My Questions

I have some questions about the W204 C180k that I'd be interested in the opinions of from owners:

- What is the engine/auto gearbox combo like in real-world driving? Does it feel reasonably quick and gutsy or is it reluctant to rev and/or constantly hunting for the right gear? I'm aware there is an element of personal taste and driving style here, but I'd welcome opinions.

- Is the Bluetooth system any good (assuming a reasonably compatible phone)?

- Is the COMAND system any good. Other than the pop up screen party trick, I'm mainly interested in the audio hard drive thingy to load my iPod tunes into and a decent satnav. The alternative is to use my TomTom and buy an iPod adaptor and/or remote control so I can use my iPod without needing 7ft bendy arms to control it from inside the glovebox (dumb place to put it if you ask me - why couldn't they have put it in the armrest so you can actually reach it?)

- Is real-world fuel economy reasonable? I usually assume about 5mpg better than the urban figure for an overall average, which I guess would put it in the low 30's for mpg.

- Anything else about the car you love or hate?

- Any 'must have' options? I was going to go for an Elegance (or maybe SE) with auto, metallic, artico, parktronic, cupholders, probably heated seats, and COMAND if I can afford it and it is any good.

I've read most of the reviews I can find, including the ones here, plus I've had a short and gentle test drive, so I've some idea what it is like, but there were a number of things I haven't experienced or had opinions of, hence my questions.

The background and context to these is below, for anyone who is interested.

My Situation


I currently run a 2005 BMW 320d SE (E91), and it hits third birthday later this year so I'll be replacing it. I'm mainly looking at similar cars, but a saloon or coupe this time as the wife now has a Scenic which we tend to use as the 'pile in the kids' family car. Basically, as long as the car has 4 full-sized seats and a decent boot it is fair game.

Top contenders are another 3-series, the W204 C-Class and the new B8 platform Audi A4, with the Lexus IS and Alfa 159 as possible 'wild cards'.

Now part of me says get another BMW. It remains arguably best in class and I love my current one. However, I'm bored of it and the 3-series is about as exclusive as MacDonalds these days. Plus the ride on runflats (and they are nasty) is hard even in SE spec, and the wife absolutely hates it as a result.

This gives the C-Class a bit of an ace card, with its adaptive suspension, and I've driven one back-to-back with my BMW and it is very smooth in comparison.

As for model choice, I actually like the Elegance spec - Sport looks great on the outside but the silver/plastic gearlever and dashboard dial surrounds look tacky and reminded me way too much of the Ford Ka loaner we had recently when the wife pranged her car, which would put me off spending a grand over Elegance for Sport spec.

Engine wise, I do a fair few miles so want something fairly economical, but have come to hate the clatter of a diesel and from all accounts the C200/C220 CDI engines are even rougher than BMW 4-pots so I'm leaning towards a C180k, particularly if they bring the leaner 1.6 out in a reasonable timescale.

OK, I can't tell you what the C180K is like to live with but I can give you some input on some of your points / questions based on my experience with my C220CDI Elegance Auto.

Bluetooth I use it with a Nokia 6300 and it works great, with excellent sound quallity and clarity. The only pain is that you have to transfer each contact's details individually (i.e. the standard Bluetooth doesn't "read" your phone's memory) so if you have lots of contacts that change frequently then consider the phone pre-wire option with the SAP Bluetooth Cradle.

COMAND I didn't spec it on my car as I'm happy to use my Garmin GPSR and wasn't bothered about the music library. However, it is a very neat option and when it comes time to sell the car, many buyers will look specifically for one with COMAND. As far as iPod integration goes, Mercedes do an iPod integration kit which will allow you to control the iPod from the steering wheel controls and display track info on the instrument cluster. Some time this year they will be introducing a Universal Media Interface (UMI) either as standard or an option (it's not clear which) that will offer even more functionality.

Trim Line / Options Like you, I wasn't that enamoured with the Sport trim and as my wife has an R56 MINI Cooper S I couldn't see the point of buying a C-Class Sport for it's more "sporty" driving experience. I spec'd up an SE with the sort of options I wanted and frankly it made no sense financially to have that rather than the Elegance which gives you Artico upholstery, rain-sensing wipers and auto-dimming mirrors as standard. Options I took were metallic paint and auto-box (both pretty much essential if you want best return come trade-in time, and the auto-box gives you cruise and speedtronic) and I also added heated front seats and the split-fold rear seat. The heated seats are really nice in the winter and I'd consider them a necessity with Artico or Leather upholstery. Don't bother speccing the cupholder - it's about £20 from the parts dept, can be fitted in about 15 secs, and you may decide to keep the roller-door storage compartment "as is" once you've used it. Parktronic is a nice option if you frequently have to park in tight spaces (I don't so didn't have it) but you must keep the sensors clean to keep it working properly. COMAND is nice but also expensive, and it will be worth approx £1,000 come trade-in time. Another option I took which I advise you to consider is Parameter Steering which improves the steering feel quite dramatically at speed while giving you super-light steering at parking speeds.

Engine Both the C180K and the C200K are refined and reasonably quiet, but I suspect that you won't be happy with the C180K's performance after your 320D BMW. The C200K is much quicker for not much of a penalty in fuel consumption and I would say should be a better bet. I respect your comments about hating the diesel clatter, but as you do a fair mileage you really ought to try out the C220CDI for yourself to see if it is the problem you think it will be. My experience is that it's noisier than the petrol engine when pulling away or if using the upper reaches of the rev-range, but once you're rolling the engine as a whole, let alone any diesel clatter, is essentially inaudible. The mid-range acceleration performance is superb (400Nm of torque!) and quite addictive, and the engine charcteristics and the 5-speed autobox are well matched. The C200CDI makes no real sense in the UK (other than a slightly lower initial purchase price) as it gives much less performance than the 220 for only a miniscule improvement in economy.

My Likes: excellent ride quality well suited to the UK's potholed roads; you can drive it much harder than you'd think; high level of refinement; no sqeaks or rattles; (mostly) seamless gearchanges from the 5-speed auto-box; comfy seats that give no aches or pains after driving all day; simple, easy-to-use control layout; superb climate control / ventilation

My Dislikes: None, really. There are couple of things that could be better though - more lateral support from the front seats; sound from the Audio 20 system is adequate rather than excellent; large door mirrors can cause sideways blindspots under some circumstances

Overall, I'm very happy with the car (as you can probably tell!). Driving it is a fantastically relaxing experience and I find that my stress levels diminish several notches when I get in it and shut the door. One thing you need to be aware of though is that it's a very different driving experience to a 3-Series. See if you can get an extended test drive from a cooperative dealer to help you make up your mind, and do consider the diesel especially if you rack up more than, say, 15k miles a year.

MGarvey,

Here are my reviews of the W204 C-Classes. Hope they help.

C200 Kompressor AMG: http://www.germancarzone.com/c-class...%2A%2A%2A.html (***Testdrove a 2008 Mercedes-Benz C200 Kompressor AMG with Sport Suspension***)

C200 Kompressor Classic: http://www.germancarzone.com/member-...tml#post204733 (TESTDRIVE: 2007 Mercedes-Benz C200 Kompressor (W204))

C200 CDI: http://www.germancarzone.com/c-class...%2A%2A%2A.html (***Testdrove a 2008 Mercedes-Benz C200 CDI Avantgarde (W204)***)

C220 CDI sedan: http://www.germancarzone.com/c-class...e-c-class.html

C220 CDI estate: http://www.germancarzone.com/c-class...%2A%2A%2A.html (***Testdrove a 2008 Mercedes-Benz C220 CDI T-Modell (S204) AMG***)

I use 05 C 180 sportcoupe it is 143 HP. coupe and saloon are same weight so this power is enough for C. with new C 180 has more power it is 156 HP now.

probably C 200 Kompressor is best choise but C 180 is not so bad !

I still do not understand why mercedes produce C 180 K that stand here C 200 K with same engine size

hi i own a c220cdi and i absolouetly love the car its fantastic

i think if you doing that kilos you should test the 220cdi before you decide

i have driven a 320d for long distances and really in my opioion the c class is way way better better power and the best ride by far and even more comfy and roomy

only the 320d consumption was better and i dnt really think it handled much better that the c

The same reason why BMW produces a 116i and a 118i.

In Europe there are many older buyers who select cars based on a horsepower ratings. They come from a generation where it was normal to drive cars with low horsepower ratings that got the job done and this has stuck with them for the rest of their lives. They believe a car only needs to much power and any more is overdone.

Therefore when shopping for a modern car, say a Mercedes C-Class, they're easily turned off by numbers approaching 200-horsepower. A C180 Kompressor is probably "too powerful" for them but it and the C200 CDI are the lowest possible engine choices in the range giving them no choice for a smaller engine unless they go for an A or B-Class.

That's practically the reason why MB builds a C180 Kompressor and a C200 Kompressor. Not to mention that there are several tax advantages when buying a C180 Kompressor given that it makes less power and has slightly better fuel economy etc. despite using the same engine as the C200 Kompressor.

regarding the newc class

i must emphasise on one thing the car is really really so easy to drive in all conditins in town driving and cruising as well as it handles beautifully


when conering at high speeds or so you find the car very nibble and it really is a fantastic car to throw around in corners

i really feel this car is very easy to drive ....


maybe some who own the c can comment on this or those who have driven the new c

I agree 100%. The new W204 is easy to drive and a joy at that too. It might not be a 3-Series killer but it doesn't have to be and it probably wasn't intended to be one. Mercedes made the C-Class sportier and they succeeded big time.

I guess the only problem is the price now. A well optioned C200K comes close to the price of a 520i. BMW really has done their pricing strategy really well. The choice becomes clearer if we compare between a 520d and a C220 CDI, because the BMW is much more efficient in terms of fuel consumption and horsepower rating.

and looks like it fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down