★ Introduction ★
This review is based on my experience of owning and using a Mercedes A Class Classic 140 over the past 5 years. This review may not be lacking a little in terms of technical specs, since I do not really know much more about cars than being able to open the bonnet, ... Read review
Mercedes A-Class - Hatchback - Front (FWD) - 5 Speed - (Man) / Autotronic - (Auto) - 1498 cc - Max Speed: 109 mph - 95 bhp - Petrol - Available Trims: Avantgarde SE, Classic, Classic SE, Elegance SE
Mercedes A-Class - Hatchback - Front (FWD) - 6 Speed - (Man) / Autotronic - (Auto) - 1992 cc - Max Speed: 116 mph - 109 bhp - Diesel - Available Trims: Elegance SE, Classic SE, Classic, Avantgarde SE, Long
Advantages: Compact, fun to drive, quirky Disadvantages: Service costs.
...of owning and using a Mercedes A Class Classic 140 over the past 5 years. This review may not be lacking a little in terms of technical specs, since I do not really know much more about cars than being able to open the bonnet, girly girl that I am! However, I passed my driving test many moons ago and have had plenty of time behind the wheel. Therefore, this review may be of interest to those considering purchasing a second hand A Class or one of ... ...he went to the local Mercedes garage to try one out for size.
Later that day he came back with the news that they had a new one with £3k saving off the new price because it had been in the garage a few months and everyone wanted the next reg. I could have it if I liked it.
★ Classic Style ★
Of all the little cars on the road at the time (and still now in fact), I loved the A Class. Quirky, stylish, ... more
★ Introduction ★ This review is based on my experience of owning and using a Mercedes A Class Classic 140 over the past 5 years. This review may not be lacking a little in terms of technical specs, since I do not really know much more about cars than being able to open the bonnet, girly girl that I am! However, I passed my driving test many moons ago and have had plenty of time behind the wheel. Therefore, this review may be of interest to those considering purchasing a second hand A Class or one of the slightly different new ones which I think start with the A150.
★ My Cars ★ Skip this section if it's of no interest because this is only helpful if you are nosey and would like to see my history in the world of cars! Having learnt to drive in a chocolate coloured Triumph Toledo in the 1980s and having successfully passed my driving test first time (there's a tale here which makes me laugh involving an examiner with a nodding head and a cancelled test). Anyway, I then got use for a few months of my mum's Olive Green Austin Allegro. This car was so old and ugly at the time that it was pure embarrassment to drive. In fact, it was so bad that it actually felt trendy. After a short while it rusted into the ground and had to be scrapped. Being in my first job, I decided to use public transport. I had no real need of a car.
A few years later I inherited a GTE when I married hubby. From olive green slow machine to red hot fast! Not long after this, hubby got a company car so we sold the GTE (sob) and I went back to public transport.
After having two kids, we finally decided a second car would be really useful. I was getting worn out pushing a double buggy to the shops - this was in the days before online shopping, remember! I also struggled to cope on public transport with two young children and a buggy. So we bought a second hand Fiesta. It was nice but it had no Power Assisted Steering, which meant I got enormous biceps whenever I had to park the car. Five years ago, I got the treat of my first ever brand new car.
★ Choosing the A Class ★ Hubby is good when it comes to cars; he could talk about cars all day long. He reads all the magazines and reviews and finds out which cars have good safety features, which have good ratings. He had his eye on buying an A Class overseas online as he heard this could save you at least 10%. So he went to the local Mercedes garage to try one out for size.
Later that day he came back with the news that they had a new one with £3k saving off the new price because it had been in the garage a few months and everyone wanted the next reg. I could have it if I liked it.
★ Classic Style ★ Of all the little cars on the road at the time (and still now in fact), I loved the A Class. Quirky, stylish, small but big. It is like a teeny weeny MPV, taller than most small cars, not too wide, short in length. I love the look of it and I knew this was my ideal car (short of getting a TT) but since this is not at all practical with 4 kids, I've had to put this car out of mind. The Classic has an engine size of 1.4, basically bottom of the range A140. There are other A Classes which have bigger engines including the A160 and A170. The A Class we chose was a petrol engined version.
★ Dealership ★ Treat her like a princess might well be the Mercedes motto for female customers. On the day of collection, we arrived at the garage and I was presented with the most amazing bunch of exotic flowers. After payment and signing all the paperwork, I was then given a one to one 'hands on' with a very nice Mercedes man. This involved me sitting in the driving seat and him in the passenger seat. He then proceeded to go through all the controls in the car. He taught me how to position my seat; it goes up and down as well as back and forth. He showed me how to operate the electric mirrors and the heating controls. Most of these controls are pretty obvious when you have owned a car before, but it is still nice to have someone show you rather than having to work them out yourself on the way home! He also told me that Mercedes breakdown cover lasted for 25 or 30 years, I was a little too heady by this stage to recall exactly. He explained most of the user manual within ten minutes, then I drove away, smugly happy with my big bunch of flowers on the seat behind me. Funny that the kids all chose to go home with dad. I'm a good driver.
★ Driving the car ★ I absolutely love driving my A Class. Most of my driving is urban though I do take it for an odd long drive across the Pennines or for a motorway run. It is nippy and punchy around town but is also great to drive along windy roads and grips well. The anti lock brakes (ABS) definitely aid driving when the roads are icy. The ride is very hard which I really like. Driving long distances in this car gives you a numb bum but for journeys of an hour or less it is very comfortable. The ride feels sporty in comparison to my previous cars but then it would wouldn't it, compared to an Allegro or Fiesta?! The fuel consumption around town is around 30mpg. Most of my driving is around town and my annual mileage around 3000-4000 miles. A full tank of unleaded petrol costs around £35 and will do 300-350 miles.
★ Parking the Car ★ The A Class is of similar width to most small cars. The length is short and so parking the A Class is easy. Being higher up in your seat compared to most small cars and having a large front windscreen makes for good all round vision. Beware however of those mini bollards. If you are used to parking a car with a saloon style boot, you will probably find yourself parking with a huge distance behind you when parallel parking. I still do even though the Fiesta had no sticky out boot either. Err on the side of caution, that's what I say.
★ What I love about my Classic ★ The A140 has a good safety rating. It gives a good solid clonk when you close the doors. I like this, having seen too many crumpled up tinny cars in road accidents. The A Class has that Mercedes feel of solid quality. There are also twin air bags for the two front passengers giving that added feel safe factor. Another safety feature I love on the A Class is that once you are driving, the doors all lock automatically. This means that whilst you are stationary at lights or in a jam, nobody can jump into your vehicle or pinch stuff out of your boot. If you want to pick someone up, there is a button on the dashboard to press which opens the locks.
The central locking is another feature I really love on this car. One of the best features is the PAS which makes parking really easy. The car is nice and short in length and because of the height of the driving seat, visibility for parking is really excellent.
Driving the A Class feels fun and sporty and pretty sexy. People never get aggressive towards me when I'm in this car and often let me in when there is a queue, perhaps because it is a nice, small car. In the GTE I was always getting people wanting to race me at the traffic lights. I ignored them of course.
★ Other things I like about the Classic ★ The boot space is big and deep for such a small car. The rear seats fold down completely to make the boot huge if required. One of the rear seats can be folded down by itself if you have a long object to transport. This is also very useful if your boot lock is frozen but your car doors are not. You can access the boot from the inside of the car, pulling down a lever on the rear seat behind the front passenger seat. The kids love to climb through into the boot and retrieve my de-icer and scraper.
The rear seat has three proper diagonal seat belts. The car is probably not terribly comfortable for three adults in the back but for three children or two adults, the room in the rear is very comfortable with plenty of leg room and head room.
The front two seats can be adjusted for height. Our oldest child sits in the front seat so we can raise this seat so that he doesn't feel too low down. If you are very tall you may find your head touches the roof of the car even with the seat at its lowest position. This is not a problem for me, I am average height. If you are a very tall male and going thin on top you may find your hair sticking to the car roof. However, the seat probably does seat most tall people comfortably, it's just that whenever I give an adult a ride, the seat is at high position so they do look rather silly.
There is plenty of storage space including deep pockets in all of the doors, very handy for storing tissues, toys, maps and general rubbish collected by the kids. There are two cup holders between the two front seats which are deep enough to hold a take away lidded hot drink without it tipping over on the move. The glove box is also large enough to hold an A-Z, the huge filofax style Mercedes handbook and a few other bits and bobs.
In the boot, there are two side storage cubby holes. In one of these came a very well equipped first aid kit. Fortunately, I have had no need to use this but perfect when required to produce a bandage for an Egyptian mummy project one school morning.
The spare wheel is kept under the boot carpet and is very easy to access.
★ Servicing and Other Niggles ★ This is rather a passion killer. When you buy a new Mercedes you really are tied into having it serviced at a Mercedes garage to ensure the validation of the guarantee. The first service was an A service and cost a reasonable £130 or so. The second was a B service and this is a killer. £440. This only included the service and a few consumable extras such as pollen filters and new wiper blades. The second of our B services cost even more. This is my one and only major gripe with owning an A Class.
I have heard Jeremy Clarkson say that bits are always falling off Mercedes and they don't make them like they used to (did I just admit to watching Top Gear?). Well he does have a point. A few bits have fallen off, including the tow bar cover. On collecting my ordered part, I did say to the man at the garage..'my hubby says bits should never fall off a Merc' He didn't charge me for the part. The parcel shelf hooks also never stay attached which is a little frustrating. I suppose most cars have their annoying little traits when they are a few years old. These little things are not really anything of consequence and would certainly not put me off getting another A Class.
Similarly when I called at the garage to collect a new bulb for my rear light, a nice man came and fitted it without charge. Just as well, my hubby was away at the time and I had no idea how to get at the light fitting to do it myself.
★Features on my A140 Classic ★ My car came with a Sony stereo radio and tape. The radio is great but a CD player would be preferable.
★ Power Assisted Steering ★ Antilock Brakes ★ Twin Airbags ★ 4 electric windows ★ Immobiliser ★ Alarm ★ Electric mirrors ★ Sony radio/tape player ★ Height adjustable seats x2 ★ Front and rear headrests ★ Metallic paint
The A140 Classic that I have does not have air conditioning or climate control or a sunroof. Some models may have these added. As I do not do many long journeys, a push of the button to open the window is absolutely fine.
★ Summary ★ The A Class feels a sturdy and classy car to drive. It is fun and quirky but roomy inside and easy to park. Being slightly higher than most small cars, you climb into the car and this gives good visibility all round when driving. The drive itself is a good firm ride which makes it feel sporty. It has loads of boot space and is comfortable for passengers. For long drives, this car may be less comfortable. The seats have great lumbar support but they are firm and give you a numb bum when driving for more than an hour at a time. It is highly recommended for an around town car.
One final point regarding the engine, which is located underneath the short bonnet and in other fairly inaccessible parts (perhaps this goes some way to explain the high servicing costs...?) I was asked by a friend if he could jump start his wife's car using mine. I struggled to open the bonnet but managed it. Phew! The battery was nowhere to be seen. I later read (in the manual) that the battery is under one of the seats. No good therefore for a quick jump start, but a great car for a hard ride nonetheless. And with a full (expensive) Mercedes service history, in good as new condition with only 17k on the clock, the second hand value must be good. However when Im still driving it 10 years hence, I'll look back and be thankful that I once had a new car which came with a big bunch of flowers
...visited Mercedes, BMW, Audi, - Mercedes come bottom. Audi top.
I've dismissed the A class as by the time you get two pushchairs in the back (and the other baby gear) there is no room for the shopping. The slightly suspect solidity also put me off, it's fine for a mainstream car, but not for a prestige brand and especially at the asking price (with the options) in the region of 17k, alot for a small car and at this price there are plenty of perhaps ... ...The A class' achilles heel is it's boot space. It's fine for those without a family, but then why would they want a 17k 'mini-MPV'? A more 'desirable' car giving the same 'superior' driving position like the RAV4 can had for less than this amount (13-15k). To me the mini-MPV concept doesn't bring out the best asthetics in a car. It's a good automotive concept but it doesn't seem to satify any need, or has answered a question that never existed? But ...
opinion-maker 29.05.2001 (31.05.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: very helpful Review of Mercedes A 140
Advantages: It's a mercedes! Easy to drive and park Disadvantages: Small boot, service costs.
...a review about the original Mercedes A Class considering that the revised model is now available. However, I guess there's still a good second hand market for the original A Class, so if you're thinking of buying one now, this is for you.
I'd always wanted an A Class since they first came out. The shape just appealed to me, and I imagined that as it was a Mercedes this would be a quality car. My model is a year 2000, A140 Classic.
The number is ... ...bit of a battle with Mercedes to get this fixed under warranty, as it hadn't failed completely. Had they not fixed it under warranty, they had quoted me a £900 labour charge.
That brings me on to one last issue with the A Class - the servicing costs. If you read detail about the A Class, it is supposed to have an intelligent service system. This is supposed to monitor how the car is driven, and adjust the service interval accordingly. I can find ...
Leedle 30.09.2005
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: very helpful Review of Mercedes A 140
Advantages: Small but big(!?), Stylish (front view!), Flat floor, Large driver's footwell Disadvantages: Rear end chatter, Useless traction control, Gutless engine (overweight chassis?)
...Many people have asked why Mercedes built this thing but, as (unexpectedly) many drivers have bought one, something about it must be right .One such driver was my wife who bought a new A140 (against my advice) so it it might help to note her reasons for doing so.
Firstly, it has the obvious high driving position and the adjustable seat and steering column - the latter being a boon for the missus because she's got very long legs. The large footwell ... ...this is the reason that the engine slants away underneath the car (brilliant!). Merc have even given drivers somewhere to rest their clutch foot.
The other reasons are the flat floor (no sill to catch your foot when embarking / disembarking) and that striking badge on the front (best seen against shiny black paint). Oh, and it's even shorter, in swb form, than a Corsa .
In spite of my pointing out that the A140 is overpriced, overweight and has ...
tel1 24.02.2005
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: very helpful Review of Mercedes A 140
Advantages: Driving position, boot & rear space Disadvantages: Service costs, steering response, visibility
...purchased my Merc A140 from Mercedes Direct in August 2004, it was a green one and had 17k on the clock, on an Avantgarde trim. Recently though I've sold it and now feel its appropriate to list the pros and cons of this particular model
Size & Space
For a start, I bought the long-wheel base version, this gave it approximately 20cm extra space, yeah I know doesn't sound like much but compared with the short-wheel base (which i also drove) there ... ...place and one feels that mercedes had tried to cater this to that market.
Handling and Performance and safely
I think that overall it was about a C+, a good effort but could have been much better. The 1.4, i felt did, at times struggle with motorway speeds and overtaking on narrow lanes always proved to be a mission. I think the 1.6 would be better for the open road. In town the 1.4 coped fine, it kept pace with the traffic and could take the corners ...
omar360 01.08.2006
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: helpful Review of Mercedes A 140
Advantages: Very Universal, great for carrying loads Disadvantages: Unpredictable traction control, Merc service costs
Since passing my driving test 2 years ago, I have been cruising around in my parents A class, and my mk3 Fiesta. The first thing to stike you when driving an A Class is how refined it is. Sure its the size of a fiesta, and in some cases its cheaper, but you can really appreciate the quality!
Sitting in the drivers seat, you can adjust it to almost any position, to ensure a comfortable driving position. This coupled with the high driving position, ... ...and gearbox are increadibly smooth, and for a 1.4 litre engine, it can move (although, with a load this power is soon lost). On motorways its effortless, and on short commuting journeys, its perfect.
The problems begin when you start to ask more of the car. When driving on country roads, at speed or in bad weather, the rather unpredictable traction control starts to be a bit of a handful. Any slip of a wheel and all power is removed, and the car ...
CJD007 11.03.2003
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: helpful Review of Mercedes A 140
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Advantages: Very high build quality, silent running, prestige, badge, lush, solid, fast, sumptuous. Disadvantages: Difficult to park, dealer will empty your bank balence, large car - small....... !
Mercedes 300SEL , S320 Limo 1993.
How I acquired the vehicle?
In my course of work (Mobile vehicle mechanic) I meet a lot of people in the trade.
Because of this, I get the nod when any quality vehicles turn up in the scrapper (for what ever reason they were scrapped).... many times this is down to un-economic repair costs.
Which are for this beast, astronomical? ...well if you are prey to main dealer prices and practices, cars like this will never be owned by the 'less well offs' and I include myself in that statement. It's better to be lucky than rich sometimes.
For me, it's a case of; sod the usual car buying outlets and get your self down the scrapper. Lucky for me then!
On first inspection of this car in the breakers yard, I was shocked by its size; it was huge, damaged, covered in dust + thick mud caked the wheel ...
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Brake pads wear quite quickly. This is understandable for a car approaching 2 tons in weight.
Passenger electric seat motor failed. This was fixed relatively easily by the dealers.
Nothing else really.
General comments?
I purchased this car after selling my Mazda Xedos 9, which was a good car, however, wasn't capacious enough for me or quick enough.
I purchased this Mercedes S-Class for 13000 pounds Sterling, which was a bargain in my opinion for a car which cost upwards for £75000 pounds in it's day.
The W140 is one of the best built Mercedes-Benz cars of recent days; due to it being the last "over-engineered" Mercedes car and hence it is extremely reliable. In the cold UK winter mornings it never failed to start.
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pluem 22.10.2004
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