C-Class C270 CDi - information please

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rooney1000

New Member
Joined
Nov 24, 2003
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6
Hi,

New to this forum - only just found it whilst crawling through google in an attempt to find information on the aforementioned car.

I currently have a S2000 - and am looking for a change. I commute 80 miles to work (round trip - so 40 each way) and although the Honda is fine I really don't use it the way it should be. 90% of my driving is on motorways - and then 10% is in traffic. So...I have decided to have a big change - and go for a luxury cruiser that will comfort me to work and back.

Now - I have studied whats out there and currently the C-Class 270 CDi is top of my list (and probably the avantgarde model).

Could someone point me in the right direction to find out lots of information on this car? I would like to see some pictures (not just the brochure ones), get information on techincal details such as MPG, service intervals, performance etc - but all this related to the real world and not what MB quote.

Are there any good sites around - or does anyone on here own one?

Just so you know - some of my 'must haves' are:

Diesel
Automatic
Quiet
Economical but powerful (so a little bit of fun)
Reliable (will be buying 1yr to 2yr old).

I don't want anything bigger than a C-Class so have ruled the E's out.

Thanks in advance !
 
Please see my thread about the C-Class I bought my wife:

http://mbclub.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4000


..have had it a week. She was not too keen about the C-Class in the beginning. But now she is genuinely smitten. She is very impressed with the smoothness of the auto box and the quietness of the 1.8 supercharged engine. The car is totally silent at 40 mph; only minor road noise at 60mph though there is an annoying wind roar that the dealer needs to sort out.
 
I owned one for about 10,000 miles.

The performance of the 270 engine is unreal - seriously you will be surprised by how much power it has. As you drive it (and do drive it carefully at first) the engine gets smoother. After 5,000 miles or so it became wonderful.

My only gripe was the warm up period - seemed to take ages with a Diesel engine. We had a very heavy spec model - with COMAND, CD, memory seats, etc etc - all the toys.

I can't recall the service interval, but I know its fairly long. It stretches out anyway - as you'll find out.

Make sure its an auto in metallic colours with leather.

Otherwise - enjoy - its a lovely car and one of the best diesels about.
 
Thanks for the reply....one other question - what sort of MPG did you get over that time?

(Oh - and when you say warm up do you mean for the whole car warmth wise - or for the engine to become quieter?
 
My father has had his C270CDI Avantgarde Auto since new in Jan 2002. Story so far:-

MPG - on short trips (less than 10 miles at a time) averaging 35mpg. If on motorway run at 75mph then can expect 40mpg plus dependent on length of journey.

Performance - very good - more than adequate although not quite as fast as his previous BMW 530d.

Servicing - just had first service at 14,000 miles - this ended up being serviced based on time rather than mileage - as 95% used for short journeys this is very good - serivice cost £180

Paintwork - few bad stories around about metallic silver but nothing to report on this car

Interior quality - again stories of poor qulaity trim on S.African built saloons, but not a single creak, squeak or groan. Some trim looks cheap and nasty but is not an issue in use (possibly due to having no kids to wreck it !

Options - sports seats are nice, leather and auto essential. Bose hi-fi a waste of money. When he bought his the headlamp washers were std, now optional so watch the options list carefully.
New sports pack a good deal if you want the bigger wheels and suspension.

Noise - generally acceptable, a little noisy but nothing too intrusive (but much noisier than my CLK270 which has more insulation)

Ride quality - on std 16" wheels and std suspension very good, some initial lean into corners but once the car has settled on the suspsension handles very well. Has better ride an handling than the 5 series had on 17" wheels and sports suspension.

Problems - misted fog light replaced under warranty.


Ther should be some good deals around at the moment as facelift due early next year.
 
Not sure what a good price is really...although most of the used cars around a year old do not have leather.

Am 100% set on the auto...and avantgarde but might have to sacrifice the leather.
 
Originally posted by saorbust
My only gripe was the warm up period - seemed to take ages with a Diesel engine. We had a very heavy spec model - with COMAND, CD, memory seats, etc etc - all the toys.

Mine has an electric heater so the car warms up quickly inside, does the C270 not have that? Its only the diesels that have it on the E class, and I know other makes such as Renault fit them.
 
I meant the engine temperature. It took forever to get warm. Sorry !
 
Re discounts - you should be looking for 7% at least (was ffered more than this back in May this year). With facelift coming March ? 2004 stocks are building up.

I don't have the exact details but mercedesdirect-northwest were advertising one with del miles in the Saturday Daily Telegraph motoring section - discount should be good on this as its sitting taking up space.

Don't forget SE pack saves money over specifiying auto and metallic separately. If it were me I'd go for sport pack rather than leather - makes the car stand out amongst other C classes - and is cheaper.
 
Couple more questions (sorry !)

Does anyone know what is planned in the face lift next year?
Does anyone have any magazine reviews of this car that they could scan in and send to me?

Thanks for your help so far.
 
The facelift is basically the following:

1. Minor bodywork changes including a new nose/headlights.

2. Complete interior spec overhaul to address the criticism of the interior trim and finish.

This refresh is intended to keep the current C-Class platform going unril 2005/2006 when the all-new model appears.
 
Originally posted by rooney1000
Couple more questions (sorry !)

Does anyone know what is planned in the face lift next year?
Does anyone have any magazine reviews of this car that they could scan in and send to me?

Thanks for your help so far.

Have a look on the Top Gear website and search for Mercedes C Class, that has a couple of reviews of the C270.
 
Try the April 2003 issue of Mercedes Enthusiast Magazine - available in WHSmiths, or www.mercedesenthusiast.co.uk

They ran a full feature on the C-class, and whilst this also covers the previous W202 model is a good starting point for reference. They also did a separate article on the C270 itself, but this only ran to a page including photo's and does say much at all.

There are several sets of photo's of W203s in the members gallery, from C180's to C32's - should give you an idea of colours, options etc.

Also try the mercedes main website in germany (www.mercedesbenz.de then click, PKW, then Konfigurator, then choose model range) where they have an online configurator which gives an idea of how the car looks in different colours / trim etc - its in german obviously but it is possible to figure out the options if you have a UK pricelist handy as well.
 
Mine is suffering from a bit of wind whistle on the drivers side at 70mph. Is this an easy one to fix ?
 
I have a new 270 cdi avantgarde, I get about 40mpg doing 100 miles round trip on mixed dual carraigeway and A roads. Very pleased with the car overall but have had some problems with oil leaks (all sorted) and scratched paint. I would suggest choosing a light metallic (silver!!). I opted for the sports pack which is about £700 and includes leather twin which is fine for me. I also like the stiffer and lower suspension with the 17" wheels. I also got the bi-zenon lights which are "brilliant" if you do a lot of driving on unlit roads. Hope this helps.
 
270cdi

I have a 2001 Merc 270 CDI Avantgarde with Sat Nav and all the toys. Bought it used with 4K on the clock, and have just completed 132kmiles!
As you will gather, I spend a lot of time in it. It has to rank as one of the best cars I have ever had, and is the best motorway cruiser. The 270 engine can turn in over 50 mpg if you drive carefully, or give a fairly exhilarating drive if you want to put your foot down. Only problems I have had are to replace all the diesel glowplugs (faulty batch I believe), and a suspension bush modification to overcome excessive "squeaking".
I now am in the process of trying to convince myself to spend £30k on a replacement, but the cars so good, I am genuinely reluctant to part with it!
Its a difficukt act to follow, and I am confident that it would remain good up to 250K miles.
 
bobbyc said:
I have a 2001 Merc 270 CDI Avantgarde with Sat Nav and all the toys. Bought it used with 4K on the clock, and have just completed 132kmiles!
As you will gather, I spend a lot of time in it. It has to rank as one of the best cars I have ever had, and is the best motorway cruiser. The 270 engine can turn in over 50 mpg if you drive carefully, or give a fairly exhilarating drive if you want to put your foot down. Only problems I have had are to replace all the diesel glowplugs (faulty batch I believe), and a suspension bush modification to overcome excessive "squeaking".
I now am in the process of trying to convince myself to spend £30k on a replacement, but the cars so good, I am genuinely reluctant to part with it!
Its a difficukt act to follow, and I am confident that it would remain good up to 250K miles.

great dilema eh !

my fathers exacty the same position at present - his Avantgarde just turned 3 years old last week, and almost 18k on the clock !!.

Just not worth paying out £16k to get the same spec replacement car (sports seats, bose, leather,auto etc), which will do nothing different to the one he has now.
 
Great Car! Go for it!
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The fuel consumption is definitely more than the C220CDi. Apart from that, my wife loves it to bits.
 

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