Mercedes-Benz
A Class
| Front and side impact rating |
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Pedestrian test rating |
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Test Scores: Front 11(69%) Side 16(89%) Overall 27(79%)
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Despite
its one-of-a-kind styling and compact size (it occupies
less road space than most superminis, even though it
offers cabin space to rival family cars) the A-class
performed well. Frontal-impact protection was good but
more could be done to safeguard front occupant’s legs.
Passengers sit higher than is usual and this helps if the
A-class is hit from the side. However, the struck-side
front and rear doors opened in the side impact. This would
have meant failure in the new side-impact regulations if
the car had been introduced after October 1998.
In the original test, the Mercedes A-class had side
airbags: Mercedes had said that they were fitted as
standard in all EU markets. The test car was purchased in
the Netherlands, where side airbags are standard.
Subsequently the A-class was found to be available in
Portugal, Spain, France, and Ireland without these
airbags. When Mercedes were challenged, they explained
that they had made a mistake and they paid for a re-test.
This has shown that the first result was too high by 0.14
of one point. The car retains its four-star rating. The
re-test also showed that modifications to prevent the
doors opening were successful. These changes were
introduced from VIN WDB 168 J210000. |
Impact
Protection
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| Driver
Front Impact |
Passenger
Front Impact |
Driver
Side Impact |
Driver
Side Impact (no airbag) |
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Frontal
Impact
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| The
driver’s head was well protected, although the airbag
'bottomed out' late in the impact, and the passenger’s
airbag worked well. While the driver’s knees did not
contact any part of the car that presented particular
risks, a driver with longer legs or anyone sitting in a
different position could have been injured. The degree of
crash intrusion into the passenger compartment was well
controlled. |
Side
Impact
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| Protection
for the driver was good even though the side airbag
contributed little or nothing and the latches of two doors
were activated by the impact, causing them to open. Many
A-class models (but not the test car) lock their doors
automatically on reaching 8kmh (5mph) and Mercedes says
this feature should prevent the doors coming open during a
crash. The company says it is modifying the doors to
correct this problem. |
Child
Restraint
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passenger airbag is standard and there is a real danger of
death for any child if placed in a rear-facing restraint
on the front seat. Euro NCAP believes that Mercedes should
take this risk more seriously and provide better permanent
warnings. The child restraints were compatible with the
rear adult belts that, unusually, had pyrotechnic
pre-tensioners fitted. But disappointingly, the centre
rear seat had only a lap belt many new models now provide
a full three-point belt. The restraints prevented the
child dummies from being thrown too far forward in the
frontal impact and the degree of force they experienced
was acceptable. But, the three-year-old was exposed to an
increased risk of head injury in the side impact. |
Pedestrian
Protection
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| The
A-class has a very short bonnet so the most likely contact
points for an adult’s head are on its windscreen and
screen pillars. Because Euro NCAP’s assessment system
does not account for glazed areas, the A-class cannot be
given a star rating at present. However, a windscreen
usually gives better protection than a steel panel would
and this should favour its score when a rating is
possible. That said, its bonnet proved very unforgiving
towards a child’s head. The car’s front also had
little or no cushioning for an adult’s legs and needless
injury could result. |
Model
history and safety equipment
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| The
Mercedes-Benz A-class was launched in October 1997. The
1999 model-year car features twin front and side (thorax)
airbags, front and rear (outboard) seat belt
pre-tensioners, belt load limiters, and power steering as
standard equipment across all EU markets. |
| Make,
model and hand of drive |
Mercedes-Benz
A140 Classic LHD |
| Body
type |
5-door
hatchback |
| Model
year |
1999 |
| Kerb
weight |
1070
kg |
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