Mercedes C180 SE








Mercedes C180 SE

How much? £22,937
On sale in the UK: Now
Engine: 1796cc 16v supercharged 4-cyl, 154bhp @ 5200rpm, 170lb ft @ 2800-4600rpm
Transmission: Six-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Performance: 9.5sec 0-62mph, 138mph, 40.9mpg, 180g/km CO2
How heavy / made of? 1485kg/steel
How big (length/width/height in mm)? 4581/1770/1447








Four cylinders? A manual gearbox? Not traditionally attractive territory for a Mercedes, especially if you’re talking petrol rather than diesel. But Mercedes hopes you’ll go for this car rather than BMW’s 318i ES, and pay a couple of grand more for the extra 12bhp and 14lb ft afforded by the Merc’s supercharged engine.









Taxi spec doesn’t do it for me...

Times have changed. The base-model Merc is no longer poverty-stricken. Of course, you’ll pay extra if you trawl the options list for sat-nav, leather seats, park assist and so on, but the SE runs on attractive alloys, wears pleasing cloth on its seats, plays your CDs, controls your cabin climate and even tempers your over-exertions in corners.

And over-exert you may, because 154bhp is enough to make the baby C-class feel brisk. And there’s just enough feedback through the controls to make exploiting it all worthwhile.









You’re telling me this is a sports saloon?

Don’t get carried away. It’s the bottom rung of a tall C-class ladder, but 138mph isn’t to be sniffed at, and the 62mph sprint of 9.5sec doesn’t really convey the breadth of punch this engine offers.

A bit like a modern diesel, the supercharged four delivers its grunt from low-down, but it holds the charge as far as its 5200rpm power peak. You’re better off changing up at that point, rather than wringing it all the way to the red-line – this is a hard-working powerplant rather than an inspirational one. It’s quite gruff and tuneless, but its sheer pull is endearing and the note is muted so long as you avoid the tacho’s upper reaches.









You’ll be telling me it handles, next

It does. Don’t go expecting Caterham-sharp steering but rest assured that you can thread this C-class along a twisting B-road with great poise. A 3-series is more involving, but the C180 shields you better from imperfections in the road surface and somehow invites a slightly less frenetic driving style.

The ride is chunky at low speeds but becomes smoother as you gather speed, and the C cruises with unruffled stability, carving quietly through the air while the tall sixth gear keeps the engine twisting unobtrusively.

Even the gearshift plays ball, slotting deftly from ratio to ratio without the unnecessary heft of a BMW ’box.









Surely there’s a downside…

Well, yes, kind of. This is one of those cars that takes time to sink its claws into your affections. The reasons? It looks a bit stand-offish with that imperious grille, though SE-spec means less chrome around the windows and that makes it look sleeker. And traditionalists will probably prefer the old three-pointed star to the Sport version’s three-bar grille.

It’s a similar story inside too. The doors don’t shut with quite the measured thunk of an Audi, and it’s a bit of a penny-pinching move to delete the rear door pockets that upscale C-classes benefit from. Worse from a cosmetic point of view are the plastic surfaces that major on solidity rather than tactility and look cheaper than they probably deserve.

Yet all that kind of suits the C180’s unpretentious appeal. It’s obviously well-built, totally rattle-free on any surface, and the broad wheel, flat seat and straight-legged driving position give it some trad-Merc gravitas.









Verdict

Merc won’t thank me for saying this, but I reckon the 180 SE’s a bit of a sweet spot in the C-class range. Yes, the six-cylinder cars are smooth but they’re also pretty vocal if you cane them. And, C350 apart, they don’t feel that quick.

Many would suggest the C220D is the perfect compromise between price, running costs and performance, but that four-cylinder diesel motor sounds and feels a touch too tingly at this rarefied level of the market.

And that leaves the lowly C180: well-made, well-equipped, decently spacious, unpretentious, entertaining, comfortable. Taking residuals into account, it represents a more sensible private buy than an upscale Mondeo. A good-value Merc, and an enjoyable one at that. Whatever next?


CAR's rating

rating is 4

Handling

rating is 4

Performance

rating is 4

Usability

rating is 4

Feelgood factor

rating is 4

Readers' rating

rating is 3.5

Mercedes C220 CDI estate







Mercedes C220 CDI estate

On sale in the UK: Spring 2008
Engine: 2148cc 16v turbodiesel four-cylinder, 170bhp @ 3800rpm, 295lb ft @ 2000rpm
Transmission: Six-speed manual, rear wheel drive
Performance: 8.9sec 0-62mph, 139mph, 46.3mpg, 159g/km
How heavy / made of? 1630kg/steel
How big (length/width/height in mm)? 4596/1770/1459








Ooh, a compact exec estate. What combination of sport/tourer/Avant/wagon is it called?

None: the Mercedes C-Class estate is, well, just that. Plain old estate. And the largest premium-class estate at that. How very sensible. Mercedes may have been unusually bold in its approach to the latest C – hacking off the stick-up grille badge for Sport editions, making the chassis more dynamic than ever – but it hasn’t forgot the reason why people buy estates. To carry stuff. So, compared to the old car, the rear roofline has been extended and the tailgate set more vertically, creating more of a box and less of a glorified pseudo-coupe. It’s still a smart-looking thing, blending neatly with the C’s tidy lines. You’re just less likely to smash the tailgate window as you close a loaded-to-the-gunnels boot.









Hit me with that extra practicality…

To get you going 1,500 litres with the seats down is the largest in the compact exec class, and only 100 litres shy of a Volvo V70. Seats up, it has 485 litres (and that load area is now colour-matched to the rest of the cabin) which, claims Mercedes, is ‘more useful’ than the stats suggest, due to the uncluttered load area. Space between the wheelarches in particular is up: fold the seats again (easily, in one step) and you can slide in an 827-litre box. Washing machines won’t be a problem (and, thanks to a class-leading 605kg payload, the car will be man enough, even if your back isn’t).









So they’ve changed it a lot over the saloon, then?

Well, apart from a 45mm stretch to the wheelbase (improving the saloon’s restricted rear legroom), not massively. Suspension is identical, save for a little tuning – did you know they choose from five different spring rates for individual variants? – and again, the clever ‘mechanical’ variable rate Agility Control dampers are present. Even better, there’s an optional dynamic handling pack with electronic dampers, whose self-levelling ability is ideal for working estates. Any loss of torsional rigidity over the saloon (it’s improved by 12 per cent on the old estate) should be compensated for by a heavily reinforced, beautifully finished rear seat back; Mercedes has acknowledged the dangers of flying luggage in crashes. Even the tonneau net dog guard restrains 10kg of flying briefcase. Shame only the 1/3 split of the rear seat can be folded (but folded flat, without even retracting the head restraints) with the tonneau in place.









I’m guessing it drives a lot like the saloon.

Yup. The ride, while still pattery, is marginally more fluid at speed, but otherwise you’d be hard-pushed to spot the differences. It’s generally as refined as the four-door, too, despite that big echoic chamber at the rear. Furthermore, having a rear wiper is nice, the (class-first) optional electric tailgate is cool, and only Mercedes has really cracked the biggest thing to slow you down – stuff sliding about in the rear. The optional Easy-Pack load securing kit borders on genius. No stop-start or other eco tricks for the 2.2-litre diesel yet, so economy remains slightly glum at 46.3mpg along with 159g/km. It’s reasonably pacy, has stacks of torque, and is smooth but a bit vocal under acceleration.









All sounds very… sensible

Yes, and Mercedes should be congratulated for this. No chasing some spurious ‘lifestyle’ ideal for them, and ending up with an impractical wagon that’s barely roomier than the saloon. The C-Class estate looks good and is practical to, err, boot. What would be even more sensible would be a 4MATIC four-wheel-drive version, giving the perfect alternative for those who need a 4x4 but hate the things. Unfortunately, it can’t be engineered for right-hand-drive, and the market here is too small to justify it. Pity about this faux pas, because otherwise the C-Class is flawlessly engineered, despite slightly scratchy dash plastics. Mercedes estates have always been long-lived things, and this feels no exception.














Verdict

Extremely safe estate majors on practicality, not marketing-led ‘active 30-something who lives life to the MAXXX’ nonsense, and is an amply satisfying car as a result. It’s elegant sophistication should cost around £1000 more than the respective saloon when it arrives in spring 08; not cheap, then, but those who buy it will certainly see the worth. Now if only we could figure out why the promo pictures for the C-class estate featured a bear…

CAR's rating

rating is 4

Handling

rating is 4

Performance

rating is 4

Usability

rating is 5

Feelgood factor

rating is 4

Readers' rating

rating is 4

Mercedes C63 AMG






Mercedes C63 AMG

How much? £50,000
On sale in the UK: mid 2008
Engine: 6208cc 32v V8, 451bhp @ 6800rpm, 443lb ft@ 5000rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive
Performance: 4.5sec 0-62mph, 155mph (limited)
How heavy / made of? 1728kg/steel
How big (length/width/height in mm)? 4725/1795/1438








So this is Merc’s answer to the new BMW M3...

Got it. Hot C's have long been part of Mercedes' line-up, but none has had us quite as excited as this, the C63 which as the name suggests, gets the big 6.3-litre V8 from the car right at the top of Merc's range, the CL63. It’s worth pointing out that while Audi and BMW have only just got around to slotting V8s under their cars’ bonnets, Merc has been at it for years starting with the C43 back in 1997. The C63 doesn’t go on sale in the UK until mid-2008, but when it gets here it will only have the M3 to beat as its other obvious rival, the Audi RS4, is about to die and won’t be replaced until 2009.









How will I spot it?

Try the flared wheelarches, new front and rear bumpers, quad exhausts, twin bonnet powerdomes, rear diffuser or wing vents. And if you get close enough, peek through the window at the unusual sports seats that look like they came out of an ’80s 911, the leather-wrapped wheel, rubber-studded aluminium pedals and SLR-style silver instruments that look great but aren’t that easy to read. Any way you look at it, this isn’t your usual sobre-suited Merc.









So run me through the highlights

That 6.3-litre V8 is the same one you’ll find in the CL63 but detuned slightly to deliver 451bhp and 443lb ft of torque. So it trumps the new M3 to the tune of 37bhp and a gigantic 148lb ft. It drives through a tweaked version of Merc’s seven-speed auto with three modes: Comfort (typically Merc smooth upshifts, reluctant downshifts), Sport (30 percent quicker shifts, blips on the way down) and Manual, which swaps ratios in half the time needed in Comfort mode.









So it's not slow then?

Not unless your regular car is a top fuel dragster. The new M3 does 62mph in 4.8sec but Merc says the C63 will hit the same benchmark in 4.5sec, so reckon on nearer 4.0sec dead to 60mph. And even that doesn’t fully illustrate how rapid the C63 feels, particularly above 100mph. Any gearbox snobs out there need to know that the auto ’box works really well, Sport mode being enough for day-to-day stuff and manual the right tool for when you really want to have some fun.









But it’s whipped in the bends, right?

Wrong. Unlike some rival cars the C63 comes with no buttons to change steering or suspension settings, although if you think the standard car isn’t going to be hardcore enough or expect to be doing a lot of track work, you can specify tauter suspension, bigger brakes and wide 19-inch tyres when you place your order. But even the standard 18-inch wheel car is a delight. With ESP set in Sport mode, every deviation from the straight-ahead as you turn the wheel results in a three-way conference call between accelerator, throttle and rear suspension. The steering retains the standard car’s 13.5:1 ratio but the rack is repositioned, the front track is 35mm wider and the brakes are serious: six pots up front, four pots at the back and full of feel. Switch ESP out altogether and it’s an absolute riot. The RS4 doesn’t really do oversteer, at least not in the dry, and the M3 needs more provocation than before to perform. But the C63 has the torque and balance to let you play all day, if sliding is your thing.









It’s sounding like a full five-star car

Factor in the expected £50k price and, yes, it looks like the C63 has it all sewn up. But there is a niggle and it’s to do with the way the C63 deals with lumps and bumps. Traditional Merc customers won’t like it. Even the M3 rides better. While it’s easy to get carried away applauding Mercedes for not fitting gimmicky buttons to change the suspension sittings, Porsche proved with PASM on the GT3 and RS just how useful such systems can be. It's the one chink in the Merc's armour.














Verdict

The C63 is a great car – and for all sorts of reasons we weren’t expecting. It’s agile, has great brakes and steering, the auto gearbox works well and it’s even good value for money. On top of that it’s blisteringly quick, but then you knew that already. This is an AMG you need make no excuses for and it could just be the best sports saloon on sale. We'll be hunting down a group test with its rivals soon to deliver the definitive verdict on that one...

CAR's rating

rating is 5

Handling

rating is 5

Performance

rating is 5

Usability

rating is 5

Feelgood factor

rating is 5

Readers' rating

rating is 5

Mercedes McLaren SLR Roadster










Mercedes McLaren SLR Roadster

How much? £350,000
On sale in the UK: Now
Engine: 5439cc, 24v, supercharged V8, 617bhp @ 6500rpm, 575lb ft @ 3250rpm
Transmission: Five-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive
Performance: 3.8sec 0-62mph, 208mph, 14.5mpg
How heavy / made of? 1825kg/carbonfibre
How big (length/width/height in mm)? 4656/1908/1281








That name's quite a mouthful, isn’t it?

Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster is indeed a tongue twister. And make sure you get Merc and McLaren the right way round, otherwise the men from Germany will get all antsy. Thus the name pretty much sums up the genesis of this car: from coupe (SLR), to hardcore coupe (the 722), and now to convertible. And the convoluted name reflects the machinations behind the scenes: the relationship between Woking and Stuttgart has been tense, to say the least, as the two companies have battled over their vision for the car. The open-top is the latest collaboration between the British and German engineering giants, and a last-ditch attempt to make the SLR a success. We hear that sales have fallen far short of expectations; around 1200 coupes have been built at Woking since 2003, suggesting that the original 3500 target in its seven-year lifecycle is somewhat unrealistic.









So what has been the outcome of this bickering?

McLaren wanted an F1 successor; Mercedes wanted, and claims it got, 'the ultimate 21st century GT'. The actual result is a compromise, and one that is less than the sum of its parts. The engineers at Woking have given the SLR a carbonfibre tub, double wishbones all round, and an air brake. Stuttgart has added an automatic gearbox, and all sorts of heavy luxuries and sound-deadening that have made the SLR a bit of a porker at 1825kg. For those that thought the original coupe was too soft, there's the 722 edition with more power and less weight. And now we have the poseur's version, the convertible with a canvas hood and an even barmier price tag. Yes, the rag-top is going to cost the thick end of £350,000.









So is this Roadster any better?

In a word, no. It’s still a compromise but for now let’s get to details of that roof. Whilst it’s no fingernail-breaker like the Lamborghini Murcielago Roadster's, neither is it chic sophistication. First you have to twist a rather stubborn handle, and then push the whole roof assembly upwards. Only then do the electronics take over and lower the roof in 10 seconds. Apparently a fully automated roof top would have added 8kg to the car, and raised its centre of gravity. Sounds like a dubious excuse to us. Either the system was prohibitively expensive, or McLaren won the day. But really, is the type of person who is going to buy this car going to notice such a difference? A rigid tonneau cover was also vetoed, meaning there are a few unsightly gaps once the roof has folded away. But fear not, because should you live in a country where you will drive with the roof down all year round you can order some special panels. For a small fee, of course.









Is this the fastest and most exclusive convertible money can buy?

With 612bhp you would certainly hope so, but the Pagani Zonda Roadster and aforementioned Lambo could claim to be faster. Or you could purchase a Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe and spend the £45k you saved on something nice. Perhaps tellingly, the Mercedes-Benz USA website doesn’t let you compare the SLR to the Ferrari 599, but as a driver’s car, the Italian has the Anglo-German roadster licked. But for now, there’s no open-top 599, and it can’t compete with the SLR’s sledgehammer 575lb ft.









Ah yes, tell me about that engine

It’s a relatively simple three valve per cylinder, 90deg V8 with a belt-driven supercharger. And one of the world’s great engine noises. The engine clears its croaky throat before erupting into a muscle car V8 bellow overlain with tough supercharger whine. Headline figures are 612bhp at 6500rpm, 575lb ft on tap from 3250rpm-5000rpm, 0-62mph in 3.8 seconds, and a hair-ruffling V-max of 207mph. Oh, and 14.5mpg average, if you're counting. That blower is fed through an air intake which leads from the three-pointed star on the grille and back to the engine mounted behind the front wheels. This front-mid-engined layout means 50:50 weight distribution, boding well for handling balance.









Stop teasing us. What’s the SLR Roadster like to drive?

Dominated by that epic engine, which is probably a good thing as it takes the focus off the other problems. The steering rack is from an A-class, believe it or not, and the lack of variable power assistance means no difference in weighting at 20mph and 200mph. The result? Steering is hyper-sensitive, yet lacking any real feedback. This is confounded by the SLR’s ride. The car follows ridges and bumps, and the ride is poor on the optional 19-inch ‘turbine’ wheels. Which you’re going to specify unless you happen to like the poverty-spec BMW 3-series look. The brakes have kept their off-ON, grabby quality and bite with a vengeance. Yet nothing, absolutely nothing prepares you for the full force of 5.5 litres of bent eight and forced induction. Any gap in traffic is an overtaking opportunity, and any straight a chance to triple the speed limit with ease. And all with the roof down should you so wish. Make no mistake, the SLR rag-top is seriously, addictively fast.









Is the interior befitting a £350,000 roadster?

A moot point. It is if you're small. The engine layout and packaging brings a cramped interior, especially for a car that is supposed to be a GT. And quality isn’t great either: the centre console is a mix of Merc SL bits sprayed with the same silver paint found in the Chrysler Crossfire’s interior. Maybe that’s a bit harsh, but you get the idea. But as money will not be a problem for those buying this car, you can spend thousands customising the whole interior. But even the biggest chequebook in the world can’t make it any more spacious. However, all is forgotten when you lower the roof, feel the sun on your head, and hear those exhausts bellow as they exit just fore of your feet. The SLR's trump card has always been its rumbling, baritone V8 soundtrack and it's only amplified in the soft-top.









Anything else I should know about?

The SLR Roadster has a small boot that may struggle to house your average golf bag, despite bulbous rear. And although the gullwing doors are truly stunning, the A-pillars that support them are thick and obstruct visibility badly. And even in this open-top you know you’ll be safe as McLaren’s carbonfibre tub combined with Mercedes safety know-how make this a good car to have a crash in. (Not that you'd want to.) Finally, there are five seat sizes for the driver (who will always sit on the left), and four for the passenger - so if you are a large banker you should make sure your passenger is slim-hipped.









Verdict

A Ferrari 599 is better full stop, a Rolls-Royce is the better convertible and a Zonda more thrilling. But none of them can match the immense acceleration of the SLR Roadster combined with a folding roof and automatic gearbox. Yet the McMerc is also a darty, nervous hypercar that is still not properly resolved. But just enjoy the power, the noise, the wind in your hair, and the effortless performance. There are better supercars and convertibles out there, but none of them are quite like the SLR, for better or for worse.

CAR's rating

rating is 3

Handling

rating is 3

Performance

rating is 5

Usability

rating is 3

Feelgood factor

rating is 3

Readers' rating

rating is 1