Specifications for W204

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190

MB Enthusiast
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Cheshire
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2009 W204 C180K
Hi,

Newby here although not new to Mercedes cars. My problem is that 21 years ago I bought a 5 year old 190e for a little over £9000 that's been a faithful servant ever since with very little costs other than routine servicing and I want to try and repeat the exercise with a W204. Surprisingly it seems I can still buy a 5 or 6 year old car for similar money. A C180 will be more than adequate for my needs but I'm getting confusing information about VED tax bands and fuel economy. I can see that at some point there was a reduction in engine size which maintained performance while bringing lower fuel and VED costs. Another change seems to have been a move from supercharger to turbo charger. My question is exactly when did this happen and where can I find the truly definitive information on the various models. I don't trust all of the information I'm finding on sites like Honest John.
 
I've managed too find out the VED bands for the various versions of the C180 W204's.

My 190e is an auto but I'm considering a manual W204. I know the W204s all have a foot operated parking brake with a dash mounted release. Is this something you get used to ? I read that all W204's have "Hill Start Assist, the new system senses when the vehicle is on an incline and, with the car in gear, delays the release of the brakes after the driver’s foot is removed just long enough for the accelerator to be covered and the parking brake to be disengaged" Can anyone confirm if this is true.
 
The foot operated parking brake is very easy to get used to.

W204 C180 engines are all M271, either 1.8L or 1.6L. (The same M271 engine also featured in higher-badged model, producing more BHP & Torque).

Early w204 C180 (engines up to around mid 2011 I think) were 1.8L Kompressor and 1.6L Kompressor.

The change to Turbo meant that all C180 were 1.6L (the 1.8L-equipped model survived but was badged C250, not C180).
 
The change to Turbo meant that all C180 were 1.6L (the 1.8L-equipped model survived but was badged C250, not C180).

I don't think thats actually 100% true.

I have a 2012 W204 C180 and its a 1.8 Turbo (according to my V5)

The 1.8 didn't last long, and by Sept 2012 was replaced with the 1.6 Turbo, but the performance numbers bhp, torque, and 0-60 all remained exactly the same.
 
The foot operated parking brake is very easy to get used to.

I agree with an auto, but parking or starting a manual (as per the OP) on an incline could be a challenge without the 'hill start assist' mentioned. I've no idea how well that works?
 
I've managed too find out the VED bands for the various versions of the C180 W204's.

My 190e is an auto but I'm considering a manual W204. I know the W204s all have a foot operated parking brake with a dash mounted release. Is this something you get used to ? I read that all W204's have "Hill Start Assist, the new system senses when the vehicle is on an incline and, with the car in gear, delays the release of the brakes after the driver’s foot is removed just long enough for the accelerator to be covered and the parking brake to be disengaged" Can anyone confirm if this is true.

It works perfectly on a manual with hill control. It has a HOLD function so you never have to use the foot brake on an incline. Foot brake is amazing and even in a manual with 3 pedals there is plenty of space for even a foot rest.
 
Thanks for all of your comments.

I found something which suggests the C180K engine in the W204 was a 1597cc Kompressor from 1/11/08 to 31/5/10 at least in manual form. I'm on the look out for one of these specific models as it suits my needs and budget. I don't expect it to get near the official MPG figures but from what I've read it will be both quicker than my old 190e and more economical (the 190e averaged 32.5 MPG over 21 years). The other option was a diesel model but as I do below average miles it doesn't add up especially with a DPF on short journeys. Frankly the complexity of modern cars frightens me so I'm going to try and keep it as simple as possible and hope it turns out to be as reliable as the 190e. Mrecedes went through a bad phase in the late 90's to early 2000's but from what I can gather they are back on the quality track.

While I've driven an auto for 21 years I've enjoyed driving manual cars occasionally so I expect I'll be OK with the parking brake especially if it has this hill start assist. It can't be harder to control than my 1979 BMW motorcycle which can be a challenge on a steep hill start.
 
To be honest you may find the transition to the " all electronic" W204 a bit of a culture shock after the 190. Routine DIY stuff like oil and filter changes, plug changes and brakes can still be done but anything involving the fuel injection system, autobox, ABS brake/stability systems chassis electronics etc will require dedicated diagnostic equipment which is not readily available except at a price. That said they are pretty reliable cars.
Transition to the turbo version of the M271 started around Sept 2009

https://translate.google.co.uk/tran...pedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_M_271&edit-text=
 
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Graeme,

Thanks for that link, it was very informative.


Barry
 
I don't think thats actually 100% true.

I have a 2012 W204 C180 and its a 1.8 Turbo (according to my V5)

The 1.8 didn't last long, and by Sept 2012 was replaced with the 1.6 Turbo, but the performance numbers bhp, torque, and 0-60 all remained exactly the same.

Interesting detail. It is very difficult to find definite info regarding the availability per model of the various permutation of the M271 engine in the W204.

Things were much simpler with the W203 which had the C180K, C200K, and C230K, all with the same M271 1.8L Kompressor engine but in different levels of tune....
 
Things were much simpler with the W203 which had the C180K, C200K, and C230K, all with the same M271 1.8L Kompressor engine but in different levels of tune....

Don't forget the C230 with the 2.5L M272! :D
 
Some feedback to finish up.

I've done the deed and bought an almost mint 2009(59) C180K Blue Efficiency with 47000 miles. As I mentioned at the start of the thread, 21 years ago I paid £9100 for a 5 year old 190e with 46000 miles and I've just done much the same with a W204 for fair bit less money. It's the Kompressor model with the 1.6 engine but felt very smooth and an awful lot faster than the 190e. If it lasts even half as long I'll be very happy.

The car really looks mint, not a mark anywhere except for a few touched in stone chips which I guess are inevitable. But what's with the weird material used for the wheel arch liners. Is it something to do with reducing road spray in the wet.
 
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Yes, it's an SE model. I understand the sport front grill is very popular but I prefer the traditional look. I plan to keep this car a long time and a minor financial difference is that the sport models wider tyres push it up to the next VED band.
 
Don't forget the C230 with the 2.5L M272! :D

Yes, but it was not C230K....
 

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