Mercedes-Benz A-Class Hatchback (W168) · A-Class
W168
The elk test — and the car that survived it.
- Production
- 1997–2004
- Built
- 295,598
- Body
- Hatchback
- Chassis
- W168
Six weeks after launch, a Swedish magazine rolled an A-Class during a lane-change test, and Mercedes-Benz halted production of the most important new car it had built in decades.
The W168 was a genuinely radical thing: a 3.6-meter front-wheel-drive hatchback with a sandwich floor designed to let the engine and transmission slide beneath the cabin in a frontal impact. Mercedes-Benz answered the elk test by fitting ESP as standard, widening the track and lowering the ride height at enormous cost — and the car then sold strongly for seven years.
Petrol engines ran from the 1.4-liter M166 to the 1.9, with 1.7-liter CDI diesels alongside; a long-wheelbase version on the V168 code followed in 2001.
Every model.
11 model designations across 1997–2004 — engines, transmissions and series codes for the W168.
| Model | Model years | Chassis | Engine | Transmission | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A 160 CDI | 1998–2001 | 168.007 | 668.941 | 716.504 | 14,508 |
| A 160 CDI | 2002–2004 | 168.006 | 668.940 | 716.500 | 14,900 |
| A 170 CDI | 1998–2001 | 168.008 | 668.940 | 716.500 | 145,165 |
| A 170 CDI | 2002–2004 | 168.009 | 668.942 | 716.500 | 118,396 |
| A 140 | 1997–2001 | 168.031 | 166.940 | included above | |
| A 140 | 2002–2004 | 168.031 | 166.940 | included above | |
| A 160 | 1997–2004 | 168.033 | 166.960 | included above | |
| A 160 | 2002–2004 | 168.033 | 166.960 | included above | |
| A 190 | 1999–2001 | 168.032 | 166.990 | included above | |
| A 190 | 2002–2004 | 168.032 | 166.990 | included above | |
| A 210 Evolution | 2002–2004 | 168.035 | 166.995 | 716.506 | 2,629 |
* The published production figure covers every series of that model; the source does not break it down further.
