MERCEDES C220 CDi
DIESELS THAT DELIVER (2004-06-14)
Mercedes C-class Range Aims To Have The Diesel Market Covered. Jonathan Crouch Checks Out The C220 CDi
If youre in the market for an executive diesel saloon or estate like the Mercedes C220 CDI featured here, then youve probably done your homework: diesel buyers, by definition, tend to be well informed.
Youve weighed up the advantages at the pumps, youve considered the cheaper servicing costs and better trade-in values. Youve even weighed up the `greener` environmental considerations. Youre not the first person to appreciate all these advantages of course; one in every five cars sold last year was a diesel. In the executive sector, however, these engines are still something of a novelty. But not for much longer, thanks to the arrival of so-called Common Rail diesel technology.
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The idea here is to create the performance and driveability of a petrol engine with the frugality and low running costs of a diesel. Until this approach was used, no manufacturer had quite achieved that: indeed, you could argue that they still havent but Common Rail is as good as it gets. Certainly, it could finally convince executive petrol sceptics that diesel is the way to go. A quick technical resume is called for here: bear with us, its worth it. As Dr Rudolph Diesel realised back in the 1890s, the efficiency of a diesel engine depends entirely on the injection system and its pump. Until quite recent times, many diesels operated on the Indirect Injection (IDI) principle, where fuel is injected into a pre-combustion chamber adjacent to each cylinder. Because combustion takes place here, it has the effect of softening the force and noise of the explosion increasing refinement, but at the expense of efficiency.
"Could cars like this could finally convince executive petrol sceptics that diesel is the way to go?"
It was to improve efficiency that in the Nineties, a new generation of Direct Injection (Di) engines were launched. Here, the fuel was injected directly into the combustion chamber, making the engine more efficient but, unfortunately, rather noisy. Now at last, the industry has set its mind to producing a system that produces the best of both approaches: which brings us to Common Rail Direct Injection. Like all great inventions, this solution sounds complicated but is in fact extremely simple. Instead of being pumped either into a pre-combustion chamber or directly into the cylinder, the fuel is pumped at extremely high pressure into a metal tube the Common Rail. This becomes a permanent reserve of high-pressure fuel that feeds all the injectors.
These in turn are computer-controlled, providing the flexibility to adjust accurately the pressure, amount and timing of fuel being injected. The result is a quiet, clean and supremely efficient diesel engine, with much improved fuel economy and better performance. In the case of the Mercedes C220 CDi featured here, the figures are quite astonishing. Lets take the fuel saving first.
In a C220 CDi, you can expect to average over 44mpg as opposed to just over 36mpg for the similarly priced 2.0-litre petrol-engined C200K. Over 60,000 miles, that equates to a saving of several thousand pounds. And with longer service intervals, youll save money on maintenance too.
In the past, petrol-people would have dismissed all that as impressive but, ultimately, not worth the severe performance penalty. Well now, there isnt one. Rest to sixty and maximum speed figures of 10.1s and 139mph make the C220 CDi saloon only a second and 6mph slower than its C200K petrol-powered 2.
0-litre stablemate but that doesnt tell the whole story. Torque increases mean the engines pulling power is amazing. On the environmental front, the reduction in CO2 emissions is impressive the addition of an additive-free particulate filter system in the latest round of revisions has made the engine compliant with the Euro IV emissions regulations. You wont be able to measure the improvements Common Rail has brought in this respect of course, but you will notice the lack of black smoke on start-up or under hard acceleration.
Then theres refinement. The engineers still have a little work to do in this respect on start-up, but once on the move, its now virtually impossible to tell youve a diesel under the bonnet. All of which leaves only the price. You might expect that Common Rail diesel technology would only be available to better-heeled C-class buyers.
In fact, prices (which range from £23,885 for the saloon and £24,835 for the Estate in Classic trim) are not much higher than those of the C200K petrol model. A third of all buyers tend to choose the estate version, which offers a useful, if hardly cavernous, capacity of 470 litres (with the seats up) or 1,384 litres (with them folded own). As for that engine, well according to
Mercedes-Benz, it's really just a question of getting potential customers behind the wheel. Once there, if you listen hard after activating the starter, you can hear the familiar diesel rumble rather louder than some of its competitors. On the move however, the unit is more refined though youre never in any doubt as to what it is. In the mid-term facelift visited on the C-Class the exterior has been altered but youll need to be a genuine spotter to make out the revisions.
The front bumper has been redesigned and theres a radiator grille with three louvres. This apparently gives a more powerful feel. Clear-lensed headlamps are fitted as standard and a special scratch-resistant clearcoat finish has also been developed to further protect the paintwork. Equipment levels are reasonable, depending on the usual choice between Classic, Elegance and Avantgarde specs, with SE trim options at each level.
A Sports Package with uprated suspension, exhaust and brakes, bigger wheels and tyres and a few interior goodies is also available as an option for Avantgarde models, or if your pockets are a little deeper, a more extreme AMG Sports Pack is also offered. Whichever C220 CDi variant you choose, youll find it smooth, flexible and surprisingly quiet. A diesel, in other words, that delivers. Thoughtful executives should form an orderly queue.
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FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Mercedes-Benz C220 CDi range
PRICES: £23,885-£26,035 (saloon and estate) on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 13
CO2 EMISSIONS: 170g/km
PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 139mph / 0-60mph 10.1s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (Combined) 44.1mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front and side airbags / ABS/ ESP
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: [saloon] Length/Width/Height mm 4526/1970/1426mm
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