We all have that one car. The car that is not just a point A to B type of car but one that holds great sentiment.
For me, it’s the 2006 Mercedes-Benz A170 Avantgarde manual. It’s the car that allowed me to enter the world of motoring. It’s the car that I learnt to drive in.
Somehow, that car has managed to stay in the family for the last 20 years and remains in good condition until today.
But it’s no head-turner. The 2006 version didn’t capture eyes or demand attention. It is a disproportionate vehicle to say the least. It wasn’t a sleek sedan like a C-Class and it wasn't a sports car. It was an entry point into luxury that prioritised engineering utility over pure vanity.
Fast forward to the current A-Class. I had the A200 Night Edition on test. It is low-slung, packed with digital technology and remarkably striking. The current A-Class definitely has a presence and demands looks wherever you might go.
It’s like Shrek and Prince Charming when it comes to looks but there is a reason that the 2006 A-Class didn’t embrace the “hot hatch” title.
Mercedes-Benz spent hundreds of millions developing the chassis of this vehicle. At the time, most people glossed over the engineering marvel that is the sandwich floor.
The engine does not sit upright but, rather, it is canted forward at a 59 degree angle.
This piece of engineering meant that in the event of a severe front-end crash, the engine would not come into the cabin and smash into passengers but it would slide down underneath the passenger compartment. That meant this tiny car had the crash safety rating of a vehicle twice its size.
But the real-world byproduct of that design was the cabin packaging.
Because the floor was raised, it meant that you sat quite high in the 2006 A-Class. It’s almost like sitting in one of the compact SUVs we have around today.
It also meant a ton of legroom and headroom for passengers. It could quite easily fit three full-size adults in the backseats.
When it comes to the 2026 A-Class, it is an absolute triumph of modern execution.
It doesn’t come with the technology that lets an engine slide beneath you in the event of a crash or anything but it does come with what people want nowadays.
The market has shifted. People don’t want mini-MPVs anymore; they want style, presence and technology and Mercedes delivered.
The way this cabin wraps around you makes you feel like you are driving a junior executive vehicle, not an entry-level car.
To get these stunning, low-slung proportions, Mercedes had to stretch the car by over half a meter compared to the 2006 model.
Yet, ironically, because of the thick AMG sports seats and the lower roofline, the interior feels noticeably tighter than the old car. It’s an exercise in style overriding pure packaging
The new A-Class has a mix of alcantara and leather, soft touch materials along the dash, haptic steering wheel controls, a dual-screen in front of the driver and ambient lighting that just makes the cabin feel as posh as ever.
The old A-Class wasn’t bad for its time on the inside. It had a mix of cloth and leather and a CD player, which was rare for a car in 2006.
There are still some elements that remain in the new A-Class that were present in the 2006 model.
Brushed aluminum along the doors and the buttons for the windows remain in the same place.
Although the A-Class has taken a new shape both inside and out, it is very heartwarming to see that there are still some pieces of heritage that remain present today.
Driving: Old vs new
Driving the 2006 A-Class and the 2026 version is very different. For starters, the former has a manual gearbox while the latter has a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox.
Let’s look at the old first. The gearbox is paired to a naturally aspirated 1.7 litre naturally aspirated engine. The clutch pedal has that classic, heavy German spring to it. The five-speed manual isn't a short-throw snick-snick shifter like a civic type R; it’s long, deliberate and relaxed.
With 85kW of power and 155Nm of torque coming from the naturally aspirated engine, it’s certainly not underpowered but it makes you work for your momentum.
It forces you to actually drive. You look ahead, you read the traffic, you hold onto third gear to climb a hill but it certainly knows how to deal with road imperfections. You can hit a pothole or two and not have to worry about it at all.
It has a plush suspension. There is body roll on the vehicle but it doesn’t care. It’s not trying to be sporty.
Now to the new A-Class. If you read the spec sheet, you will find that it has a 1.3 litre turbocharged engine that is codeveloped with Renault.
While I am no fan of that, Mercedes-Benz has now incorporated 48V mild hybrid technology that gives the car output figures of 120kW and 270Nm of torque.
The new A-Class is extremely punchy and the power is freely available. You won’t have to work for it.
When you pull away from a dead stop or when the dual-clutch transmission is looking for a gear, that tiny electric starter-generator steps in. It seamlessly fills in the torque gaps before the turbo even wakes up.
The A200 just rides a wave of effortless, modern torque. The dual-clutch transmission is sharp, the steering is direct and on a winding road, it handles flat and behaves like a proper, premium European hatchback.
But, it is low and because I had the Night Edition with its sportier setup on test , it does come with a sports suspension. That means that you cannot touch a pothole with any confidence. You can’t even risk going down a curb at the wrong angle.
I guess the philosophy shift from Mercedes-Benz comes with some trade-offs.
Verdict
Stepping out of the car I learned to drive in and getting directly into its modern descendant makes one thing abundantly clear: Mercedes-Benz did not build a worse car over the last twenty years.
They simply built a completely different vehicle for a completely different world.
The 2006 A170 remains a monument to an era when German premium manufacturers prioritised pure engineering depth, longevity, and structural utility over marketing hype. It is a clever, honest car that I will always respect and deeply miss.
It knew its role, didn’t try to fill the role of a sporty hatchback but rather served as an entry into the luxury space.
However, the consumer has changed. The modern consumer fancies the big screens, racing seats, an abundance of technology and aggressive styling.
Therefore, that makes me believe that the 2026 A200 is a fantastic modern premium hatchback. It understands the assignment of the 2020s perfectly.
It delivers the visual drama, the effortless, mild-hybrid refined performance and the digital prestige that makes modern ownership feel like an occasion every single day.
The A-Class didn't lose its way; it just grew up, put on a sharp suit and traded its engineering calculator for a digital smartphone. And for the modern world, that was exactly the right move.
In terms of pricing, this is where the generational gap becomes a chasm. Back in 2006, we paid R170 000 for the A170 as a demo model. For under two hundred grand, you were getting a highly engineered, safety-first Mercedes-Benz built to last a lifetime.
Today, if you want the keys to an A200 Night Edition like the one I had on test, with its blacked-out stealth trim and massive 19-inch AMG wheels, you are looking at a base price of R889 700.
Inflation is a reality but it shows you how the brand has pivoted. The A-Class used to be an accessible, deeply practical entry point into the three-pointed star for a young family.
Today, it has evolved into a premium, high-end luxury fashion statement.
You aren't just paying for the car anymore, you are paying for the absolute top-tier tech and showroom presence.