Mercedes-Benz C200 Reviews

Ewan Kennedy road tests and reviews the 2014 Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

Malcolm Flynn road tests and reviews the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class, with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

C-Class is here. Finally. On first acquaintance in Europe, we praised everything from its quality to a starting price of $60,900 and rating it an early contender for Car of the Year. After our first local drive, it's a shortening favourite. After 250km of very mixed motoring, from inner-city Melbourne tram tracks to a

Robert Gray is considering buying a 2001 Mercedes-Benz C200. It is a one owner car that's done 77,000 km, it has the service manuals, and the asking price is $13,000. He wants to know how they compare for economy and parts cost of other cars? NEW The move by Mercedes-Benz into the medium market was designed to spread

Mercedes-Benz C-Class wagon is the SUV you have when you don't want an SUV.A year's supply of wine for 75 people fits in the back of the new Mercedes-Benz C Class wagon -- if you fold down the back seats and, erm, line the inside with waterproof material and pour the contents out of the bottles. Car makers measure cargo volume in litres, rather than what we actually carry: boxes, luggage, prams, or shopping bags that are prone to fall over after the first speed bump. They use this internationally recognised measurement so they can include every nook and cranny in the cargo hold to boost the figures that appear in the brochure. This unusual statistic -- enough wine for 75 people who each drink an average of 20 litres of plonk per year -- was read aloud on the navigation system as we drove soberly through wine country on the outskirts of Frankfurt, Germany. Car makers clearly don't miss an opportunity to make a point, presumably in case you were asleep during the presentation. At least they can (hopefully) count on you being awake behind the wheel. For me, though, the biggest point about this car -- the wagon version of the recently released Mercedes-Benz C Class sedan -- is the fact that this is the SUV you have when you don't want an SUV. While car buyers around the world are still gorging themselves on SUVs, some have already started a backlash. The C Class offers SUV-like versatility with its large load space, and yet is more fuel-efficient than a faux-wheel-drive. Its sleek design means it slips through the air more easily and therefore uses less fuel, especially at freeway speeds. In Germany, wagons are seen as cool as -- if not cooler than -- SUVs. Up to 80 per cent of Mercedes-Benz C Class sales are of the wagon. That is not a misprint. Eighty per cent. In Australia, wagons are still perceived as daggy, a hang over from a generation that grew up with Kingswood and Falcon wagons. Which partly explains why less than 10 per cent of all C Class models sold locally are wagons. But with its sexy new design, Mercedes hopes this car will change all that. Boldly, it predicts it will double C Class wagon sales Down Under. Are they onto something, or have they been to too many tastings? VALUE The Mercedes-Benz C Class sedan is already one of the best-equipped and sharpest-priced cars among its luxury peers, and the wagon is no exception. The wagon premium is just $2500 over the sedan, which gives you a starting price of $63,400 plus on-road costs. Significantly, that's about $10,000 less than some of the most popular luxury SUVs, including Mercedes' own. Standard fare includes eight airbags, LED headlights (for a brighter, broader beam), a rear view camera and a tailgate that opens or closes with the touch of a button. Opening the tailgate with a deft swing of your foot under the rear bumper (as some Fords and Volkswagens also do, the idea is that you can briefly stand one-legged and motion to open the tailgate with one foot rather than fumble for the remote key if your hands are full) is exclusive to the dearer C Class wagon models. There will be four from which to choose when the C Class wagon goes on sale in Australia later this year priced from $63,400 to $72,900: a C200 and C250 petrol (the same 2.0-litre turbo engine but with distinctly different power outputs) and a C200 and C250 diesel (with 1.6- and 2.2-litre turbo diesel engines respectively). All are matched to seven-speed automatic transmissions (although these will be updated to nine-speed automatics at the half-way mark of the car's model cycle, in about four years). The service intervals for all models are 12 months or 25,000km (whichever comes first) but the cost is anyone's guess. As with all luxury brands, Mercedes-Benz (and others) are yet to offer the peace of mind of capped price servicing, as offered by all the Top 10 brands and some others. TECHNOLOGY You can change the way this car feels to drive, depending on your mood. There are four different modes -- all changed at the press of one button -- that transform the steering feel, the responsiveness of the transmission, and whether you want the air-conditioning to chill you at all costs, or save a little fuel on milder days. It's brilliant in its simplicity, and it means you can choose between being a “hyper miler” (car industry slang for professional drivers who win fuel economy challenges), getting pampered in the most comfortable setting as possible, or choosing a sports mode that makes the car more responsive. Customarily, when there is such a vast choice, there is usually only one, maybe two good settings -- and more than a couple of dud ones. But they all work in this car. You can even mix and match the various parameters (ie: light steering, sharp throttle response, eco air-conditioning). For the record, after experimenting with them all, I left it in “normal”. Other neat stuff: automatic emergency braking is standard on all Mercedes-Benz C Class sedans and wagons. In traffic below 50km/h it will slam on the brakes and avoid the car in front if you're not concentrating. DESIGN Wow. That's the reaction from most people when they see it for the first time. Wagons aren't supposed to look this good. The new C Class has set a pretty tough challenge for anyone who wants to design a wagon from this point on. The excuse that they need to look like a box to carry lots of boxes no longer applies. Although the roof appears to taper at the back and the cargo bay looks smaller (from the outside at least) the Mercedes-Benz C Class does, in fact, have a bigger cargo area than its peers. Vital statistics in litres, with the back seat up and with the back seat down: Audi A4 wagon (490/1430L), BMW 3 Series wagon (495/1500L), and the Mercedes-Benz C Class wagon (490/1510L). SAFELY Eight airbags, automatic emergency braking, and one of the most advanced stability control systems on the market (that prevents skidding in corners if you're a touch too quick on a slippery road) give the C Class a solid five-star ANCAP safety score. Other technology from the top-line, $200,000 S-Class limousine has also trickled down: lane keeping alert, blind zone alert, fatigue alert, and an extra pre-tensioner for the seat belt pre-tensioners (it anticipates a crash and takes up the slack in the seatbelt before impact, before the pre-tensioners are properly deployed and tightened again as the airbags fire) are just some of the highlights. It's a jumping castle on four wheels. DRIVING It's really hard to write car reviews about modern wagons. Back in the day, not long after humans learned to walk on two legs, wagons were bloody awful to drive. Their heavy rear ends felt like a dog dragging its hind legs along the grass to scratch an itch. There was a stark contrast between how sedans and wagons drove. But today's wagons feel as good if not better to drive than the sedans on which they are based. Indeed, the only way you can tell this is a wagon is when you glance in the rear view mirror, to check the traffic and, presumably, to make sure there's no wine sloshing around. Why is it so? Well, engineers have gotten smarter and have more technology available to them. And they understand how to make structures stronger yet lighter, both of which, in turn, help how a car behaves on the road. If you count the number of metal pillars holding the roof up, most sedans have six and wagons have eight (two extra ones at the back, either side of the tail-gate). It means that wagon bodies are, in fact, stronger than sedans, now that the whole design is integrated, rather than an afterthought. And it means the people who finesse the suspension have a good core to work from. Anyone who has done Pilates or Yoga should relate to this because it is exactly the same principle: get the core right and the limbs (or in this case the suspension) can do their work more efficiently and more effectively. Meanwhile, under the bonnet, the petrol engines are the pick for various reasons. The petrol engines help the steering feel a little lighter and more precise because the engines themselves physically weigh less than the diesel engines. The diesel engines tend to blunt the steering feel and responsiveness. The petrol engines in this car are also smoother and quieter in the way they operate. The diesels are entirely acceptable by luxury car standards but unless you're covering massive kilometres at freeway speeds, the petrol engines are now so efficient, they're definitely the better choice. Both engine types can sound a little coarse when accelerating in a hurry, but so do all engines. It's hardly a deal breaker.

...each one personally signed by chief Horst von Sanden. Letters like this are often about a safety recall or mechanical drama. Not these.They are a personal apology because Benz cannot supply cars to the 500 Australians on the waiting list for its A45 and CLA45 AMG. It's not good news for the frustrated buyers, but it's a reflection of the way Benz has changed from an elitist brand for the right people with no crowding to a prestige company that's running and growing close to the mainstream.Benz still does ultra-luxury and ultra-costly cars like its S-Class limousine and the SLS gull-wing supercar, but more and more people are shopping the brand against a VW Golf or a Holden Calais or something from the middle-class mainstream. So you're more likely to see a three-pointed star on the road, a giant change.There was a time when that emblem on the nose was worth about $15,000 to the group, and a similar bonus for the owner at second-hand time. That's different now, with starting prices from $35,600 for an A180."Think Mastercard. Priceless," company spokesman David McCarthy says of the current value of the Benz badge. "Luxury is not just about price. It's about how the product makes you feel, how well it's made and how well it works." He argues the company is still a prestige brand, even though Mercedes-Benz is currently ranked 12th overall among the 60-plus makes selling in Australia."We are a premium brand in every way. That means premium equipment, premium safety and premium performance. Does that justify a premium? Yes," McCarthy says. "Luxury car buyers in Australia choose Mercedes-Benz more than any other brand, and there is a reason. It's because of the product we offer and where we are positioned. I don't accept that premium and some volume don't go together."How many seats on a plane are first class? Two or three per cent. That's about where we sit, too. We're premium, not premium economy." Lots of top-end stuff technology trickles down through the range after starting life in the S-Class flagship. That's already true of the impressive E-Class, which got a major update in 2013.But it's also true someone driving an S63 AMG that cost $385,000 - before dipping into the extras - is unlikely to be totally happy about the number of three-pointed stars hitting the road in Australia. "I don't agree it's devalued. Someone buying an S-Class might not be in market for an A-Class, but there could be someone else in the family who wants one," McCarthy says.And there is one other point, which also works for the company and its customers. Back in the 1990s, the average age of a Benz buyer was 57 and many had one foot in the grave. These days the average is in the 40s and there are plenty of 20 and 30-somethings in the A-Class family. "Our customers have the choice of luxury, and the luxury of choice," McCarthy says. Price: from $74,900Star rating: 4/5Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo, 265kW/450NmTransmission: 7-speed twin clutch auto; AWDThirst: 6.9L/100km  THE LOWDOWN Carsguide's Prestige Car of the year is fun at every level. Though powered by the usual AMG V8, but its turbo four is hugely impressive and the go-faster division has tweaked almost everything to ensure it sits comfortably in the range with cars like the C63 and SLS gull-wing. Price: from $59,990 (C200)Star rating: 4/5Engine: 1.8-litre 4-cyl turbo, 135kW/270NmTransmission: 7-speed auto, RWDThirst: 6.8L/100km  THE LOWDOWN You can get a great deal on the current C-Class and it tops the 3 Series from BMW without much trouble despite hitting its run-out period. But it's the new one you really want. The new C is a condensed S-Class and that means it will easily lead its class as well as delivering more luxury than anything ever seen for its size and price. Price: from $82,900 (M250)Star rating: 3.5/5Engine: 2.2-litre 4-cyl turbo diesel; 150kW/500NmTransmission: 7-speed auto, AWDThirst: 6.4L/100km  THE LOWDOWN When Benz dropped the price of its M-Class starter into the $80,000 range it made a BMW X5 look pricey. The BlueTEC diesel engine loses nothing in performance and provides remarkable economy, while the rest of the package is exactly what you'd expect in a Benz.SECOND-HANDAUSTRALIANS love SUVs, but the best bet in a second-hand Benz is a wagon. The C-Class and E-Class haulers have been remarkably good cars for decades and the latest models bring everything from AMG go-faster ability to a seven-seater cabin in the E-Class.The choice is not as broad because fewer people buy them new, but the rise of SUVs also makes a second-hand wagon a good-value buy. Best of all, when you're driving one you would never know you were driving a wagon and not a sedan - until you reach the supermarket or go to load up the kids' bikes.

The new C-Class takes more than a few cues from the S-Class. It's bigger, more luxurious, and more hi-tech than ever before.

Mercedes is on a bit of a roll, and it all started with the launch of the new S-Class flagship last year. The new C-Class takes more than a few cues from the S-Class. It's bigger, more luxurious, and more hi-tech than ever before. The new C-Class is 80mm longer between the wheels than the old car and 95mm longer overall, and you really do feel that difference in the back. There's a lot more legroom, and headroom is decent as well.Mercedes has made a lot of big claims about its new C-Class. It's not only bigger than ever before, but its also set to be the most refined, comfortable and efficient car in its class.  If it can deliver on half of those promises, then it will be really impressive, and more than a match for the BMW 3 Series, and new Audi A4. Mercedes-Benz C200Price: From $60,000 (estimated)Warranty: Three years/unlimited kmCapped servicing: NoService interval: 15,000km/12 monthsResale: 55 per centSafety: Not yet ANCAP testedEngine: 2.0-litre four-cylinderPower: 135kW and 300NmTransmission: Seven-speed automaticConsumption: 5.3L/100kmEmissions: 123g/km0 to 100km/h: 7.5 secondsDimensions, length/width/height (mm): 4686/1810/1442Weight: 1445kgSpare: None. Inflator kit

The Mercedes-Benz C-Class is not only the top-selling luxury car in Australia ahead of the equivalently sized Audi and BMW; it's also more popular than much cheaper rivals.

Mercedes-Benz built an enviable reputation based on safe, solid, comfortable and reliable prestige cars, but in recent times it has had to add another element to its appeal: excitement.