2005 Mercedes-Benz C200 Reviews

Mercedes-Benz has just launched an all-new C-Class model, so there's a good chance many owners of older models will be trading up. Meaning there could be a glut of used C-Class in Australia, giving you the chance to select between the many on offer, as well as the opportunity to select from the best of them. 

The small-medium Mercedes-Benz C-Class, while costing significantly more than many cars in its class, is becoming increasingly affordable by the standards of the prestige car market.Though it has been built down to a price when compared with upper crust Mercedes models, the price trimming has been done intelligently and you still get a car that’s well built and uses good quality materials.The C-Class is sold as a three-door coupe, a four-door sedan and five-door station wagon body. Coupes from 2008 to 2011 were called the CLC-Class in an attempt to give them a sportier image. That didn’t seem to work and with the new model of 2011 the C-Class coupe name was revised.This is a rear-wheel-drive car so those travelling in the back seats of sedans and wagons will find themselves a little squeezed unless the front seats are moved forward a notch or two. This situation has improved over the years as the C-Class cars have become slightly larger, but it’s still smart to take the family along during your pre-purchase road test to make sure it suits them.Boot space is good and the big bootlid in the sedans makes it easy to load. The wagon is of the stylish school, with a sloping tailgate that robs the load area of some cubic capacity.Naturally the back seats and boots of the coupes are on the cramped side, but that’s par for the course.Few cars come with such a staggering range of engines as the Mercedes C-Class. Four, six and eight-cylinder engines are offered. The latest petrol engines have direct petrol injection and are significantly better than the older units in terms of performance consumption and emissions. Look for the letters CGI in the car’s title, indicting the new-generation engines. The name Kompressor in the car’s title means it has a supercharged engine to provide extra torque. Later units use a turbocharger rather than a supercharger.The hot AMG models use the V8s and have tremendous performance, but this comes at a cost in high fuel consumption.Mercedes-Benz C-Class with turbo-diesel engines have been sold for many years, long before they became common in other European marques. They have either four or six cylinders. The newer diesels (look for CDI on the badge) are a big advance on the older diesel in smoothness and refinement and once the car is cruising at a steady speed we defy you to pick them from petrol powerplants.The great majority of C-Class Mercedes-Benzes will have an automatic transmission, though you will find some four-cylinders cars have a five-speed manual gearbox, they may cause real hassles at resale time.Luxury levels are Classic, Elegance, Avantgarde and Sport. The latter has firmer suspension for better road feel and will make a nice car for the enthusiastic driver.Spare parts, servicing and repairs are all expensive for a car of this size, but certainly not for a machine with the high prestige rating the Benz affords you. Insurance costs are generally reasonable for a car in this class.It pays to buy a used Mercedes-Benz which has been serviced throughout its life by an authorised dealer. Their mechanics are not only trained to high standards, but are in constant touch with the factory. A car with a full service history will almost invariably command a higher price but be sure the service books are genuine.Mercedes-Benz Australia offers a good used-car scheme on cars up to five years of age. The length of the warranty varies according to the workshop’s assessment of the car.WHAT TO LOOK FORBe sure the steering is positive with no unnecessary free play in the straight-ahead position. There were some problems with the early version of the Brake Assist System (BAS). These should have been rectified by a dealer after a recall. Contact the dealer or Mercedes’ head office to see if this work has been done.Do a visual check of the car inside and out for signs of damage or worse-than-average wear. Pay particular attention to the bumper-bar corners for signs of paint scrapes. Also have a good look at the condition of the seats.Always call an expert for the final say no matter how good the Mercedes appears to be after your own inspection. Either use a mechanic formally trained on Mercedes or a senior inspector from your motoring association. Noisy engines, or units that are slow to start may be about to rack up an expensive repair.CAR BUYING TIPIf you’re considering getting an old prestige car rather than a new, but somewhat mundane, car make sure your budget is up to the task of supporting the higher running costs of the upmarket machine. 

He'd been talking about buying a new car for so long that we were beginning to think it was just that – talk.Then one Monday morning he turned up and revealed that he'd finally done it, splurging on a C Class sedan for himself and the little lady.Bet you he's kicking himself now that he didn't wait a bit longer for the the special sport edition.It's one sharp looking piece of machinery.The C200 Kompressor is powered by a superhcarged 1.8-litre four cylinder engine that develops 120kW of power and 240Nm of torque.It's not the most powerful four around, but does provide an excellent combination of power and economy.The engine is hooked up to a sequential five- speed automatic tranismission that allows the driver to change gears manually if desired.The Sport edition is available only in black or silver.Available as a sedan, coupe and station wagon, our test car was the sedan finished in gleaming metallic silver.The highlight of the car is by far and away the AMG body kit and chunky 17 inch alloys wheels – 225/45s on the front and deeper dish 245/40s down on the back.It also gets sports suspension, larger perforated front discs and brake callipers with silver Benz letteringAccentuating the the sporty look is a silver radiator grille, chromed tailpipes, body coloured door handles and high powered bi- xenon headlights with headlamp cleaning system.The sport edition looks the goods and while you might argue it could do with a little more power, there's plenty of other models from which to chose in that case.We found it a little doughy to start with but quickly discovered the car responds rapdily to mood changes, happy to lounge around in `D' or whip through the gears fairly briskly in manual mode.Inside, the trim is a classy combo of metal and dark shades.There's a three-spoke leather steering wheel with thumbrests, steering wheel mounted gearshift buttons, sports seats for driver and front passenger, ergonomically shaped silver gearshift knob and pedals with black rubber studs.High-quality, special-design aluminium trim on the centre console and distinctively syled silver instrument dials also catch the eye.Black floor mats with silver edging and Sport Edition logo are also included.Sedan and wagons also get a glass sunroof.The Mercedes-Benz C200 Kompressor sport edition is is priced from $73,500.

They have the dynamics to back their supercharged vehicles and are among the finest warmed-up production machines on the planet.AMG examples also are seriously expensive.But how about a Benz that looks like a C55 AMG but is half the price?Such an animal exists with Mercedes-Benz coming out with a C-Class C200 Kompressor with a twist.There are a limited number of these Sport Edition examples being produced.For $75,500 you can own one of these hot-looking saloons, which is a fair sting you may say, but there is value booked into the madness.While it doesn't get the cracking 270kW supercharged V8 of the C55, it gains about $20,000 worth of kit for a premium of about half that amount over the standard C200.Not such a bad deal then.The Sport Edition C200K looks for all the world like an AMG on the road.And while the 120kW 1.8-litre supercharged four cylinder can't quite pack as many guns as the AMG V8, the Sport Edition is a little more than purely a simple C200K dressed up in hotter gear.For the extra cash you can add the AMG body kit, substantial fat-looking 17-inch light six-spoke alloy tyres — 225/45 up front and 245/40 hanging off the rear axle — larger perforated brake discs and calipers.The flash look continues at the front with the silver-painted grille and mesh inserts in the air dam and the bi-xenon head lamps, which also come with a head lamp cleaning system.Internally, the Sport Edition has been transformed considerably with a dedicated instrument panel and a stunning aluminium trimmed centre console.The pedal box is defined with black rubber studs for the throttle and brake peg, there are flash-looking floor mats defined by silver edging and carrying the Sport Edition insignia.The silver gearshifter still functions manual changes with the side-to-side action but this is complemented by unique gear shift buttons mounted either side of the middle spokes at the back of the steering wheel.Enhancing the Sport Edition experience are mod cons from the Avantgarde trim model.This adds automatic climate control, illuminated vanity mirrors, cool blue tinted windows and exit lights on the front doors.The C-Class, which also is defined by Sport Edition lettering on the side rub strips, comes in specific paint choices of either iridium silver or diamond black.With the sports suspension and meatier tyres the Sport Edition hangs on with authority.It is well-balanced and nicely poised in a dynamic package at which Benz are past masters.Sure for those heavy of foot, there could be a bit more urge from the small capacity engine.But if you're not into raw performance then the Sports Edition has all the gear to satisfy those who aren't into the power trip.And the good thing about that is there is no trade-off with fuel economy with the C200 recording about 8litres/100km on the highway and just under 10litres/100km for the peak-hour shuffle across town.Sitting next to the Mazda3 at home in the garage the C200's proportions are put into perspective.It might have been an unfair moment but I couldn't help noticing there was almost no difference in size.And one is worth $50,000 more than the other.But as good as the Mazda is, a Benz is still a Benz.

Despite already having a staggering number of variants of the C200 in its line-up, Benz has added a Sport Edition with extra handling and dress-up kit.Already, Glass's Guide shows C200 Kompressors inundating the $60,000-$75,000 bracket in different choices of trim level and in sedan, station wagon and two-door coupe form.But the one constant is the four-cylinder, 1.8-litre supercharged engine of 120kW power.The C-Class Sport Edition is being made in limited numbers yet can be had as a wagon, sedan or coupe.It certainly has been given the looks to match its sports name.It has 17in alloy wheels carrying 225/45 tyres at the front and 245/40 rubber at the rear.There's a sports suspension for sharper handling while front brakes have larger perforated discs.The Sport Edition gains the AMG body-styling kit of front and rear aprons and side skirts. The coupe model has an AMG rear spoiler.The edition is made further distinctive with silver-painted radiator grille, chromed tailpipes and has bi-xenon headlamps with a cleaning system.Sedan and station wagon versions get an electric sunroof with lifter while the coupe scores a panoramic electric glass sunroof and full leather upholstery.Inside, there's a three-spoke steering wheel, sports front seats, steering-wheel-mounted gearshift buttons, aluminium trim on the console and silver instrument dials. And in case you need reminding, the special black floor mats have a Sport Edition logo.The sedan and wagon also get some goodies from the Avantgarde trim of the C200 Kompressor range, including Thermotronic automatic climate control and blue-tinted windows.LUXURY TORQUECheque thisThe C200 Kompressor Sport Edition is priced at $73,500 for the two-door coupe, $75,500 for the saloon and $79,900 for the estate wagon.Range finderThe C200 Kompressor already is one of the models in the Mercedes-Benz range with the most variants. Other than the limited-edition Sport just released, they start at $60,890 for a Classic sedan and run through Avantgarde versions to the C200 Kompressor estate wagon in Elegance trim at $73,190.Coloured choiceSports Edition C200 Kompressor can be had in either iridium silver or diamond black.Hot grilleWhile the estate wagon and four-door sedan get a silver-painted grille for the Sport Edition, the two-door coupe gets the radiator grille from the Evolution (performance) model.