Mercedes-Benz A-class and MCC Smart 

Arguably the best-engineered supermini is another German, the Mercedes A class.  The A-class, 40 mm shorter than a Kia Pride hatchback, boasts of interior space equaling that of the C-class sedans, and crash safety equal to the E-class.  This was made possible by the double-floor construction.  The engine and major drivetrain parts are the meat in the sandwich of two sturdy steel panels.  If an A crashes into something, its engine is designed to be driven down and outside the car instead of backward into the passenger area.  In a side or rear crash, the steel panels, resist deformation and protect the structure’s integrity at the expense of the other car.  So it’s a 900-kg car that can impart more damage to a heavier car crashing into it. That’s a different kind of Benz intimidation. 

There was just a slight flaw in this repertoire.  It couldn’t dance around potential hazards in the so-called moose test, or rapid-right-left lane change maneuver.  In fact, it rolled over 360 degrees during a Swedish magazine’s road test.  This flaw was publicized worldwide, and Daimler-Benz halted delivery of the A-class to correct the problem.  After working round the clock, the engineers chose wider tires, lowered the suspension setting, and incorporated as standard equipment the ESP stability program, which corrects over-and understeer.  

The egg-shaped hatch was back on its feet, but the damage had been done.  Previously a sure bet for European car of the Year, the A lost out to the Alfa 156.  Some say its ride became too stiff after the Benz-engineered changes to the suspension and chassis.  It still remains to be seen whether Merc will build a second-generation, better-designed A-class, but for now the A remains the only hatch to wear the 3-pointed star, and a worthy one at that.

Not satisfied with shrinking a Benz to Kia proportions, Mercedes teamed up with the Swatch group to produce the Smart car.   If you look at books from the 1960s that attempt to illustrate what cities would look like in the year 2000, you’ll see something quite similar to the Smart—futuristic 2-passenger runabouts that use electricity.  That’s basically what the Smart is, except for the electric part: there’s a supercharged 600-cc internal combustion engine tucked under the boot space.  The Smart is quite limited in application, and would be most appropriate as a second car only.  

The innovation extends to the marketing of the car. In Europe the Smart is displayed and sold at the curbside from towering transparent cube “vending machines.”  Here, you can buy one from some M-B dealers or import shops, but at a steep price of more than a million!  To buy one at that price would be the exact opposite of smart.   How small is a Smart?  It’s 2500 mm long (a Ford Clubwagon is 2014 wide)—almost short enough to park it sideways!