C-Class gets greener turbo boost
or the ever-popular C-Class sedan and station wagon, Mercedes-Benz decided to implement very few changes, paying particular attention to the engine. Choosing to step away from the 1.6-litre engined derivative, Mercedes have instead released the new version of the C-Class in a 1.8 litre engine only, which now powers both the new turbo force-fed C180 and the C200 models.
According to Dr Joachim Schmidt, executive vice president: sales and marketing, Mercedes Benz, the reason for only running the 1.8-litre engine in both models is the new engine was designed to be more eco-friendly, while delivering enhanced performance. Hence, the meaning behind the badges has changed, and rather than indicating engine capacity - the C180 being the 1.8 litre and the C200 the 2.0 litre - the badges now signify the engines’ improved performance for each model instead.
However, Mercedes promises that the C200 has a slightly tweaked motor, allowing it to perform marginally better than its C180 sibling. And for the first time, the new engines will now be turbo-charged and include direct fuel injection, compared to the conventional port injection. The German manufacturer believes this will give the new C-class higher torque and better fuel economy than its predecessor. Although the new C180 CGI (Charged Gasoline Injection) BlueEFFICIENCY develops 115kW - the same as the current engine - the new vehicle enjoys 20Nm more torque than the outgoing model - pushing the new C180’s overall torque to 250Nm.
The same goes for the C200 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY model that produces an unchanged 135kW (identical to the previous model). Yet, as promised, the torque has also been boosted slightly from 250Nm to 270Nm. This, according to Merc, enables the new C200 CGI to complete the sprint from 0 to 100km/h in 8.2 seconds, while the outgoing model did it in a claimed 8.6 seconds. Beyond this the new C200 consumes an estimated 6.8 litres per 100 kilometres, approximately 10% less than the previous four-cylinder motor.
The manual transmission version in the C180 CGI is around half a second quicker from 0 to 100 km/h, reaching it in a claimed 9.0 seconds, this coupled with an estimated fuel usage of 6.7 litres per 100 kilometres.
Overall the new C-Class, with its impressive safety standards, high-tech equipment and combined comfort helps to ensure good value for money. And although the models aren’t blinding with regard to performance, they offer a sense of quality and comfort you possibly won’t find in its rivals. If that doesn’t grab you, the good resale value definitely should.
The pricing for the new Mercedes-Benz CGIs is as follows:
The C180 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY will retail for R339 000 for the Sedan and R348 000 for the Estate version. This, of course, excludes optional extras, of which there are many. While for the C200 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY one can expect to pay R359 000 for the Sedan and R368 000 for the Estate - again excluding the extras.
These updates to the C-Class range still come standard with a maintenance plan and include a two-year/120 000km full vehicle warranty, along with complementary roadside assistance.
