My daughter's Alfa 147 having succumbed to its high oil consumption and failed the MoT one emissions - pity that, it was quite a nice jalopy - her car-freak husband has found her a Mercedes A160 dti (I think that's what it says on the back). It is apparently a 2 litre diesel.
Drove it less than 10 miles yesterday. It was parked so close to another car that what with the very raked screen pillar and the seat right forward to suit my quite small daughter, I had some difficulty getting in. Running, I was amazed by the almost total absence of torque compared to our own 2 litre petrol car. The Merc usually needed to be at least a gear lower than the Chrysler in slow going. However once rolling it seemed perfectly all right, much higher geared than the Chrysler and its narrow torque band probably the result of tuning or engine management for economy. It's in silver with about 60,000 miles on it, and immaculate inside and out (not for long though if I know my daughter). I didn't much like the steering but it didn't seem dangerous. The SiL says it gets 50 mpg in daily local use. Just as well given the cost of diesel.
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Can't say as i've ever liked the A class, but they seem popular enough and the interiors are pleasant.
The 160 is the detuned model pushing out about 80 or so hp so isn't going to be a ball of flame, but then it wasn't meant to be its the economy tuned engine.
Can't complain too much about 50mpg for local running in a roomy car though, hope the daughter gets good service from it....are you tempted AC?
''her car-freak husband has found her a Mercedes A160 dti''
I'd have thought a 'car freak' would have found her C32 or 55 AMG to blast about in..;)
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Not tempted myself, no. Like you I've never fancied the model. It isn't the SiL's sort of motor either really, but as a practical choice for ferrying nippers and so on it seems very sensible.
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do they still get scared of corners and tip over ?
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Yes,the M/B A class.Cheap to buy and expensive to fix.These regularly give problems in all areas.I,m afraid Mecedes can,t do front wheel drive.Suggest find something else.Eg 5 hours to replace a starter motor,a very common failing.hth
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>> Yes,the M/B A class.Cheap to buy and expensive to fix.These regularly give problems in all
areas.I,m afraid Mecedes can,t do front wheel drive.Suggest find something else.Eg 5 hours to replace a starter motor,a very common failing<<
I'm with this geezer!
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I guess cost to fix comes from the complex packaging. The engine must be pretty cramped in there. Clever design for crash structures etc mind.
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I read the specialist A class sites.
"Runamile" seems apt.
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Oh dear, has he actually, like, bought it?....
Might be alright. My wife had one of the original ones in 1998. 170d semi-auto. Never let her down to be fair but she didn't keep it long because she just didn't get on with it.
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I,m afraid Mecedes can,t do front wheel drive.Suggest find something else.Eg 5 hours to replace
>> a starter motor,a very common failing.hth
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I assume AC's daughter has the W169, did not the previous models many failings not get fixed with the new model?
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I have an A Class rental car this week. It's an A160 petrol and it's a brilliant city car. I just parallel parked it in a space I wouldn't have given a second glance if I'd been in my own car, and it has comfortable seating for 4. Not brilliant on the autobahn, but better than the early W169s and miles better than the W168, a sixth gear would help.
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Colleague had an original A-series (is that the W168? I can only just manage the E model codes) for a while in 1998. We went to a meeting at the Honda factory in it. The thing was fatiguingly jiggly at any speed, presumably from the stiffening required to keep it from falling over at the sight of a large, even-toed ungulate. It stayed upright and had impressive amounts of room inside, but it fell right off my 'maybe' list that day.
Have they fixed the ride in the current model?
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>> Have they fixed the ride in the current model?
The one I have doesn't seem to ride any worse than any other of these top heavy hatches and better than some. Does feel nicely screwed together as well. To be honest though, if I wanted something in this class I'd probably buy a Golf Plus, or Golf 60 Plus as it's become known in Germany.
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Merc A class (especially the pre-2005 model) has never been a reliable car.
However, someone upgrading from Alfa Romeo, might find it relatively a better car.
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>>someone upgrading from Alfa Romeo, might find it relatively a better car<<
Vulcan logic!
:)
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>> Merc A class (especially the pre-2005 model) has never been a reliable car.
FWIW assuming AC is talking about a post-2005 model, its 'What's bad' and 'What to watch out for' sections on HJ are relatively short:
www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/mercedes-benz/a-class-w169-2005/?section=bad
(he gives it 3*)
Last edited by: Focus on Tue 6 Mar 12 at 09:04
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>> However, someone upgrading from Alfa Romeo, might find it relatively a better car.
Steady on, there. I'm going to buy a new Giulietta just as soon as they introduce the Vauxhall type lifetime guarantee.
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I test drove a Merc B class - seemed to be the nearest they had to a Focus.
It was OK, but there was nothing about it to justify the price premium over a Focus, Golf or any other hatchback.
Some of the fit and finish was inferior.
The A class has a dreadful reputation, so my conclusion is small Mercs suck.
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I drove a new A160 petrol about 100 miles a couple of months ago. Radio, instruments, stalks, wheel and fuel computer straight out of a Sprinter van.
It seemed reasonable enough, if gutless. I was surprised it was only a 5 speed gearknob, I haven't seen one of those for a while :)
A then-new original 1998 A-class was the only car in which I've ever unintentionally set off the stability control. I was driving it round a downhill bend probably 5mph too fast when it just snapped off balance without warning, attempted to lunge over onto its side and squirmed all over the place as the ESP did its thing.
Last edited by: Dave_TDCi on Tue 6 Mar 12 at 22:09
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I drove an early A, an Easy Car rental and would agree with all the negative comments here. The car was a great, brave design on paper (especially for conservative Mercedes) but not on the road.
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To anyone thinking of buying an A- or B-class: avoid at all costs the combination of diesel + CVT. I had a B200 CDI and the drone was just like a London tax, only louder, ansd compounded by a boneshaking 700 rpm idliong speed which was apparently set at the factory and couldn't be adjusted.
I see from recent road tests on the new B-class that the dlesel is STILL too noisy. Mercedes aren't a company who listen to their customers - look at that single column stalk for lights and wipers which few like but with which they obstinately persist.
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>> look at that single column stalk for lights and wipers which few like but with which they obstinately persist.
And foot operated parking brakes?
The Mazda6 I had used the same stalk for indicators and lights. Worked well. Why a problem for a Mercedes?
Last edited by: rtj70 on Sat 10 Mar 12 at 00:23
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My daughter's diesel is recent I think, 2009 or 10, with decent miles on it, 60k I think and 5 speed manual transmission. Very high gearing but narrow torque band, has to be revved a bit in the gears. And sounds dieselly when started or getting going, but quite reasonable once it's rolling.
I think it would be all right once you stopped driving it like a diesel and treated it like a sort of gutless Italian thoroughbred...
Last edited by: Armel Coussine on Sat 10 Mar 12 at 01:52
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We have a 54 plate 1.7 in the family and been here for 6 years now and it's a cracking car ok the build is not like it's C class big brothers but a pleasure to work on and will happily sit at 90mph returning good fuel consumption, only draw back is engine out to do clutch im told which is poor but it's on 66k for the diesel model.
The C class is no longer the great quality as it was over 15 years back lets face it there made cheaper now.
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Mercedes A series - -
