C200 Executive

[Moley RUFC]

Hi all,

From a mk2 Seat Leon I find myself ordering a Mercedes C200 Executive. Strange choice for some but having had a rock hard ride, cheap plastics and a very small boot for my 2 year old child's pushchair (another due November) I felt it was time for some luxury.

I looked at a Skoda Octavia vRS which is a mighty fine car but in the end given the COMAND options it would be cheaper for me to have an Executive. Free sat nav, bluetooth etc all which are payable options on the Skoda. Whilst this is a company car I treat my cars as if they are my own, cleaned and waxed often.

My one weakness is decent wheels I see the Executive comes with 16'' alloys and whilst they look nice I would like either the optional multi spoke 17'' wheels or will be on the look out for some 18'' AMG multi spoke wheels (Styling 5 I think they are called?).

Being a complete Mercedes novice can other C200 owners advice of their wheel upgrades and the C200 rides on 17/18'' wheels. Also how good a feature is the COMAND and are there any other options that are worth specifying. For example I have seen cruise control and the leather look seat upgrade which both seem reasonably priced.
Also coming from a 170bhp engine how does the C200's 136bhp feel? Decent grunt or underpowered?

Thanks all

 

[st13phil]

Hi and welcome!

Last question first: The C200CDI will definitely not feel as lively as your Leon. It performs reasonably well, but if you're used to using all the performance of the Leon then it'll take a while to adjust to the more sedate progress. If you want or need something more comparable in performance then you should look at the C220CDI instead.

As for options, there are lots to choose from, but here goes...

• Artico seats are incredibly hard wearing and with small sticky people in the car are much easier to keep clean than fabric. If you do go for Artico then get the heated front seats too
• An auto-box suits the car well, and you get cruise control & speedtronic (an electronic speed limiter) thrown in. If you go for the manual transmission, then cruise & speedtronic are a good option to have
• You're used to a hatchback so the split-fold rear seat option could be useful
• Parameter Steering (speed sensitive assistance) is a nice option that gives wonderfully light steering at parking speeds but retains good feel as you go faster
• Media Interface (if it's not already included with COMAND?) allows you to control your iPod from the steering wheel and provides track info etc in the instrument cluster

Regarding the wheels, one of the real strengths of the C-Class is its ride quality which is at its best on the less fashionable 16-inch wheels. The 17's look nicer and won't compromise ride quality too much, the 18's will make it more like your Leon than you probably want.

 

[st4]

Yes, my nod would be for a C220cdi, even a slightly used one with some options. Bear in mind though that the non blue efficiency models are better as the new BE cars have injector issues. I'd look for a non BE car.

I however think the C200cdi does escape the injector issues and for that reason alone, when new makes a sound purchase.

 

[jeremytaylor]

One of our managers got a 180K Executive back in March, and I have to say the Comand and bluetooth (and sports grille ) make it a good value package. Something like £2500 worth of extras for only £500 on the price?

He's pleased with his car (first Merc after a few 3-series) but I haven't driven a 200CDI, so can't comment on the performance.

 

[callahan]

Hi all,

From a mk2 Seat Leon I find myself ordering a Mercedes C200 Executive. Strange choice for some but having had a rock hard ride, cheap plastics and a very small boot for my 2 year old child's pushchair (another due November) I felt it was time for some luxury.

I looked at a Skoda Octavia vRS which is a mighty fine car but in the end given the COMAND options it would be cheaper for me to have an Executive. Free sat nav, bluetooth etc all which are payable options on the Skoda. Whilst this is a company car I treat my cars as if they are my own, cleaned and waxed often.

My one weakness is decent wheels I see the Executive comes with 16'' alloys and whilst they look nice I would like either the optional multi spoke 17'' wheels or will be on the look out for some 18'' AMG multi spoke wheels (Styling 5 I think they are called?).

Being a complete Mercedes novice can other C200 owners advice of their wheel upgrades and the C200 rides on 17/18'' wheels. Also how good a feature is the COMAND and are there any other options that are worth specifying. For example I have seen cruise control and the leather look seat upgrade which both seem reasonably priced.
Also coming from a 170bhp engine how does the C200's 136bhp feel? Decent grunt or underpowered?

Thanks all

I thought you went for the Vrs? I was following your thread on Pistonheads as I'm also looking for a new company car so C220 CDI, as well as the usual suspects - Octavia Vrs, Superb Elegance, BMW 318d, Honda Accord etc. (all estate versions) are on the list. I'd be interested if anyone has any opinions of any of these....

 

[Moley RUFC]

I thought you went for the Vrs? I was following your thread on Pistonheads as I'm also looking for a new company car so C220 CDI, as well as the usual suspects - Octavia Vrs, Superb Elegance, BMW 318d, Honda Accord etc. (all estate versions) are on the list. I'd be interested if anyone has any opinions of any of these....

In the end I decided on the vRS. Too small a boot on the Merc and just didn't feel as nice a place to be as the Skoda. Really wanted to love the Merc but with 2 small children I just couldn't leave with such a small boot.

Thanks for the help though everyone

 

[callahan]

In the end I decided on the vRS. Too small a boot on the Merc and just didn't feel as nice a place to be as the Skoda. Really wanted to love the Merc but with 2 small children I just couldn't leave with such a small boot.

Thanks for the help though everyone

Interesting, thanks. Hopefully I'll be trying both on wednesday as well as a Superb, which is supposed to be cavernous. I also have two small kids, bikes, luggage, scooters, friends etc, so space is at a premium too. Unfortunately this means the C36 is only being used as a runaround, which is a bit of a waste, but I can't bear to see it go!