C-CLASS BREATHES NEW ENGINES

Without tempting anyone to deliver my home address to the boys in blue, I am hazarding a guess that many of the people who sauntered into a Mercedes-Benz dealer in search of a decent, money-sensitive entry-level such as the C180 BlueEfficiency returned from their drive-through-town butt test surprised. They probably parked the car, thanked the sales person and walked away quietly straight into BMW or Audi. The probable reason for this mooted response and disinterest in purchase forms would have been borne out of
discovering the lazy charms of the 1600 CC turbocharged motor hidden in under its bonnet. So limp-wristed was the previous C180 it reminded one of cricket; one very long and arduous game. Not so the new C180 CGI with a truer 1800 CC lump with a blower launched in SA recently.

Performance is not the goose-bump inducing kind like that of the V8 powered C63 AMG. What you get here isn’t fireworks but a welcome return to German surefootedness wrapped in class and feel good enzymes we all have come to expect in car that required serious debate with the spouse and a consultation with ancestors to be bought. Previously Merc had defended the less-than-peppy progression of its then 1600 CC C180 with anecdotes such as: “People in this range worry less about performance and are more concerned about economy and safety.”

Right, after which having driven the sprightlier C180 with CGI technology confirms that those excuses were nonsensical as this new variant has its teeth sharpened. CGI or Charged Gasoline Injection tech made a name for itself in diesel engines, going under the sobriquet of ‘Piezzo Injectors’. Whereas conventional injectors sprayed a standard jet of fuel into a cylinder regardless of engine load, charging the nozzles with a voltage sourced from the throttle, these injectors can dispense a correct amount of fuel into the pots as dictated to by the right foot, which in turn depends on the driving style, needs or prevalence of cops. This has a profound bearing on overall response and fuel consumption used which will ultimately see a drastic drop in savings compared to cars with conventional injection systems.

Good news then, but the party and goodie bags don’t end here and unfortunately, the spin-doctoring doesn’t either. You see, the new car is available in two power derivatives; a 125kW and a hotter 135kW version but badged as C200 CGI and according to Reandren Thulkamam of Mercedes-Benz South Africa, both cars are mechanically similar, save for the 135kW model has its ECU tweaked differently to deliver the extra whack. Pay attention to the next line. This should be great for bargain seekers with a penchant for speed then. Should this mean they can buy the low power car, rush over to a Mercedes Benz parts department and purchase a hotter ECU setup while saving thousands? It’s not quantum physics this. Just remove the ECU, slot in a peri-hot version, and close up job and voila a faster C180 for the price of the slower version emerges.

Not so with red-tape still in existence and chin-rubbing of spin-doctors. It would seem that this is highly discouraged for no clear-cut reasons but I’ll leave this one to the brave souls of after-market tuning to tackle. Returning to the car itself, I’m tempted to label this a mild facelift if you consider that the front bumper is actually new. Also new to the range is keyless-entry and go while those who’d like to go all Audi on the world can order the light-package that sees daytime running LEDs appear for the first time ever on the chins of C-Class.

Sadly for would-be C 63 AMG buyers, they are not catered for this glitter and yet again, no discernible reason for this revelation. Overall, the much needed injection of pace returns the littlest C-Class back to where it belongs; positioned to offer epic drive comfort, exciting aesthetics and parking lot kudos to the younger, focused middle management.       

Mercedes-Benz C-Class CGI Pricing

C180 CGI (R339 000)

C200 CGI (R359 000)

STORY BY PHUTI MPYANE OF KMR MEDIA