(first posted 1/11/2018) Despite its own efforts with smaller, subcompact/C-segment vehicles and their growing popularity worldwide, at least in the U.S., Mercedes-Benz hasn’t had widespread success in this size class of vehicles, with buyers preferring its larger, more luxurious compact/D-segment models.
In 2016 and 2017, Mercedes sold only about 24,000 of GLAs each year versus 47,000 and 48,000 GLCs, and only about 25,000 and 20,000 CLAs versus 77,000 units of the C-Class for each of those years in the United States. In Europe, however, where smaller cars have a much higher preference, Mercedes-Benz sold nearly triple the amount of GLAs and CLAs the past two years, and along with the A-Class and B-Class, sells several hundred-thousand C-segment vehicles in Europe each year.
Originally introduced in 1997, the A-Class was Mercedes’ first foray into the C-segment, and was the brand’s smallest offering, a title it still holds despite having grown in size with each subsequent generation. Breaking tradition and premiering Mercedes’ latest design language even before the new flagship W202 S-Class did, the W245 A-Class represented a dramatic change from the wedge-shaped designs of the preceding decade by incorporating organic shapes with flowing lines and curves. A highly successful model, the W245 sold some 1.1 million examples worldwide over eight model years.
The original A-Class will always be a somewhat special vehicle for me, because it was among the first vehicles not sold in my home country that I was well aware of, due to the fact that I owned a Maisto 1:18 scale model of it. I recall being particularly stricken by it due to the very fact that it looked so different from the somewhat stodgier-styled Mercedes I knew at the time, designs I’ve now grown to appreciate and love over the years.
Photographed: Rue du Vieux-Marché-aux-Poissons in Strasbourg, Grand Est, France – September 2017
Wow… and I thought the Toyota Yaris was ugly!
Still, there’s something about this car I really like. Go figure. Probably because I could actually see out of it!
This makes me wonder if Daimler-Benz could have benefited from creating a value-oriented brand in the US. With products like this, and some other Euro stuff (Sprinters and the other commercial products) maybe they could’ve been successful without diluting the luxury cachet of Mercedes. It would’ve been smarter than Smart, which was aimed at a segment that barely even exists in the US.
That’s an intriguing idea; sort of a reverse Lexus. The sweet spot of “far enough away from Mercedes so as not to dilute the brand but close enough for reflected prestige” might’ve been hard to hit. Not impossible, but tough.
Part of the problem of bringing A- and B-class Mercedes Benz cars to the US, is that Mercedes is not a full-line automaker in American perception. Here, they’re snobbish luxury vehicles, period. And I don’t think that Mercedes’ American headquarters wants to dilute that image.
Even when they did bring out the CLA (which I abhor) they tried to make it look like a shrunken C-class, a Mercedes for the person to whom the badge is everything, but unable to afford a ‘real’ (rear drive) version.
And the sales figures seem to respond in kind. Americans who can afford to buy or lease a Mercedes-Benz wants a “real” one: Rear drive, aI mechanical lineage that has a direct line to the S-class. Like my sister. A long-term M-B owner who took one look at the CLA, sneered, and bought a new C300.
That’s true – I see these smaller Mercedes cars as diluting the brand regardless of how competent they may be, and to me the brand had more credibility when it focused on just a few segments (C, E, S, SL and G-wagen). Trouble is, when they go south they are just as expensive as any other Mercedes to fix.
Is it possible that part of the impetus behind the Daimler-Chrysler merger was an effort to offer a cut-rate Mercedes under another name? If so, it didn’t exactly pan out too well. The Chrysler experiment likely looms large in any thought Mercedes might have about entering the value-oriented US market in any manner.
OTOH, Lexus cutting into Mercedes sales with a better-built product definitely altered their mission statement of superior engineering at any cost. Mercedes cars simply don’t have the same engineering prowess they once had. So the idea of Mercedes vehicles on the low end of the market, even in the status-conscious US market, isn’t nearly as far-fetched as it once was.
Every 10,000 miles when my mom brings her 2013 GLK 350 in for its scheduled maintenance/oil change she gets a loaner, vehicles which have included an ML 350, C 350 (previous gen), CLA 250, GLC 300, C 300 (current gen), and GLA 300.
Now my mom isn’t quite as much of a gear head as I, but she’s pretty knowledgable. Despite not knowing their more humble origins and front-wheel drive basis, she always has complained about the CLAs and GLA she has been given, citing lack of enough power and un-luxurious interiors.
Honestly, I don’t think too many people care about which wheels are driven. The reason the CLA-Class doesn’t sell well is because sedan buyers are discerning, and the CLA-Class looks gaudy and feels cheap. A C-Class doesn’t cost much more.
It’s CUV counterpart, the GLA-Class, is selling quite well, by contrast.
My parents took a trip to England in 2001, and ended up with an A-Class Mercedes as a rental car because it was the only compact available with an automatic transmission. They just enjoyed telling everyone that they drove a Mercedes over there after they got home. (They misidentified the model as a “Mercedes Elegance”, which as far as I can tell was actually the trim level, but from their photos it was obviously an A-Class).
“They misidentified the model as a “Mercedes Elegance”, which as far as I can tell was actually the trim level, …”
Thats the way it is. There were three trim levels: “Classic” – which was base, “Elegance” – which was top of the line. And in between “Avantgade” with a modern and dynamic approach.
They used the same designations even for the W202/W203 C-Class and the W210/211 E-Class.
I think I have the same Maisto model- color and all.
I think that if MB had brought in the B-class as a gas powered car, it would have sold well. Its a lot more Mercedes than the CLA is. The real problem with the CLA is that is too small to accomodate our oversized American posteriors. I would have considered it if it were bigger… and had more visibility. And the M270 didn’t create an annoying vibration when you rev it. Which is odd, because the M274 is so smooth and torquey that i don’t miss the OM651 in my Metris too much. And the M274 and M270 are basically the same engine oriented longitudinally and transversely respectively.
I personally think Mercedes made a big mistake not positioning itself as a premium full line automaker, as they do in Europe, from the beginning.
In Europe, from the beginning, Mercedes-Benz (Daimler AG, actually) has also positioned itself as a renowned manufacturer of stationary + marine engines, trucks (it’s the world’s largest truck maker), vans, buses, Unimogs and farm tractors (the MB Trac of yore).
The Euro-perception of “Mercedes” is completely different from the US-perception. A globally operating industrial giant, that’s what it is.
Once again, the fact that you wrote it made me read this article about a vehicle I could care less about.
I still don’t care about them, but as usual, very informative. Thanks!
Haha well I really appreciate that!
I used to subscribe to Special Interest Auto magazine. They published lots of articles about cars that I liked. They also published lots of articles about cars that I disliked. The funny thing is, is that after reading about the cars that I disliked, I often at least appreciated them. The same thing happens on this website. Keep up the good work.
Isnt this the model that fell over attempting the moose test?I see a few of them around driven very gentle fashion by elderly people.
Indeed. It rolled over doing the moose test. That meant a big “Scheiße!” from MB, who turned that model into one of the first with standard ESP
My car has ESP it reacts very early making the car dangerous on wet rds usually I remenber to turn it off
I’m too lazy to look it up now, but I seem to recall the first generation A-class floorpan was an innovative “sandwich” design. In a frontal crash the drive train was supposed move downwards into the space, which solved the “where does the transverse engine go” problem in such a compact design. That same space was to accommodate batteries for an electric version. Did they ever sell an electric version of the first (or any) generation A-class?
Yes, there was a limited production A-Class E-CELL in 2010. Tesla built the power train and battery pack. They only made 500 of them.
MB is developing an electric car brand, EQ, with the first products out in early 2019. Here’s more on the EQ.
I believe you are right Read about the A-Class being the first vehicle to implement that design.
I have a similar soft spot for the A2, with the added side value that it’s one of the last Audis where “vorsprung durch technik” lead to something a bit eccentric. Bith of these, though, really drove home that in some ways Europe really was a different place ( and with the A2 looking like what kid me thought cars of the future would look like, an advanced one—-my childhood image of Europe must have been strangely hi-tech).
“Is it possible that part of the impetus behind the Daimler-Chrysler merger was an effort to offer a cut-rate Mercedes under another name? If so, it didn’t exactly pan out too well.”
Maybe. I believe that the Chrysler acquisition destroyed the integrity of Daimler-Benz. The development of superior RWD cars in three sizes (plus roadsters) was no longer a focus.
Rather world markets in all classes became the idea. The “A” class though was not to blame; it had been in development prior to the bad date with Chrysler. And yes, the “A” class failed the moose roll over test of a Swedish journalist. Mercedes fixed the problem but the stench would not abate.
Now the Mercedes three cylinder Smart for Two (or whatever) is a whole other chapter in the dilution of the brand and that was absolutely a Chrysler era infection.
The Daimler Chrysler merger was indeed something of an attempted murder-suicide, but we must remember that Daimler was the one holding the gun.
The DaimlerChrysler “merger” (really a buyout) reminds me much of the decades-earlier Studebaker-Packard “merger” (also really a buyout). Both were lauded by financial types at the time – ‘one company is a storied brand that makes luxury cars, the other makes lower-priced mainstream cars; together, they’ll be a perfect fit!’
In actuality neither really had any synergies below the surface and both quickly went south.
I own a Mercedes W168.The very first version from 1997. Although its 20 old, I can still use it as a daily driver. Nothing ever broke, except an electric pump for the power locks. No car I know has such a brilliant 360 degree view. Modern cars are more like tanks with a vision slit compared to my A-Class. I find this very enerving. This was reason why I didn`t buy a BMW 1 Series lately.
I also had several toy versions of these cars. I always thought they looked like the first generation Honda Odyssey, which unlike this Mercedes I saw in full sized form.
I can barely tolerate a C300. My wife’s Camry will outdrive it, has more room, is quieter, smoother, and the build quality is superior. This isn’t about money- you can lease a C300 for just about Camry money, give or take a tank of gas. I’ve driven a few CLA’s, and the only thing I can think of is that it’s a Mercedes Civic… except Honda does it better. But there is the Mercedes name. I remember reading somewhere Mercedes and BMW actually lease something like 75% of their deliveries. So whenever I see a C-Class or a 3-Series, I don’t think $50K… I think $300-350/mo for 36 months. That explains the sales numbers, but am I the only one that’s beginning to question the prestige value?
That makes me wonder how an A Class would compete against, say, a Honda Fit?
I used to drive these (and almost every other car in this segment) at work, and given the strength and depth of competition in Europe, I suspect most people bought them for the badge.
It’s a long time ago, but I recall them as being outclassed in ride and handling, and having annoying little quirks which made me loathe them. I’d choose the Fit any day of the week.
I like it. My brain has a little disconnect with it being a Mercedes, but like the Neon, that is just a happy looking little car.
This car is just one of the reasons why Mercedes is no longer a consideration for me. I would love the 1st gen SLK but they rust terribly and I cannot tolerate that when Rovers, Peugeots and Skoda of the same age don’t
Yes it failed the Elk test but there were other issues that you just don’t expect from a company that gained its reputation from quality
Honest John , a UK consumer site for cars stated
By Honest John
3:30PM GMT 30 Nov 2009
I need a car and have no idea what to buy. Is a Mercedes A160 or A170 CDI a good buy for a single mother of two who needs reliable, low-maintenance transport?
LS, South Africa
Avoid the first-generation Mercedes A-class – they are deeper money pits than any other small car and were built when Mercedes quality was at an all-time low.
They are needlessly complicated and ridiculously expensive to fix.
For example, a replacement automatic transmission can be £5,000 in the UK, which is three times what a nine-year-old A-class is worth.
The buyers guide makes sad reading
Buying Guide
Good
3 year mechanical warranty and 30 year Mobilo roadside assistance + anti corrosion warranty.
A210 Evo arrived February 2002 with 2,084cc 140bhp engine offering 0-60 in 7.9 seconds, 127mph top speed, 35.8mpg combined and 190g/km CO2. SWB prices from £18,990.
MB was rated by Motor Warranty Direct as Britain’s 2nd most claim-free used marque. Mercedes had fifth lowest average cost in warranty claims for cars up to 10 years old in 2002 Warranty Direct index. MB generally 9th lowest average warranty repair costs in 2003 Warranty Direct Reliability index (index 70.79 v/s lowest 31.93)
2001-2003 models rated average for breakdowns, problems and faults in 2003 Which survey.
Prior to Audi A2, the most status you could buy at its length.
Bad
Long step up or down from seats for elderly or infirm unless parked against a high kerb.
Not as well built as you expect from Mercedes.
Ride quality far from brilliant.
Suffers from top-heavy ‘roll understeer’ on tight, adversely cambered corners.
Essential to pay full attention on the motorway or can swap lanes.
Wipers are designed for LHD and cannot be altered, leaving an unwiped strip down the right hand side of the screen.
Expensive for what it is.
Lots of drivers had trouble with the keyfob immobiliser control.
Cannot be driven through floods because of low-set components such as power steering pump.
Mega expensive service costs, for example £446.96 for a two year 20,000 mile ‘B’ service of an A160 in Swindon. Seems to get very expensive to maintain and repair after warranty expires.
Convoluted right hand wheel to left hand rack steering column robs steering of feel.
1998-2000 models rated average for breakdowns, poor for problems and faults in 2003 Which survey. 12th from bottom out of 137 models in 2003 Top Gear survey. Multi section sliding steel sunroof is highly prone to failure. If the motor on one side fails, the other motor skews the panels and the whole thing seizes up and costs a fortune to fix.
Replacement in Europe autumn 2004 in UK early 2005.
Watch
Universal joints of convoluted steering column can start to wear and need replacing at cost of £600.
Alarm system faults, water leaks, problems and faulty air flow sensors.
Widespread problem of fractured fuel filler pipes leading the rear of the car to fill with petrol if the tank is over-filled. Further reports of fuel pipes weeping at the bulkhead areas of 6 year old petrol models.
Reports of failures of rear trailing arm control arm bushes on early A Class, originally benefiting from a 50% goodwill payment on what is a £330 job using a standard repair kit, which tends to indicate some awareness of the problem by the manufacturer. This is an MOT failure point.
Anti-roll bar links on early models prone to problems and may need replacing with the modified links of later models.
Reports of manual gearbox failure.
Reports of faulty ignition block (coil + plug lead assembly. Bosch design fault as the transformer plates of the coil corrode as the rivets are exposed and splits the plastic coating, causing small cracks, letting in moisture.) Ignition block costs £65, but labour can amount to £100 + VAT.
Squeaking brakes quite common. PAS pump failures just out of warranty.
Tip for those with automated manuals. If gear selection does not result in take up of drive, the reason might be that under the gear lever shroud an orange coloured connector plug has come loose.
Reports of loss of power when setting off from standstill in automatics. Revised transmission governer cures this, but a long job and expensive if not still under warranty. However, before going to this expense, worth checking that it is not a sticking stop light switch. The stop light switch signals the ECU to shut the engine down to tickover so it does not accelerate against the brakes. Costs 30p in parts (but £60 in Mercedes labour charges) to rectify. Combined air intake temperature and ECU failure an £800 repair.
Automatic transmission failures requiring new transmissions at £5,000 + now common on A Class more than 4 years old, so cost of repair exceeds value of car. Do not attempt to run an A Class more than 3 years old other than on a good extended warranty
Doubts over clutch life of semi-automatic with 170CDI diesel engine. Two reports of slippage after 40,000 miles received within a week of each other; another soon after; yet another of failure after just 21,000 miles.
Take great care to check the car’s stability electronics before buying.
Large numbers of A Class came off Easy Rent-a-Car fleet, flooded market and affected values.
VITAL TO CHECK GLOW PLUGS OF DIESELS. These have a habit of failing, then break when the garage tries to remove them and rectification can cost £4,500. Expansion and contraction of the plastic front wings rubs the paint of the A pillars, leading to rusting. Injector failure common on diesels after 6 – 7 years.
One reader’s catalogue of problems with an A160 auto (received 14/10/2001). 1. Locked into 2nd gear. 2. Complete new steering assembly. (Known to Merc but left until reported). 3. Complete new windscreen wiper mechanism (the blades became tangled). 4. New alternator (seized). 5. New fuel pump (intermittently cut out at 1/4 tank – known to Merc, but left until failure). 6. Complete new ignition electronics – understood to be about £2 1/2k. 7. Seizure of rear brake – necessitating two new tyres. 8. Mirror silvering failed. 9. Since my recent service there has been introduced a squeak on the wipers. My dealer cannot cure. Has replaced three sets of blades and yet another new wiper motor. The new motor is clearly audible when the previous one was not. 10. Problem with rear wash/wipe.
10-4-2013: Another report of inside/outside rust perforation, this time both side doors (of a 3 door) and the hatchback lid of a 2005/55 reg. Quoted £3,500 by MB dealer to replace the doors and hatch, with 50% contribution ferom the owner who thought he had a 30 year no perforation warranty.
27-5-2013: Claims under 30 year Mobilo “no perforation” warranty rejected due to “external influences” which Mercedes suggests are:- “tree sap, storms,or other enviromental impacts,or from events such as salt water ingress, accidental damage, vandalism or war”
Recalls
27-4-2001: 4,106 cars built 1/9/2000 to 31/1/2001 recalled because brake master cylinder may malfunction in extreme cold and only apply half of split braking system. Master cylinder to be replaced.
September 2005: Recall of A Class and Vaneos built April 2002 – April 2003 because cracks in the recess for the plastic covers of the wiper arms can cause the wiper arms to become detached. Replacement of wiper arms where necessary is free of charge.
I had drunk a large volume of MB KoolAid, & was really intrigued to see how the Engineered Like No Other Car car company would build a tiddler. ( I wasn’t aware the E-class and C-class had had such a fall in quality). The answer proved to be mixed. These things are nearly 3 inches shorter than a Honda Fit, yet have really good interior room. It was also remarkable that the claimed crash safety was that of an E-class, a very big deal in 1997 when small cars were very still poor in that way. So from a sheer design POV, they satisfied the idea of doing things in a different and better way.
But the Swedish Moose (which is not a lost Muppet) led to a delay in production, as all models were fitted (and retro-fitted) with intrusive ESC, and given “sports” suspension which meant a crashy ride. I personally found the styling interesting, and still do, but the interior design and plastics were hard to take seriously. Also, Mercedes 4 cylinder engines have always been bog-ordinary, and these ones were deliberately not multi-valve (Ve haf determined you don’t need zis) so performance was not great. In the end, you got a very small car with styling that polarised, was in no way special to drive, with a crap interior that was safe to crash. As a final insult, they found age wearied them badly, as detailed above. Nothing special at all, then, and the big sales only prove the endless value of snobbery.
They seemed to sell plenty of these in Aus to the old blue-haired posh-suburb matrons who’d previously mooched imperiously along in horridly-unpowered basic w123’s, but notably, sold very few indeed of the next generation. A pity, for it was a vastly better car.
I find it absolutely hideous, as it reminds me too much of one of those motorised quadricycles that can’t go any faster than 45kph/ 25mph, stylistically speaking.
Only 35 mpg for a penalty box? Combine that with horrid repair costs make that a huge no thank you for me. What a toilet, they probably sold only because of the name.
I rented one in the UK at a time I was doing enough business and family travel (in the US) that I had a fair amount of seat time in rental Corollas, Escorts, Cavaliers etc. I was asked at the Hertz counter if I wanted a Corolla or a Mercedes. Duh!! I’ll take the Merc, please. Over several hundred miles I found it very pleasant, far better driving dynamics than any equivalent US market car except perhaps a Golf.
I had one of these, pile of poop, rear suspension issues, alarm issues at 3 am ish which was not popular with neighbors and a nice puddle in the passenger footwell which was caused by a rust hole. Was not even 3 years old and less than 15k miles when i sold it, always wished I’d bought the Audi A2.
These have a very bad reputation in the UK. Very difficult to sell now for even $300 for roadworthy examples.
Almost completely extinct in their country of origin.
These always struck me as a weird thing for Daimler-Benz to bring out. They always seemed to be a rather conservative company – oh, good quality engineering, but conservative – then they go and lob this one at us!
Oh it’s brilliant in principle, you won’t get any disagreement from me, but that styling – it’s almost as though they were, I dunno, channelling the spirit of Andre Citroen or something. KInd of like an early Ami turned hatchback, or something. Wilfully weird. They did sell them in Australia, and there even used to be one in my town until COVID. It was driven by an older woman who obviously didn’t mind the looks, and must have appreciated the practicality of the car. And could afford the service costs.
My daughter’s Honda Jazz is similar in size and outline; from the comments above I get the impression the Honda is the better car.
Not a Maisto; Revell once did a kit of it.
Pete, did you ever go in one? They were just dreadful, really low-rent. The Jazz (Fit) is a vastly better product.
I had a ride and good look at one when a friend who had a proper Benz got one for a warranty service loaner in about 2002. She absolutely hated driving it (and it felt pretty crap from the passenger mount), but I could not get over the early-Korean level of interior finish. Your model would easily exceed the standard!
No, never been in one. But from what I:ve read, they seem so much at odds with what we think of as a Mercedes-Benz.
I think there is some confusion in the headline. The first MB A-Class was known as the W168.
It was the first MB B-Class from 2005 to 2011 that got the designation W245 (shown below).