No, not going to start a tedious Diesel v. Petrol debate, but just relate some driving
impressions I've had the *opportunity (* got a petrol C-Class from Mobilo when my c270 broke- ongoing btw)
to accumulate & which may be of interest
The cars are - C270cdi Elegance (MY2003) with 170bhp/295flb/ft & C180 Classic (MY2006) with 143bhp/162lb/ft - both auto.
Performance:
No contest , I thought before the fact. In reality, the petrol was , surprisingly, more 'eager' in those
frequent '0-30mph situations' , moving off from traffic lights, pulling out etc you seem to spend most of
your time doing in the urban environment. The Kompressor engine had that nice low down grunt, from
it seemed, about 800-1000rpm. Once moving, say fast A-road or NSL dual carraigeway, it was no contest,
the CDI 's 'stomp' with 295ft/lbs @~2200rpm makes overtaking much safer & seemigly unaffected by passenger
number or load. The Kompressor needed much more 'planning' in similar situations, to the extent that I was nearly
'caught out' once or twice initially
Handling:
Kompressor was much nicer (both shod with 16in 205/55's btw): without that heavy (old) 5-cylinder diesel lump,
it was keener to turn-in (waited years to use that expression!) without the ponderousness I'd gotten used to in the CDI.
Roundabouts, corners & lane-changing consequently were tackled with far less body roll & the 'agility' factor made
prevously hum-drum manoeuvres almost fun in comparison with the CDI.
Refinement:
Kompressor not surprisingly, much quieter on start-up & the urban round. At NSL speeds, less evident,
but the omnipresent CDI 5-cylinder 'thrum' is obvious,( if this makes sense) when it's not there.
One adavantage was when stopping the engine: the CDI always 'shakes' when you turn the ignition off,
in the Kompressor it was absent, a small but nice change.
Economy: I'm boringly consistent in my driving patterns & seemed to achieve about 8-10mpg less
in the Kompressor, like-for-like.
Apart from the mid-range stomp lack, I liked the petrol, so much so that I'd consider
one of the meatier 6-cylinder E-class petrol Mercs. They might not be around that much longer!
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the petrol was , surprisingly, more 'eager' in those frequent '0-30mph situations' , moving off from traffic lights, >>pulling out etc
I have a C270CDi too - it can be a little slow to lift up its skirts, but it's much better than other auto diesels. You're not by any chance driving it in C (or W) mode, are you?
it was keener to turn-in (waited years to use that expression!)
Are they on very different tyres (make & model)?
From the mid-2004 facelift, MB did a lot of changes and brought in the 'direct control' steering & suspension which was a big improvement.
I'd consider one of the meatier 6-cylinder E-class petrol Mercs. They might not be around that much longer!
The newer V6 diesel's are way more refined that the old straight 5 (but EU4 makes the fuel consumption worse). It could well be the diesels that disappear first - meeting future emissions targets is going to get very difficult (and expensive).
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Funny enough, I'm in a C class at the moment whilst my BMW320d is in for accident repair.
It's a C200 Kompressor Auto. Must say that I am impressed with it. Most of my driving is on the motorway and it is a lot more refined than my 320d (2004 model). What suprised me most was the fuel economy. This automatic petrol supercharged 2 litre car delivered just over 40MPG on the last fill up!!!! Most of my driving is motorway with cruise control set at 70MPH but I was very impressed.
PS - I don't have the manual so if you could tell me how to turn on the facility to allow local traffic announcements, I'd be really grateful!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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You're not by any chance driving it in C (or W) mode, are you?
Very perceptive - I do actually, but I also switched the 180 to its equivalent. As you say, the CDI needs more of deep breathe before it gets
going. It's 'easier' to dab the throttle harder in the 180 - maybe because I'm less inhibited because the refinement's better, once ot twice
I noticed rpm was 5.5-6K in 2-3rd gears.
>>Are they on very different tyres (make & model)?
CDI on Michelin Primacy HP (nearly new)
180 on Goodyear NCT5 (new) - which surprises me for some reason, as they seem to be manufacturer standard fit, unless the supplying
dealer fitted them.
Could well be the facelift (MY2005?) updates to steering etc. you mention - if so, it seems to work. The interior looks nicer too - more E-Class
looking in dials & layout with slightly better quality & fit it seems.
>>PS - I don't have the manual so if you could tell me how to turn on the facility to allow local traffic announcements, I'd be really grateful!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oddly enough, after a 'B' service on mine a few months ago, this (for me unnecessary) facility suddenly appeared in the ICE screen - perhaps
the diagnostics test 'flushed' some settings.
The manual (for Audio 10 Cd) says:
"Press the< audio mute button - a speaker shape with diagonal slash> & hold down until the inverted 'TP' changes to
the normal display. During cassette & CD play, the inverted 'TP' display extinguishes"
hth
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>> You're not by any chance driving it in C (or W) mode, are you? Very perceptive - I do actually,
I tried both but thought C was just too relaxed for everyday use. Sorry if you know this, but it will still shift to 1st if you boot it off the line - trouble is that it does this with quite a jolt. Overall I thought it better just to run in S.
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I had a similar experience with a C180 when my C270 was in for a service. The 180 was a facelift and so had revised steering, but the whole thing felt much lighter and nippier than my 270, but more buzzy at NSL. Steering was lighter too (on 16" - my 270 had AMG 17").
On balance I prefered the relaxed effortless torque of the diesel.
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I run a Mondeo ST TDCi, but I've borrowed a mate's 06 C180K Sport a few times.
I don't often drive auto's, but I found it annoying as it kept kicking down and the slightest touch of the throttle. Coming off the M6 at Jct 38 which is quite a long curve, it changed gear 6 times and I wasn't exactly jumping on and off the throttle.
Overriding impression was that it was nice car that could do with considerably more power/torque - I suspect its swapping gears all the time to try and hide this. I too nearly got caught out when accelerating above 60mph during a lane change on the motorway.
I was very dissapointed by the economy - 32.5mpg on a run from Liverpool to Newcastle. I'd have expected 47mpg+ from my car on the same trip.
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I found it annoying as it kept kicking down and the slightest touch of the throttle.
They don't normally do that. However they do adapt to your driving style though :-)
Overriding impression was that it was nice car that could do with considerably more power/torque
No problem, you could try the C200 then, or the C230, or the C280, or the C350, or the C55AMG.
At *list* price your Mondeo probably costs about the same as the C180K (if not more). I'm not saying the Merc is better, but lets's put it this way - I've had Mondeo's as company cars (and been happy with them) but with my own money I bought a Mercedes.
I was very dissapointed by the economy - 32.5mpg on a run from Liverpool to Newcastle.
If you drive an auto anything 'firmly', then it does hammer the fuel consumption.
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Was the C180 manual or auto?
I drive a C270CDi CLK auto by day and a manual 130BHP A4 TDi by night. I prefer the A4 but get more 'looks' when I am in the CLK.
I find performance similar aulthough the A4 handles better. I was wondering if the extra 40bhp of the CLK was just being lost in the auto box...?...
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Was the C180 manual or auto? > auto
Coincidentally, I had the A4 quattro tdi 130Ps too - it was my most economical car ever at an historic 51.4 average & always felt 'faster' per bhp than many cars I've driven. I put that down to the supreme feeling of 'plantedness' you get from the quattro drivetrain, you didn't feel you had to slow down too much for bends & traction (with power) out of them was fantastic - just a bit too firm for cruising with family & friends though, so had to go. There's always that theory that VAG cars are rated conservatively for power outputs, & that an Audi 'bhp' is a bit better than say, a French or Japanese cars' 'bhp' , probably urban myth though.
I pick-up the mended c270 tomorrow, and must say (although previously I had a bit of a downer on Mercs.) they've been very efficient with the warranty/Mobilo thingy, which might sway me their way again, even quite fancy a used E-Class 6-cyl. diesel/petrol on the back of this.
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