c200cdi review

[steve333]

Took my cls to mb brooklands for a free health check yesterday pm & was given a c200cdi sport(2010)as a loan car so i thought i would give an opinion after handing the car back an hour ago & doing 150 miles in it.Firstly,i've never owned/driven a diesel merc(only average about 7k a year in a car)so wasn't sure what to expect but i was pleasantly suprised.With the stereo off the engine was a little noisy on idle when cold but not overly intrusive & when warm/cruising was virtually silent,on hard acceleration you could hear the chug of the diesel but again not too much so(especially with the stereo on).The official 0-60 is 9.2 seconds which is simular to a c180k i had new in 2005 but the diesel felt quicker/more eager/responsive than the petrol.I noticed the diesel had a better throttle response too,over the 150 miles(which was a mixture of dual carriageway/town)the obd showed i had averaged 42.4(after replacing the diesel i had used i reckoned it had done about 40mpg)The only slightly annoying thing with the 5 speed autobox was that it seemed to be in the wrong gear on occasion(tended to downshift when it didn't need to)but other than that it was smooth,tried the flappy paddles in manual mode but didn't really like using them as the car would still change gear without me touching the paddles).The suspension set up being a sport was just about how i like it(not too firm & not too soft/wallowy) & the seats(although artico which i'm not too keen on)were comfortable & the fronts heated.Overall i was impressed with my first experience driving a diesel mb & maybe my next mb will be a diesel when the time comes to replace,oh & the cls had no problems/advisorys & a clean bill of health:bannana:

 

[st4]

Nice review. I worry that the 200 might be a tad gutless. Was it ok?

 

[steve333]

Nice review. I worry that the 200 might be a tad gutless. Was it ok?

Thanks,i thought the same when i saw it was a 200 too steve but i can honestly say in most everyday situations it would be adequate(i did a few overtakes on single & dual carriageways & the pick up was fine.On the face of it you would tend to sway towards the 220 or 250 in a four pot(both have more bhp/torque & are both more economical)but the 200 didn't suffer any injector issues as the 220/250's & the 200 has the 5 speed autobox that doesn't have the valve body issues that could affect either the 220 or 250 which have 7g+'s.

 

[st4]

Part of me is really warming to the idea of a 200cdi. Might be a wee hidden gem at the bottom of the pile with a more proven engine and transmission.

 

[steve333]

Part of me is really warming to the idea of a 200cdi. Might be a wee hidden gem at the bottom of the pile with a more proven engine and transmission.

^my thoughts too,are the 2010 on c220/250 cdi's all 7g's or are there any 5 speed autos in that line up?

 

[st4]

^my thoughts too,are the 2010 on c220/250 cdi's all 7g's or are there any 5 speed autos in that line up?

If the 200cdi lives on, it could be a 5g but suspect MB have killed off their best transmission.

To get a proper shifting car, best buy an S65AMG

 

[steve333]

If the 200cdi lives on, it could be a 5g but suspect MB have killed off their best transmission.

To get a proper shifting car, best buy an S65AMG

Best get one before they get too old as looking at the specs it seems that the new generation c-classes all run on 7g boxes(even thec200cdi),looks like the early 2011(pre facelift)are 5g though.

 

[st4]

The prefacelifted 204's I suspect are the best. I know @Mark has problems with poor trim and rattles as does someone else. The prefacelifted car seemed to be more solid and without 7g the last of the decent modern Mercedes

 

[steve333]

The prefacelifted 204's I suspect are the best. I know @Mark has problems with poor trim and rattles as does someone else. The prefacelifted car seemed to be more solid and without 7g the last of the decent modern Mercedes

Stop giving me all this positive feedback on the pre facelift c200cdi 204-i'm warming to it with every reply

 

[st4]

Stop giving me all this positive feedback on the pre facelift c200cdi 204-i'm warming to it with every reply

You don't see much bad comments on the forum about them, or much issues in the technical section. They seem to just "work". I've driven a 204 and been a passanger in three. All comfortable cars, nice and compact without being cramped and the one I drove was really good to drive.

 

[steve333]

You don't see much bad comments on the forum about them, or much issues in the technical section. They seem to just "work". I've driven a 204 and been a passanger in three. All comfortable cars, nice and compact without being cramped and the one I drove was really good to drive.

I found the same in the 204 i had yesterday & searching the forum/internet can't find much if any negative feedback on the c200cdi 5g

 

[steve333]

If the 200cdi lives on, it could be a 5g but suspect MB have killed off their best transmission.

To get a proper shifting car, best buy an S65AMG

Just done some browsing on autotrader & there are some pre facelift early 2011(up to 28/2/2011) c220/250cdi's with 5g boxes in the spec i would want when changing(sport,leather,heated seats,parktronic,bluetooth,),more power & mpg than the c200cdi

 

[ace571]

No rattles or trim issues on my facelift. 7G+ box is peachy.

 

[kusanku]

You don't see much bad comments on the forum about them, or much issues in the technical section. They seem to just "work". I've driven a 204 and been a passanger in three. All comfortable cars, nice and compact without being cramped and the one I drove was really good to drive.

The rule with Mercs, and probably most makes of car, appears to be the simpler the model, the less problems you get. Those bulletproof, fantastically reliable 123s and 124s, which lasted for decades as taxis covering humongous miles, were pretty simple cars compared to most of the range today.