FD attention (future classic?). When these first came out I bought a 1:18 scale model as I found them remarkable, not just in style and engineering, but because it came from boring Mercedes. I've been very tempted to buy recently as needed a cheap, small but spacious, family friendly motor... But it's that sandwich platform and restricted service access that puts me off.. unless the owner of your example can shed light on maintenance costs and reliability. As ever, great review. maybe give this a look if you like period manufacturers promotion videos ua-cam.com/video/WDUuTwgvZzQ/v-deo.html
My Granddad had the ²nd gen of thís car : A200 auto (CVT) and it was very well built - took it through the horrendous roads of the Kgalagadi and then onto Etosha Pans in the North of Namibia - 5000km in 8days with not even so much as a flat tire : amazing little car! Ánd a TRUE Mercedes-Benz.
They really were great. My friends parents also had the same for a short while. I was also amazed by how comfortable it was and the space was just bonkers. We all loved it for going out because everyone could fit comfortably.
My daily driver 2004 A190 I use with the seats out most of the time. I can fit a steel cabinet, shelves 90cm wide, bales of hay, washing machine in the back, etc. Problems: Had to replace alternator and starter. Driving on South African roads, mostly paved and highway but a good deal of bad rutted, rocky, sandy and muddy dirt roads. Never got stuck yet. Never broke down by the roadside yet. Gripe: Once I hit a pothole overtaking a very long truck at the point where the car was just starting to overtake and the A190 went into "safe mode", limiting speed to 50km/h at the exact moment when I needed speed to complete the manoeuvre. "Safe mode": Yarwell no fine. The programmer writing the code in his aircon office did not foresee that he almost killed me, did he/she? About aircon, never needed to be topped up in 20 years.
I drove a 170D Classic for 6 months. I’ve driven hundreds of different cars in my life, and I say with all sincerity, the A-Class was probably the worst of them all. The high floor was really uncomfortable over long periods as your posture was the same as though you were playing an arcade game. Speaking of arcade games, I found the light steering and clutch-manual gearbox, combined with the “legs straight out” seating position made the whole experience feel artificial, like you weren’t actually driving a car, but playing an arcade game. After 6 months of use, I can honestly say the best thing about the whole car was the jack. It was an engineering masterpiece! The rest of the car? “A very acquired taste”, is the politest I can be about it!
this is my first car. i have the extended wheelbase version, so even more space in the rear. comfortably carrying 5 adults plus luggage on a 3 days trip. also really practical as a van, with a low loading floor. even though mine ha a few problems and is quite beaten up the important parts ( engine, shifter, driving capabilities) are still top notch, surely better than buyin a modern but cheaper car. 1.4 petrol 110k miles.
Great cars, the only reason against having one would be costlier maintenance, with engines being slanted. Injectors are big labour on the diesel model. Petrol ones eat coil packs, but great cars if your handy with the spanner’s
@@furiousdriving rust is a big killer for the Mercs from these years, they don't last long on our roads. It's near impossible to find an early A class that hadn't had rust issues.
I had a diesel once as a courtesy car. I remember te suspension being very harsh and the plastics in the interior being very nasty. Not my cup of tea. But nice video 👌😁
Point of some note: back in 1969, when my dad was buying a new Volvo 144, one of the selling points in the Volvo literature was that in the event of a frontal impact, the steel structure at the front of the cabin floor would force the engine and transmission down beneath the cabin instead of into the occupants' laps. A laudable feature for M-B to adopt 30-some years later but hardly a breakthrough (if they even claimed as much).
By pure chance got to drive one in 1997, similar model to this one if I remember right, it was lovely - reason not to own one, they are a pig to work on try changing the starter motor......
I had the diesel version. And I kind you not, I achieved over 60mpg on long journeys with careful driving. And yes it was very good for elderlies to get in and out of. But servicing, not really, too inaccessible for pretty much everything
Compared with the contemporary A-Class, this is a much more revolutionary and ingenious design. Clearly, the market doesn't want that, though, as they buy the current generation in huge numbers in this country, whereas the original one was nowhere near as popular.
The Elk test gave a lot of bad publicity at launch and perhaps it was just too different. The current A Class has the advantage of a mix of good if traditional looks, body style range, and the explosion of PCP so its strong residuals from people buying into 'posh' brands mean its a low monthly payment. But not as interesting by a long way
@@furiousdriving, I think that just about sums it up! I drove one of the last of the previous generation A-Class models, and it was nice enough, but it just seemed a bit expensive for what it was to me. You are right that there are some very good PCP deals on them due to the resale values, though. The one you drove was definitely a bit more entertaining!
My wife has owned her 2006 A class for 13 years and it has been, and still is a great car....I have had 3 Mercs...SLK...E Class and currently B Class sport...but I drive her A class far more than my car! I personally love the car and consider it far superior to the current A class models in every way.
My family and I were on holiday in Honfleur, France in 1998. We noticed a crowd at the other side of a car park and being nosey we wandered over to investigate. As we got closer we saw a fabulous looking soft top Rolls Royce but the crowd were looking at something else. We got closer still and saw that sitting right next to the RR was an A-Class. There must have been 20 or 30 folk crowded round discussing the car. I don't think anyone had seen one before. The fact that it drew such a crowd and everyone was ignoring a beautiful RR right next to it really showed what a head turner it was at the time.
I have one.
A170 CDI.
350k km without problems and still runs smoothly.
I use it as daily and it’s very practical.
Federico D'Agostino very nice 🙂
Me too
I remember when this thing rolled in Teknikens Värld's moose test, back in 97' I think it was. It was huge at the time. Front page in major Swedish newspapers.
I actually think it has aged quite well!
Trafikmagasinet. Swedish Top Gear. LOL
@@rimmersbryggeri Nej, det var teknikens värld.
@@GoldenCroc ua-cam.com/video/BOZthqcBVa8/v-deo.html
@@rimmersbryggeri , trevlig länk, men varför svarade du trafikmagasinet, de hade väl inget att göra med kommentaren ovan din? Så därför svarade jag teknikens värld, ifall du trodde att det var i trafikmagasinet den välte, vilket det alltså inte var, utan i tidningen teknikens värld, precis som den första kommentaren sa.
@@GoldenCroc Jag minns bara hur Perstad och Borglund pratade om hur de mottagit hot efter deras test av a-klass. Förstod inte varför de skulle ha fått det om det var teknikens värld som gjort avslöjandet.
My father owns an A160 that runs but isn't really in great shape after several light accidents and subpar repairs, doesn't get used much since he has a company car for daily driving. But being in rather bad condition makes it a great car for me to learn to drive with since it won't matter much if I mess it up some more. The battery location is awkward for jump starting, but at the same time it is easy enough to push start the car.
For working in the city it's probably one of the best vehicles to own, it's small and easy to park but can be unbelievably spacious with the removable seats, more than enough space to transport small furniture or appliances.
A proper A class. Flawed but thoughtful and innovative in its design and execution - for the consumer if not for mechanics.
Owned a 99 160 Avantangarde for a decade - plenty of space, was compact enough so you could park it anywhere - and it had the full webasto slatted panoramic sunroof which gave a it near convertible like feel. Downsides...the ride was very crashy, the front seats didn't offer much in terms of support on a long journey, and a common problem on these was play in the steering column U/J due to the extreme angle of from the wheel down to the the rack. The car was originally designed to be a hybrid - the twin sandwich floor pan was meant to accomodate a large battery pack. For all its faults we loved ours and it gave good service for over a decade and 120k
miles. A couple of points to make out - Avangardes had 1/2 leather as standard - and the original factory UK fitment head unit was Sony. I'd love another - and it's interesting that Andrew Frankel has just bought back the original Autocar and first UK registered Mercedes press car.
If only Mercedes could have followed the power of its convictions and taken the development of this concept further.
i’m 18 and i own a 2001 w168 1.4 petrol manual this car is extremely good for it s age and perfect for city and hanging out with friends. I am just one month older than it is😂😂
Yo bro! I just rescued my mom's 2004 a class. It's a wonderful car indeed!
Yho bro i am also 18 and I have a 2001 w168 a160 and it is an epic epic car
Im 18 too,i bought the car from my uncle ,i have the 2000 model with the 1.7 diesel , this little matchbox is really fun to drive
You are an idiot for buying the petrol version
I am also the proud owner of Mercedes A160L 2002. The car never let me down, going trips over 1200km.
Do u have some technical or mechanical problems? What about Gearbox? (Automatic)
My favorite car! I have one with 360,000kms, an A-160. Never had a problem with it, just normal maintenance. Very rugged and safe.
I have 2 one 215k and one 270k awesome
@@nostradamusglaskugel9340 It is worth to service them and repair anything that might go wrong, because these are real tanks.
Cheers!
Hey lee S both of mine a160 have the 2 second klak klak at cold start.do i have to worry? Hab yours it too? And till 360tkm?
@@nostradamusglaskugel9340 That sounds like they need a starter service. Unless the batteries are low. But starters do need service, not often but they need it from time to time. Mine has been serviced once.
Great video! I've owned two of these. But I'd mention two things:
1) The moose-evasion test didn't involve the brakes, because they assumed you'd have the cruise control on, and
2) You might like to mention that this car with the manual has a synchronized reverse gear! (almost unique)
2. Why did they do that?
This car looks like french broke into Mercedes factory and held the Mercedes employees as hostages and then forced them to build it with a gun against their head. This car is bonkers lol
This the best comment ever... and oh so true.
Who is the classic prejudice that I had for years, until I bought a car. The car is a TRUE MERCEDES, with all the qualities of a Mercedes. "Never judge a book by its cover."
driving one for 20 years....best car ever!!!!!!
I'm thinking of getting the 2007 one are they good cars?
Driving one for 21 years. I wish they still produce it. It is hard to find a well maintained used one here in Indonesia.
I had never realized how clever these were! The only thought I ever had while seeing these was the failed moose test but now I wish I could find a clean one.
Same! I would love to find one.
@@SDav21 My family drives an A140. Good family car but it feels a bit heavy
@@gamesmaster1060 thats the lowest engine the 1.7 is good 200+ nm of torque
Marvellous car . A class act . Excellent modularity that would put the current A class to shame . They had a marvellous panoramic sunroof . The Mk 2 was even better and I think was one of the best cars ever designed or produced .
Drove one of these once as a hire car. My first car ever with cruise control. I was quite impressed at the time.
I currently own one of these. A black 2001 A160 Avantgarde Auto. Love it!
@Tahany Magdy I haven't had any problems yet.
@@TechnoZet what's the max speed, i have one a140 from 2000 and max speed is 125 kmh.
@@keewee23 Here in New Zealand it's hard to find a place to test max speeds, so I've never tested it, but I've certainly been able to get over 140km/h easily.
I had a A160 Automatic 1999 and loved it.
Not all of Mercedes efforts in the 1990s were great, but I respect their commitment to engineering every car to the same high standards. They did the same with the W201 in the 1980s, it may have been their smallest and cheapest car, but it was engineered to the same level of quality and safety as the S-Class, and the 190 became the best car MB ever built.
Objectively this car would be perfect today. Raised seating position like a SUV, already designed to take batteries in the "sandwich" floor, extremely space efficient, ~50 cm shorter than current "small" cars like VW Polo, Honda Jazz, etc. But no one would buy it bc people nowadays only care about posing...
In pretty sure most people would find it very ugly. Even if a company makes objectively the perfect car in terms of everything. If it looks bad. It wont sale.
I mean of course with updated looks, since nowadays everyone is into LEDs
Hired an A140 in Switzerland. Impressive how much room there was in it for the size. As much room as in a Focus but Fiesta sized. Interior feels built to a price. Does feel a bit like a smart in places. Engine a bit noisy at a cruise. Seats over firm. We all had numb bottoms. A yellow warning light occured but the message written in German and we couldn't work out what it meant! Just hoped it would make it back to the airport which it did. Overall it felt like a very intelligent piece of design. Very safe too once it was modified to pass the elk test.
I never knew just how bonkers and advanced the A-class was - perhaps a bit like the A2 was.
I looked at having an A-class for my first car quite seriously - it was a bit different and I really liked them in this spec, black with decent alloys. I then went in one which was a courtesy car and it completely put me off - the interior felt like a plasticky old Japanese supermini to me with random mismatched switches everywhere. I still have a bit of a soft spot for them though.
That tea shelf though ... I think I made a glaring error in not having one!
Side note - funny you should say about wading. Last weekend someone local to me tried to drive an 02 plate one through flood water and got trapped inside - had to be recovered by 4X4 response and freed by the fire brigade! Presumably auto locking doors followed by frying all the electrics! D’oh! That’s probably more the idiocy of the owner, rather than the car’s fault!
Well, about the advanced part, that is only 50% true...
For example, they cut costs by installing a conventional -rear beam axle- torsion beam axle which was presumably the reason why it flipped over so easily. That was pretty poor.
HOWEVER, they learned from that disaster and installed the first standard ESP system for lower class cars. They had to learn in a hard way that their car was bad, but they improved it then and it got very advanced.
Look at where the a class is today! The progress is enormous!
PS: There were also some really cool concept cars like the TWIN engined A class, sadly though they didn't make it to production... but yes you are right, the "fixed" models were ultra advanced in safety things and the car might not be beautiful, but it is a really crazy, unique design! ;D
Der Wolf A beam axle!! Oh dear me! Interesting info there. Thank you 😃
@@jbenekeorr Oh sorry wait, fake news!!!
I meant " *Twist-beam rear suspension* ".
I hope that is the right term. I am not a native English Speaker, so I am sorry for giving you wrong information. ^^
Except the built quality and materials in the Audi A2 was miles ahead
We had one of the last 2004 w168 auto Mercs for the wife it was revised quite a lot compared to early ones and it had almost everything in the line of gadgets except rear electric windows, one very interesting and spacious cars.
"It's safer, better handling, it's not an SUV" :)
The last point is especially convincing.
Thanks for the review :) I love the old A class!
I owned a V Reg W168 A140 Avantgarde. It had the Lamella folding roof. Mine came as standard with a Sony CD player, I believe it was a factory fitted option on the Avantgarde spec.
Oh yeah, childhood memories. We used to get these as courtesy cars when our Vito was in the shop. Which meant driving A-classes *a lot*
Love the cup-holder! Wider tyres had to be fitted to this model because the car was discovered to be unstable. 🇦🇺🇬🇧
My neighbour has one of these. 3 kids in child seats and a pram.
Great review as ever. You’re much more complimentary about the driving experience than other reviews I’ve seen. It would be great if you could seek out an A2 to test as a companion to this - I’m currently thinking of buying one.
It helps this is the 1.9 with a manual, the smaller engines with the auto/semi auto wouldn't be anywhere near as good.
I agree, the A2 is a fascinating car, I need to find one
furiousdriving The A2 Owners Club (A2OC) is extremely active - joined a few days ago - and I’m sure someone there could help. Strangely there seems to be a much more active community for them than for the A-Class.
@@furiousdriving Wont see the engine in that one! Wonder how regular non Audi mechanics cope with the ones that are left? Im sure the owners club member will have the answers.
Great review! Looking at a 210 Evolution of this gen as a replacement for my C180. My grandparents had 4 different A classes so I definitely have a
soft spot for these
did you find one and what did you pay?
Seeing your review, I think I’ve begun to appreciate late 90s design a lot more. That whole bio/organic sort of design seems so futuristic and interesting now, though at the time, as a kid, I thought it was too soft and vague. If only materials at the time were a bit better.
Just a note on the gearbox options, you had the fully automatic, the manual and the semi-automatic which was just an automated clutch but still a traditional H-shifter, an utterly nonsense gearbox option.
They also did the A210 Evolution which is rare, was supposed to be the 'hot' version and there was also my favourite A-Class, the long-wheelbase which didn't cost much more, much larger rear with massive legroom
VW didn't forget parking lights either you just have to leave the indicator stalk pointed to either side
Quinn Mason-Burke it’s made by Mercedes not vw
Had one of these, great little car. Looked fabulous in black with crazy wide AMG alloys - and the diesel engine. It also had a bonkers power sunroof, a series of louvred panels that shuffled to the back. Hugely economical, so easy to manoeuvre, and I remember it used to like to spit its power steering belt off - a warranty fix.
Another great video - thanks! It’s amazing how different it is to the current A Class! I’m always surprised they gave the current A Class the same name
I think they made a mistake trying to clone the 1 series BMW to woo a more youthful target group. The sandwich floor of the W168 and W169 would have been perfect for an EV's battery packs - now, they are very ill prepared for going electric.
@@notroll1279 So true. I also commented that this platform was basically an electric vehicle platform. If only. They could've owned the electric car game right now.
My mum had a 2000 and a 2008 I miss them cars
Had a 170cdi auto lwb, loved it, the extra 6inches made a huge difference, got a double bed mattress in the back. ESP was standard on all A class, mainly to stop them falling over,
Nice one. That car as an EV would be brilliant. Very sensible small car.
I was thinking the exact same thing and just commented on it. Batteries in the floor and the electric motor in the front and even one at the back since their was a twin engine version. Imagine. I wish we can get such innovative stuff from Mercedes again. These days they're building electric vehicles on normal car platforms like the EQC being based on the GLC. Despite being electric the EQC still has the tunnel in the middle. Why can't they re use this concept? This car was so ahead of its time. It pains me that no electric version was made. They could've owned the electric game right now. My heart breaks.
Funny. I am sure I remember either Tomorrow's world or old Top Gear testing an electric prototype that only had a range of 60 miles or so.
ua-cam.com/video/P-K9TDFApbA/v-deo.html
Great review best a class review on you tube only one that went through everything great stuff
The best thing about this car is, that nearly everybody underrates it. I am absolutely in love with my A190L (long version). Even for me, a currently 21 year old carguy, this is a nice car to have. It is the perrfect allrounder for me in terms of sportiness and comfort. I even think about taking it to the nürnburgring with my sportsprings an exhaust.
My ex wife had the long wheelbase 1.7 diesel version. The lwb makes a huge difference, you can fit just about anything in it, rear legroom was ridiculously big. I removed the rear seats once ( totally flat floor) and slept in it. Often mocked cars but about the most practical I've ever driven
Always wanted one of these. I could get a very upmarket 2001 one with wood in the dash and a sunroof for about AU$4500 now!
Thank You for the pretty useful video, but please do not forget to keep an eye on the autofocus while filming (to avoid mistakes like here 11:59, when a battery compartment is totaly blurred).
My father had a later one. It drove very well and was quite nippy. Excellent slick gearchange. It didn't have the removeable front passenger seat like the earlier models though. You could turn them into a small van. Brilliant design.
Wasn't the long-forgotten and short-lived Vaneo based on the first A-Class? Remember the Vaneo, from the early 2000's?
Owen Steele we had one for +10 years until we switched in 2017 for a 2013 Volvo V40 CC. It was incredibly spacious and the interior was still so impeccable!
Thank you for the vid - great as usual!
Why not to buy a W168? They rust, the manufacturing quality wasn't terribly good, the sunroofs were innovative and very large but prone to leaking and the automatic gear boxes were short-lived. They lost comparisons with the Mk IV Golf which was deemed the better driving car AND cheaper.
I find the idea of a compact car with a full size interior quite appealing - but I'd rather go for the successor W169 instead (and still watch out for rust, especially at the sills and lower end of the doors...).
Like the idea the seats can be physical removed, handy for space and cleaning too. Quirky sort of car. Good video as always.
So nice. What is the power steering design? Does it use a drive belt?
Small luxury cars are fun, got a Peugeot 1007 (sliding doors!) and people are amazed how spacious it is!
Top tip: buy used.
Both my dad and my sister own W169 A150s. Both in black. Really great cars, a bit more grown up in style than the W168 imo. More "C Class"-like dashboards in them. Dad's is an Avantguarde auto and sister's is the base Classic spec.
I always wondered why Mercedes didn't stick with this city car model when they replaced the A169 with a family hatchback model. Don't know what the model code is. Why not do things a little more different to BMW (1 series) and Audi (A3)?
I think this is down to image, the short and tall 168 and 169 have not what you'd call cool, and since almost all manufacturers are now trying to project a sporty and dynamic image MB went with a conventional approach. Which is a shame because we have a W169 200CDI in the family and its actually a really good car, small exterior but very practical (also goes well with the 2.0L Turbodiesel).
Hi Matt,nice review on this A190 Mercedes,this shape is nice looking,for the toys it's got it's a sensible car to drive.
Great car Avant-garde great speck family owned a 2002 model for many years
Had a LWB version 1.6 Auto. Very nice car around town and the load space was superb. If only they sold this configuration again today, with the sandwich area holding batteries.
I love the graphics on the B-pillar - it looks like a very odd game of Tetris. I bet one of these would make an interesting electric conversion due to the deep floor design - perfect for holding batteries.
I believe they were thinking of that at the time
Well thought out small car 🚗. Well done!
I loved the A Class. Same interior space as a C Class but half the size. Brilliant engineering cool first aid kit. 125 bhp. You're quite right, what's not to like. The were lovely in white, red, silver, royal blue and a dark metallic green.
I love it. It kind of reminds me of the Chrysler PT cruiser, but in a good way. It's quirky and practical.
Never mention that abomination in the same sentence. I note you say in a good way 🤣
That was a lovely and very detailed review of the Mercedes A class. I have been looking to buy a used one and was a bit concerned about the drive quality (hard suspension) and body roll based on other reviews but this video puts my mind at ease. A lot of thought has gone into making it safe and practical and it is perfect for my needs now. Thank you for doing the in-depth review, really appreciate it. :)
I had one of these as a hire car in Italy for a couple of weeks ,just after it was launched. It was ok on the autostrada , fairly quiet and the ride was ok. But , on ordinary roads , if you took a bend a bit quick , it was disconcerting in the way it leaned and understeered. It was the first high riding car I ever drove and I have never driven another since! Lol
Had our A160 Avantgard for 10 years now and she's been a cracking little car!
Very intriguing little car. Back then, Mercedes always made sure of one thing regardless of the model of car and size, and that was the stability / solid feel.
On another note, this car would've been a great EV conversion I would think. It basically has a skateboard type chassis. All that space in the sandwich platform literally screams electric vehicle. The space beneath the floor for batteries. And the way the engine was situated would be perfect for an electric motor. No airbox would be needed so there could be a frunk. I think this car was even more ahead of its time in this respect possibly. Very very interesting. I'd love to have a go in one.
I believe there was an EV version of this. It may have just been a compliance car though.
The W169 A-Class (the next gen from this) had the E-cell, sharing technology with the SMART electric & Tesla
Good review. Can you get hold of a zafira gsi boost bus to review?
Actually yes, waiting to organise one
That you, you reviewed the best mercedes ever made
Edit: Thank you, you have reviewed the best mercedes ever made*
I coming from 2018 Mercedes C AMG Coupé , 2020 BMW X2 and all the other Brand new cars to the 2001 Mercedes A Class just one week ago and I must confess, it’s way slower , much cheaper materials and got not all the Hightech inside. But it’s charmant in its own way. I am very surprised by the cargo space inside. You can put out every seat and transform this little city car into a mini-van!
I always thought the a class felt a bit too cheap inside for a merc.
the original C-class is also a very ordinary car.
A lot of cars of this era (eg. Ferrari, Porsche) did not have alarm/immobiliser installed at the factory - the regional dealers or importer installed market relevant items. So it's possible that is why the system looks that way. Might be wrong.
The best generation of A class.
I've never considered an A-class before. Lots of features I like - a low position battery and a washer bottle you can see are both sensible, and as for the removable seating! V-good review - thank you :-)
I love the W168 series!
My father had two those.. The first one was a A160 with AKS gear system, and the second one was a A190 manual. So.. After 15 years, and a lot of Fords at my garage, I was looking for a cheap and reliable car.
..Well, I bought another A190.
The 1st gen a class is my favorite Mercedes design and one of my favorite designs overall. It's a cute car. The US just got it's first a class cars and they're limited import electric cars. The new ones aren't my favorite because they lost the charm but it's nice to see variety in a sea of trucks and SUVs.
I think I would prefer one of the first series A Class cars to the current model. Some months ago I was upgraded to a rental A Class current model. I actually had to spend about 30 minutes with the handbook before I had the confidence to take it out, in the dark, on less than familiar roads. Call me a technophobic, old f@rt septuagenarian, but not everyone can immediately figure out all the tech for its own sake basic controls. The other problem for me was the on/off turbocharger - very difficult to modulate - when you want to overtake in traffic you pull out and suddenly find yourself heading much too quickly towards the rear of the car in the passing lane. I dare say I would, in time, master all these difficulties, but...
Thanks, anyway, for a very informative review.
promerops the current model is just a posh Renault that’s why. Most of the current line up is Renault underpinnings sadly. The w168 was a proper Mercedes
@@louisjames1062 Ah! That explains a lot. Thanks!
@@louisjames1062 Incorrect. The new A Class is pure Mercedes. Please do your research before spewing out incorrect statement. The new A Class only uses ONE ENGINE shared with Renault and that is the base model 1.5 diesel. The 1.3 petrol was CO DEVELOPED with Renault much like bmw CO DEVELOPED the previous gen mini engine with Peugeot. NONE of the A Class underpinning have anything to do with Renault. So please.
I had the misfortune to clock up 20,000 miles in one of these. I'd had a couple of dodgy Fiat experiences and thought by buying a Merc I was doing a good thing. How wrong I was. It was a '98 'S' plate bought in 2000. Commuting on the rough concreted surface (as it was at the time) of the M42 and it almost shook itself to bits. The drivers seat collapsed (I'm not that heavy!), the seals were appalling to the point where you could feel the door buffeting in a strong sidewind, the body creaked and groaned if you hustled it and the door bins vibrated like crazy if any music had even a modest amount of bass (and you needed to have the music turned up because the road noise was, well, noisy, thanks in part to the wider, lower profile tyres that were fitted after one got tipped on a magazine test). Unfortunately I have nothing good to remember the car by but the owner(s) after me must have liked it as it survived until 2013 and the last odometer reading was 139,379 in 2012.
Nice to see the MK1 A' class getting some FD attention (future classic?).
When these first came out I bought a 1:18 scale model as I found them remarkable, not just in style and engineering, but because it came from boring Mercedes.
I've been very tempted to buy recently as needed a cheap, small but spacious, family friendly motor... But it's that sandwich platform and restricted service access that puts me off.. unless the owner of your example can shed light on maintenance costs and reliability.
As ever, great review.
maybe give this a look if you like period manufacturers promotion videos ua-cam.com/video/WDUuTwgvZzQ/v-deo.html
I quite like the A class, I had a later 2006 3dr model briefly and quite liked it.
I am using one ,register in 2002, and I can tell you that it is a great vehicle
My Granddad had the ²nd gen of thís car : A200 auto (CVT) and it was very well built - took it through the horrendous roads of the Kgalagadi and then onto Etosha Pans in the North of Namibia - 5000km in 8days with not even so much as a flat tire : amazing little car! Ánd a TRUE Mercedes-Benz.
They really were great. My friends parents also had the same for a short while. I was also amazed by how comfortable it was and the space was just bonkers. We all loved it for going out because everyone could fit comfortably.
My daily driver 2004 A190 I use with the seats out most of the time.
I can fit a steel cabinet, shelves 90cm wide, bales of hay, washing machine in the back, etc.
Problems: Had to replace alternator and starter.
Driving on South African roads, mostly paved and highway but a good deal of bad rutted, rocky, sandy and muddy dirt roads. Never got stuck yet. Never broke down by the roadside yet.
Gripe: Once I hit a pothole overtaking a very long truck at the point where the car was just starting to overtake and the A190 went into "safe mode", limiting speed to 50km/h at the exact moment when I needed speed to complete the manoeuvre.
"Safe mode": Yarwell no fine. The programmer writing the code in his aircon office did not foresee that he almost killed me, did he/she?
About aircon, never needed to be topped up in 20 years.
I drove a 170D Classic for 6 months. I’ve driven hundreds of different cars in my life, and I say with all sincerity, the A-Class was probably the worst of them all. The high floor was really uncomfortable over long periods as your posture was the same as though you were playing an arcade game. Speaking of arcade games, I found the light steering and clutch-manual gearbox, combined with the “legs straight out” seating position made the whole experience feel artificial, like you weren’t actually driving a car, but playing an arcade game. After 6 months of use, I can honestly say the best thing about the whole car was the jack. It was an engineering masterpiece! The rest of the car? “A very acquired taste”, is the politest I can be about it!
this is my first car. i have the extended wheelbase version, so even more space in the rear. comfortably carrying 5 adults plus luggage on a 3 days trip. also really practical as a van, with a low loading floor. even though mine ha a few problems and is quite beaten up the important parts ( engine, shifter, driving capabilities) are still top notch, surely better than buyin a modern but cheaper car. 1.4 petrol 110k miles.
Great cars, the only reason against having one would be costlier maintenance, with engines being slanted. Injectors are big labour on the diesel model. Petrol ones eat coil packs, but great cars if your handy with the spanner’s
Love these Mercedes, a shame really you don’t see many of the first models around anymore.
Not many left, is amazing how fast they've vanished
I guess that's partly because these things are costly/tedious to repair thanks to those weird (but pretty clever) sandwich shenanigans.
Lots of them here.
My guess is the automatic transmission had a lot to do with that.
@@furiousdriving rust is a big killer for the Mercs from these years, they don't last long on our roads. It's near impossible to find an early A class that hadn't had rust issues.
Taking your seat with you is a good security feature lol
The very first A class were prone to wanting to tip over, thru slalom testing, MB had to make some big safety changes!
I had a diesel once as a courtesy car. I remember te suspension being very harsh and the plastics in the interior being very nasty. Not my cup of tea. But nice video 👌😁
Point of some note: back in 1969, when my dad was buying a new Volvo 144, one of the selling points in the Volvo literature was that in the event of a frontal impact, the steel structure at the front of the cabin floor would force the engine and transmission down beneath the cabin instead of into the occupants' laps. A laudable feature for M-B to adopt 30-some years later but hardly a breakthrough (if they even claimed as much).
Old Volvos are wonderful things, very advanced for their time. I have a feeling the W123 Mercedes does it as well
What a rather pleasant and practical little package. Always a shame that the 'Elk' test overshadowed it somewhat. Many thanks for a great review.
Hi! Great test! Please test drive the W169 series with manual gearbox 😁
By pure chance got to drive one in 1997, similar model to this one if I remember right, it was lovely - reason not to own one, they are a pig to work on try changing the starter motor......
Who is the shortie in the side rear 3/4 window reflection at 13:10 lol?
I had the diesel version. And I kind you not, I achieved over 60mpg on long journeys with careful driving.
And yes it was very good for elderlies to get in and out of.
But servicing, not really, too inaccessible for pretty much everything
Compared with the contemporary A-Class, this is a much more revolutionary and ingenious design. Clearly, the market doesn't want that, though, as they buy the current generation in huge numbers in this country, whereas the original one was nowhere near as popular.
The Elk test gave a lot of bad publicity at launch and perhaps it was just too different. The current A Class has the advantage of a mix of good if traditional looks, body style range, and the explosion of PCP so its strong residuals from people buying into 'posh' brands mean its a low monthly payment. But not as interesting by a long way
@@furiousdriving, I think that just about sums it up! I drove one of the last of the previous generation A-Class models, and it was nice enough, but it just seemed a bit expensive for what it was to me. You are right that there are some very good PCP deals on them due to the resale values, though. The one you drove was definitely a bit more entertaining!
I have an A140 classic 1998 and love it, you can camp in it, dont need a tent anymore.
We didn’t get these in the US... more’s the pity! It’s an intriguing little vehicle, to be sure.
I can see why it never sold in the USA, there's no where to put a V8.
and it happened to merc twice, since the launched smart car also decided it wanted to roll over, so had to do a quicky relaunch
I wish they would bring this back, in a hybrid or electric fashion.
My wife has owned her 2006 A class for 13 years and it has been, and still is a great car....I have had 3 Mercs...SLK...E Class and currently B Class sport...but I drive her A class far more than my car! I personally love the car and consider it far superior to the current A class models in every way.
Some models came with booster seats that popped up from the back bench and retracted when you didn't need them. Pretty quirky for it's time!
I had the w168 for years and found the "automated manual" great. It worked a treat. If you like cup holders try the C208 CLK320. Really fancy.
I own a 2002 1.6 excellent car, never missed a beat.. Years ahead of its time. Boot is massive with seats down, wide opening so you can get things in.
Alot of French cars seems to still have been built using something almost similar since the previous 3008, the Citroens etc all have flat floors.
That red light is definitely after market!