Mercedes A W169 - Engine size

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Thu 17 Jan 2019 14:50
Mercedes A W169 - Engine size - wantstolearn

Checked I've not asked this before ! Seen two examples of A Class 2009-2012, different engine sizes 1500 and 1700 (manual cars) Does the bigger engine justify expense ?

Are the automatics for this car reliable ?

Thanks for any help.

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Thu 17 Jan 2019 20:55
Mercedes A W169 - Engine size - 72 dudes

I have the diesel automatic version (A180 CDi) so I have no direct experience of the petrol manuals but either should be sufficient to pull the A Class along well. The 1500 has 95 BHP and the 1700 has 116 BHP but torque figures are quite low.

I can't say much about how the economy will differ but there's a school of thought that suggests the bigger engine won't be much thirstier as it's working less hard.

The CVT in these is generally reliable. Check that the transmission fluid was changed at 4 years or 40,000 miles.

The CVT is better suited to a diesel's low down grunt rather than a peakier petrol engine. Having said that I once test drove a B170 with CVT and it seemed pretty good, no mad revving of the engine when you wanted to accelerate.

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Thu 17 Jan 2019 22:04
Mercedes A W169 - Engine size - daveyjp
A few years ago I had a B160 and my wife had an A 160 (one of the last W169).

Neither would burn tyre rubber, but they were both excellent until the point they both suffered air conditioning problems. I had the B tested and regassed and it was OK for about 6 months, failed again and it would have been expensive to repair. The A class went the same way and both were about 4 years old.

I'm sure you would notice the few extra horses if you drove one after the other, but I never found the engine underpowered over 5 years and 50,000 miles.

Beware that some repairs aren't easy (and therefore expensive) due to the way the engine is mounted, but other parts such as tyres, brakes etc won't break the bank.
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Thu 17 Jan 2019 22:33
Mercedes A W169 - Engine size - wantstolearn

Thank you both for very informative posts. A car that appeals so you sharing knowledge is very helpful. I can buy without anxiety.

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Fri 18 Jan 2019 05:22
Mercedes A W169 - Engine size - Happy Blue!

My wife drove an A150 for a few years and it was reliable and had adequate performance. In some respects she is sad that she sold it.

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Fri 18 Jan 2019 09:29
Mercedes A W169 - Engine size - elekie&a/c doctor

The auto transmission on these are known for problems ,especially at this age. Other common faults are air conditioning not working and central locking actuator failures. All expensive fixes. Make sure you drive one before buying, they are not to every ones taste.

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Fri 18 Jan 2019 09:40
Mercedes A W169 - Engine size - wantstolearn

Thank you both. Will avoid auto. Liked earlier model, but lots of repairs, so expect this to be even better.

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Fri 18 Jan 2019 14:47
Mercedes A W169 - Engine size - badbusdriver

You might want to read through this,

www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/mercedes-benz/a-clas.../

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Fri 18 Jan 2019 14:56
Mercedes A W169 - Engine size - wantstolearn

Appreciated. Lot of facts to think about.

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Fri 18 Jan 2019 19:16
Mercedes A W169 - Engine size - mss1tw

You might want to read through this,

www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/mercedes-benz/a-clas.../

Nice to see what paying that little bit extra for a Merc gets you.

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Fri 18 Jan 2019 19:42
Mercedes A W169 - Engine size - wantstolearn

I know very little about cars, things like have 4 wheels. However know a few things about evaluation public comments. Much depends on the nature of people reporting in. Some can't be bothered to do and some get irritated by minor issues. It also is affected by expectations. I am looking for a second car. I can't get a one year main dealer warranty on many old cars in the five thousand pound s area.

thanks for posting

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Fri 18 Jan 2019 20:44
Mercedes A W169 - Engine size - badbusdriver

Don't get me wrong, from a design point of view, i am a huge fan of the 1st and (to a lesser extent) 2nd generation A Class. Very clever design, amazing space utilisation, while the innovative "sandwich floor' meant that crash protection, for the time, was up with the best. But, like the brilliant but ill fated Audi A2, people don't want a clever design, so instead, they gave us the 3rd and now 4th generation A Class's. These sell in droves (despite not actually being very good at anything) but provide absolutely no innovation whatsoever.

Regarding your dilema, i thought previous threads had established that a Hyundai ix20 or Kia Venga (essentially the same car) would suit your needs?. Maybe not as prestigious as a Merc but probably more reliable, and being a less fashionable car from a less fashionable brand, your money will go further.

If you have gone off that idea, then let us know what you want out of the car in terms of space (eg, number of doors, boot size, etc), performance and efficiency, and where in the country you are, we can have a look and post links to cars which may suit.

Edited by badbusdriver on 18/01/2019 at 20:50

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Fri 18 Jan 2019 20:55
Mercedes A W169 - Engine size - wantstolearn

Thanks bbd, you are generous with your posts. It is balancing different issues. Just while looking for ix 20 a manual A Class came up at approximately half the cost. Added bonus less to lose on depreciation.

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Sat 19 Jan 2019 16:19
Mercedes A W169 - Engine size - 72 dudes

Wow, based on that car by car guide I wouldn't have bought mine 5 years ago and thus missed out on the comfortable reliable motoring.I've had!

I can honestly say I have never had any rusty door bottoms, although I have had the "ESP fault, tyre pressure warning inoperative" message just last month, requiring the new brake pedal switch. The cost of this OEM MB part was £11.20 and it was fitted in about 15 minutes.

Two of the so-called problems on that car by car review refer to the older W168, and another one falsely claims that the 7 speed tiptronic locks in gear. Of course it b***** does, that's the manual override feature that you get with all tiptronics. It's also incorrect in that it changes up automatically at maximum revs and changes down if the speed drops too low. Who would report this as a fault?

Rant over.

P.S. MOT'd just yesterday with no advisories or minor faults whatsoever.

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Sat 19 Jan 2019 16:32
Mercedes A W169 - Engine size - wantstolearn

Cheers 72. Edging towards A class.

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Sat 19 Jan 2019 17:29
Mercedes A W169 - Engine size - daveyjp
Two areas to check are the battery compartments. The main 12v battery is under the driver's feet. Remove the carpet and have good look inside the compartment for water ingress.

There is also an ancilliary battery in the boot, a flap on the right hand side. Again look for corrosion around the battery and terminals.
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