7 curious facts about the Mercedes Class A that few know

The Mercedes Class A is a car with history that has undergone a great evolution over the years. Do you want to know him more? Here are 7 curious facts about him.

The Mercedes A-Class is one of the most successful models of the German brand today, as well as one of the most popular premium compacts. It has many versions and also a history full of interesting data.

And it is that this model of Mercedes he had a peculiar birth, a lot of innovation and a complete change of personality. Therefore, today we bring you seven curious facts about him.

It already has 4 generations

The Class A was launched on the market in 1997 and since then it has had four generations. It’s about the W168, the W169, the W176 and the current W177. In any case, the first was the most striking, both for its peculiar style and for the technical advances it presented for the time.

Now, we are facing a not so revolutionary model, but with many positive points that have played in its favor in terms of its popularity. It offers all kinds of variants, from some more focused on efficiency to others aimed at sportsmanship.

In 2011 it changed completely

We now know this model as a C-segment compact, But it was not always like this. In the first two generations, the Class A it was a small B-segment minivan, but it was decided to change his identity.

It could be said that, in 2011, this car was completely reborn, since it had little or nothing to do with the original concept. Of course, it is undeniable that its current version is working well in the market.

I could capsize in the moose test

The first generation is the most famous, partly because of a peculiar occurrence. When it was presented, some specialized media were able to do different tests and one of them was that of the elk. In it, emulates a emergency dodge maneuver that may be necessary if an animal crosses us on the road.

the swedish journalist Robert Collin He was in charge of doing it, but the result was not what he expected. When doing the manoeuvre, the car raised two of its wheels and was about to capsize, so this affected the opinion of potential buyers.

It was the first of its segment to carry ESP

However, as they say, there is no harm that does not come for good. That incident caused Mercedes to modify the car to avoid this event, so that the size of the tires was changed, the suspension was stiffened and added stability control (ESP).

With these changes, the car did not suffer this risk again and became one of the most advanced of its kind. And it is that the inclusion of ESP was something very striking, since it had never been seen in a car in its segment.

The curious ‘sandwich concept’

The ESP was not the only revolutionary feature of the first Class A. A peculiarity of this model is that it incorporated a solution for prevent the engine from being pushed into the passenger compartment in the event of a frontal collision. The idea was clear: the engine, transmission and front axle were positioned lower than normal and slightly to the passenger side.

Why? Beneath this seat was a compartment. Thus, the design of the chassis meant that, in the event of a frontal impact, all these components were pushed into this area. Thus, the engine and transmission were under the occupants, guaranteeing your safety despite the short hood of the small minivan.

Daimler has lost 1,440 euros per car

Before evolving into a compact model, this Mercedes did not achieve the expected result in the market. The initial security problems were an inconvenience and it did not seem to achieve a great reception among the public either.

This made it enter the top 10 cars that have cost their manufacturers money, according to Bernstein Research. As detailed in the analysis, between 1997 and 2004, each unit of this model represented a loss of 1,440 euros to Daimler. In total, the loss was 1.71 billion.

The AMG 45 S is the most powerful four-cylinder in the world

The Mercedes A 45 AMG it is the most radical version of this model and the German brand wanted to go one step further in 2019. With the ‘S’ variant, this car offered 421 CV factory, which placed him well above his competitors. All in all, it is a very exciting car that surprised us when we tried it.

This has earned him the crown of the king of sports compacts -and of cars with a 4-cylinder engine-, at least in terms of power. There is no other that matches it and, thanks to its all-wheel drive and its dual-clutch gearbox, its figures are very respectable. In 3.9 seconds It is capable of going from 0 to 100 km/h and its maximum speed is 270 km/h.

This article was published in Top Gear by Sergio Ríos.