BlueGoblin
06-03-2005, 09:19 AM
Earlier this year I did a rental car review of the Fiat Stilo - not exactly the coolest ride coming out Italy, but I thought some might be interested in a quick review of a car you can't get here.
I just got back again from Europe, so I thought I would do another can't-buy-one-here review. This time I splurged a bit and got myself a Mercedes 220 Cdi. The C-class is pretty much as you can buy it here in Canada, however the big diff is what's under the hood.
As most European cars seem to be these days, my Merc was sporting a new generation turbodiesel engine. Its a 2148 cc four cylinder generating 150 hp at 4200 rpm and more importantly 250 ft-lbs of twist at 2000 rpm. Redline is at a relatively low 4600 rpm; many similar displacement contemporary diesels such as Peugeot can rev past 5000. Its linked to a light and smooth shifting 6 speed manual transmission. A 7 speed auto is optional. There is the muted sound of the traditional diesel clatter at its 700 rpm idle, but disappears by 1000 rpm. Judging by the very brief lag and the immediacy of the turbo's whistle on touching the accelerator, it is likely a pretty wee turbo. 1500 rpm seems to be the magical number for usable power.
The transmission is oddly geared for the engine; I expect that they use the same ratios for everything from the 200 Cdi (122hp)to the 270 CDi (170hp) to the 320 petrol version (218 hp). The upshot of it is that first is a little too low; useful perhaps for towing, but it ensures that you are making three shifts before 100 km/h and makes it very easy to over-rev when making a quick start. Sixth gear is not the uber-overdrive sometimes seen in transmissions with this many cogs; It is about the same as most overdrive fifth gears. The shift action is light, more precise than a front drive cable linkage can manage but less precise than the sporting setups of BMW, for instance. The throw is longish however I found the shifter well-positioned. Clutch action is smooth and progressive.
Performance was perfect for long motorway touring. The quick spool up of the turbo makes it easy to leave it in sixth and still overtake effectively. It was fast too - where both legal and safe it was easy to push speeds to 200 and beyond. Wind noise was quite minimal even at higher speed. It felt planted and composed on its chassis no matter where it was.
Mercedes' feeling of quality I think has gone down a bit in recent years. Nice as the car was, it felt engineered to a price point. The doors didn't have the same solid feel as even former generation c-classes. That being said, it matched or bettered Mk4 VW Golf feel of quality (my personal standard of perceived quality). Seats were a decent cloth with MB-tex trim and there was genuine aluminum (not just silver plastic) trim all about the 'avant-garde' trim level cabin.
The car was shod with 225/50/16 Pirelli P7's in the rear, 205/55/16 in the front. As to be expected, this arrangement produces understeer. Grip levels were far in excess of, say, foolish scooters who try to draft cars through roundabouts.... He he he..... Its not really a car that begs to be chucked about though. The Merc is a terribly competent car, but its not a driver's car. It discourages you even from going under the hood. A vast noise-reflective shield covers about 80% of the underhood area. There isn't even a dipstick for the oil. Once I managed to flip the multifunction display over to English, I was able to figure out that you check the oil by turning the ignition to 'on', but leaving the motor off, and then getting the M-F display to the right page. It reminds you to be on level ground, thinks for a minute, and then tells you whether or not to add oil, and how long until it needs to be changed. I kind of prefer the hands on method myself.
Final thoughts? Very good car, perfectly suited to its niche in Europe - big enough to put lots of stuff in, small and nimble enough to get around old walled towns, quick enough for the fastest roads, economical to run (I averaged about 40-45 MPG or about 6.6-7.0 litres/100 km.) and with good (if not great) build quality, and the right look/brand name. While I am not quite ready to go diesel here yet, I think that the power and efficiency of the 220 Cdi makes it truly a great motor which really should be offered here. I am very glad I spent a bit extra to get it over something more mundane like an Opal Vectra or Ford Mondeo.
I just got back again from Europe, so I thought I would do another can't-buy-one-here review. This time I splurged a bit and got myself a Mercedes 220 Cdi. The C-class is pretty much as you can buy it here in Canada, however the big diff is what's under the hood.
As most European cars seem to be these days, my Merc was sporting a new generation turbodiesel engine. Its a 2148 cc four cylinder generating 150 hp at 4200 rpm and more importantly 250 ft-lbs of twist at 2000 rpm. Redline is at a relatively low 4600 rpm; many similar displacement contemporary diesels such as Peugeot can rev past 5000. Its linked to a light and smooth shifting 6 speed manual transmission. A 7 speed auto is optional. There is the muted sound of the traditional diesel clatter at its 700 rpm idle, but disappears by 1000 rpm. Judging by the very brief lag and the immediacy of the turbo's whistle on touching the accelerator, it is likely a pretty wee turbo. 1500 rpm seems to be the magical number for usable power.
The transmission is oddly geared for the engine; I expect that they use the same ratios for everything from the 200 Cdi (122hp)to the 270 CDi (170hp) to the 320 petrol version (218 hp). The upshot of it is that first is a little too low; useful perhaps for towing, but it ensures that you are making three shifts before 100 km/h and makes it very easy to over-rev when making a quick start. Sixth gear is not the uber-overdrive sometimes seen in transmissions with this many cogs; It is about the same as most overdrive fifth gears. The shift action is light, more precise than a front drive cable linkage can manage but less precise than the sporting setups of BMW, for instance. The throw is longish however I found the shifter well-positioned. Clutch action is smooth and progressive.
Performance was perfect for long motorway touring. The quick spool up of the turbo makes it easy to leave it in sixth and still overtake effectively. It was fast too - where both legal and safe it was easy to push speeds to 200 and beyond. Wind noise was quite minimal even at higher speed. It felt planted and composed on its chassis no matter where it was.
Mercedes' feeling of quality I think has gone down a bit in recent years. Nice as the car was, it felt engineered to a price point. The doors didn't have the same solid feel as even former generation c-classes. That being said, it matched or bettered Mk4 VW Golf feel of quality (my personal standard of perceived quality). Seats were a decent cloth with MB-tex trim and there was genuine aluminum (not just silver plastic) trim all about the 'avant-garde' trim level cabin.
The car was shod with 225/50/16 Pirelli P7's in the rear, 205/55/16 in the front. As to be expected, this arrangement produces understeer. Grip levels were far in excess of, say, foolish scooters who try to draft cars through roundabouts.... He he he..... Its not really a car that begs to be chucked about though. The Merc is a terribly competent car, but its not a driver's car. It discourages you even from going under the hood. A vast noise-reflective shield covers about 80% of the underhood area. There isn't even a dipstick for the oil. Once I managed to flip the multifunction display over to English, I was able to figure out that you check the oil by turning the ignition to 'on', but leaving the motor off, and then getting the M-F display to the right page. It reminds you to be on level ground, thinks for a minute, and then tells you whether or not to add oil, and how long until it needs to be changed. I kind of prefer the hands on method myself.
Final thoughts? Very good car, perfectly suited to its niche in Europe - big enough to put lots of stuff in, small and nimble enough to get around old walled towns, quick enough for the fastest roads, economical to run (I averaged about 40-45 MPG or about 6.6-7.0 litres/100 km.) and with good (if not great) build quality, and the right look/brand name. While I am not quite ready to go diesel here yet, I think that the power and efficiency of the 220 Cdi makes it truly a great motor which really should be offered here. I am very glad I spent a bit extra to get it over something more mundane like an Opal Vectra or Ford Mondeo.