This A-Class flipped over during a Swedish magazine's moose-avoidance test — Mercedes denied it at first, then recalled every one of the 2,600 cars sold and halted sales for three months to fix it.
Lead trim: A 140 (M166 1.4) · up to 123 hp
Mercedes-Benz A-Class W168W168 · 1997–2004
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Mercedes-Benz A-Class W168 yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactThis A-Class flipped over during a Swedish magazine's moose-avoidance test — Mercedes denied it at first, then recalled every one of the 2,600 cars sold and halted sales for three months to fix it.
The first-generation Mercedes-Benz A-Class, internally coded W168, was styled by Steve Mattin (the first complete exterior by the Coventry University-trained designer, who was named Autocar magazine's "Designer of the Year") and launched at the 1997 Frankfurt Motor Show, noted for its short, narrow footprint, its overall height and an interior volume and level of equipment competing with larger cars. It was quite unusual for Mercedes-Benz in its front-wheel-drive layout and unusually tall but short body: 3,606 mm (142.0 in) long on a 2,423 mm (95.4 in) wheelbase, or a 2,593 mm (102.1 in) wheelbase for the long-wheelbase version added in February 2001 (a facelift with minor alterations to the headlights and bumpers), 1,719 mm (67.7 in) wide. All were four-cylinder: 1.4 L and 1.6 L petrol models at launch (M 166 series), two versions of a 1.7 L diesel (OM 668 series), a 1.9 L petrol added in 1999 and a 2.1 the last W168 version, launched in 2002. It was built at Rastatt, Germany (October 1996 – May 2004), Juiz de Fora in Brazil (February 1999 – September 2005, the company's first South American factory dedicated to passenger cars) and Samut Prakan in Thailand, with 1.1 million first-generation models sold between 1997 and 2004 (the page says Daimler lost €1,440 per vehicle produced). The car became infamous in 1997 when Teknikens Värld's "moose test" flipped it over; Mercedes initially denied the problem, then recalled all 2,600 units sold to date and suspended sales for three months until it was solved by adding electronic stability control and modifying the suspension, at a cost of DM 300 million on top of DM 2.5 billion of development. The A 210 Evolution is catalogued as its own generation.
Collectors Spotted in the Mercedes-Benz A-Class Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Mercedes-Benz A-Class yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
7 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A 140 (M166 1.4) | 1997–2004 | 1.4 L Inline-4 | 80 hp | 96 lb-ft | — | FWD | — | — |
| A 160 (M166 1.6) | 1997–2004 | 1.6 L Inline-4 | 101 hp | 111 lb-ft | — | FWD | — | — |
| A 160 CDI (OM668 1.7 turbo diesel, 60 PS) | 1998–2001 | 1.7 L Inline-4 | 59 hp | 118 lb-ft | — | FWD | — | — |
| A 160 CDI (OM668 1.7 turbo diesel, 75 PS) | 2001–2004 | 1.7 L Inline-4 | 74 hp | 118 lb-ft | — | FWD | — | — |
| A 170 CDI (OM668 1.7 turbo diesel, 90 PS) | 1998–2001 | 1.7 L Inline-4 | 89 hp | 133 lb-ft | — | FWD | — | — |
| A 170 CDI (OM668 1.7 turbo diesel, 95 PS) | 2001–2004 | 1.7 L Inline-4 | 94 hp | 133 lb-ft | — | FWD | — | — |
| A 190 (M166 1.9) | 1999–2004 | 1.9 L Inline-4 | 123 hp | 133 lb-ft | — | FWD | — | — |
Owning one
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Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
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This A-Class flipped over during a Swedish magazine's moose-avoidance test — Mercedes denied it at first, then recalled every one of the 2,600 cars sold and halted sales for three months to fix it.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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