2012 Mercedes-Benz C200 Reviews

The C-Class was the entry to the prestige segment and still resonates as a solid choice. New The Mercedes-Benz C-Class was conceived to compete with the BMW 3 Series at the entry level of the prestige segment. When the W204 series C-Class arrived in 2007 it had the common Benz trait of coming in a bewildering range of

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. 

Mercedes-Benz has made sure its top selling C-Class sedan and wagon is on top of the game following a mid-life update. This is the big change before a new generation arrives in about three years. There are over 2000 new parts with this update.Benz has taken the already impressive C-Class and completely reworked it with feature flow-down from the likes of S-Class and CLS models as well as refinements and styling changes.It is better in every way compared with the current model and offers more equipment, improved safety and eco-friendly technology.VALUEPricing hasn't been announced yet but expect minimal changes to the current schedule even though the new model scores more kit.TECHNOLOGYOne of the biggest changes is the adoption of Eco stop/start across the entire range. This switches off the engine when the car comes to a stop, re-igniting it as soon as the brake pedal is released. Stop/start can get a 31 per cent fuel economy improvement - compounded in the new C-Class by direct injection engines across the board in petrol and diesel.Australia will get seven-speed automatic transmission only in models ranging from the C 200CGi turbo petrol through to the C 350 CDi 3.0-litre turbo diesel. Ten new driving assistance systems ranging from Attention Assist drowsiness detection to Distronic Plus proximity control are now available for C-Class. The new-generation telematics include internet access and a 3D navigation display with plastic city views.DESIGNIn addition to the standard equipment which now include a leather steering wheel, the two design and equipment lines - Elegance and Avantgarde are the basis for customers individualising their own C-Class. The two lines are now more readily distinguishable from each other.Styling inside and out is revised with a more contemporary Benz family look including new CLS shaped headlights, new front guards, bonnet and doors in aluminium and new tail lights. Aerodynamics are improved to Cd 0.26 as part of BlueEfficiency measures that also include decoupling engine ancillaries, low rolling resistance tyres and optimised gearing. The dash is a much more appealing design with a larger info' screen integrated into the middle.DRIVEWe were able to sample two of the diesels last week in Tenerife, the C250CDi and the monumental C350CDi with a 3.0-litre V6 turbo diesel capable of delivering some 195kW/620Nm output. Yes, we will be getting this model towards the middle of the year.As expected, the 350 is a freight train of a car in performance terms. It just goes and goes and has stunning throttle response virtually off idle. With this much torque from under 2000rpm, the C350 CDi rockets out of the blocks and can deliver the sort of go you'd expect from a sports sedan.But Benz has set it up for mixed driving conditions which means it maintains its poise over rough roads and can waft along the freeway like an insulated cocoon of leather clad luxury. But the real surprise for us was the C250 diesel which, with 150kW/500Nm and a lighter, 2.2-litre four cylinder engine up front, was damn near as quick as the 350 and slightly more nimble in the tight stuff. Coupled to that is impressive fuel economy that can dip readily into the 6.0 litre/100km range.VERDICTWe love the look and feel of the new model in sedan and wagon variants but prefer the Avantgarde styling as it has a sportier edge.MERCEDES-BENZ C-CLASSEngine: C200CGi 2.2-litre 4-cylinder turbo petrol and C350CDi 3.0-litre 6-cylinder turbo dieselOutputs: 150kW/500Nm, 195kW/620NmEconomy: 7.3 L / 100 km 95 RON 171g CO2 p/km and 7.4 L / 100 km Diesel 196g CO2 p/kmTransmission: 5-speed and 7-speed Automatic, rear wheel driveSafety: Anti-lock Braking System (ABS),Electronic Stability Program (ESP), 9 air bags.