Which C Class for London driving?

[simpix]

I am looking to buy a 1 year old C class.
I live in London and drive around 8000 miles a year mostly around town.
Which C class would give me the best fuel economy for this type of driving?:
C180 petrol
C200 cdi diesel
C220cdi diesel
I am getting conflicting advice from dealers and would appreciate any "hands on" opinions/advice from owners.
thanks,
Simpix

 

[Dieselman]

I would go for the 220Cdi as it often gives better economy than the 200Cdi due to having more torque available.

 

[seymansey]

agreed with Dieselman. You can't really go wrong with that engine.

 

[sym]

I would go for the 220Cdi as it often gives better economy than the 200Cdi due to having more torque available.

Technical explanation please ? I can't understand how it would ... how does available torque positively affect fuel consumption ? I don't disbelieve you, but just curious !

S.

 

[recycled]

i would go for the 1.8 petrol. it will be cheaper and with that amount of mileage you will not make back your savings with the more expensive diesel plus more expensive running costs and things to go wrong, like turbo chargers.
depends if you are just looking for fuel economy or overall cheaper running costs.
if it is just the economy you are after, then go for the diesel.

 

[recycled]

Technical explanation please ? I can't understand how it would ... how does available torque positively affect fuel consumption ? I don't disbelieve you, but just curious !

S.

more torque means it does not have to work as hard to do the same job or require more pulling power, hence better economy

 

[JC180]

Go for the petrol, the diesel will cost you a couple of grand more to buy which doing that mileage will take a few years to recoup. I also find diesels a nuisance in traffic as they are noisiest when pulling away in first gear and thats what in-town driving mainly consists of. After a while the noise just reverberates around your head long after your journey has finished.

Also there is the lag issue, although the latest CDI engines are far better than the previous generation there is still a delay before the boost comes on which makes smooth town driving a little weary. The 180K has a supercharger (rather than a turbo) which provides boost throughout the rev range, lag free.

Just my views, I know DM will try and shoot me down in flames

 

[verytalldave]

more torque means it does not have to work as hard to do the same job or require more pulling power, hence better economy

Or too be strictly correct, potentially better. It depends how its driven of course. If that statement were generally true, then we would all be driving around in SL500's getting 40mpg.
As you are specifically talking about London, it almost goes without saying that you must only consider a car that throws out less than 225g/km of CO2 to not come within the top band of congestion charging.
Of course, only buy an automatic. Driving a manual in central London is a real pain.
My last point is buy a light colour. Statistically, less likely to be involved in an accident than a dark coloured car. But that's really more of a personal choice than anything else. Just thought it was worth mentioning.

 

[Dieselman]

Just my views, I know DM will try and shoot me down in flames

Bang..Woof..Burn..


LOL..


EDIT:

As a result of verytalldaves post and I just happened to be in this: Spookey..

Co2 listings.

 

[Dryce]

Technical explanation please ? I can't understand how it would ... how does available torque positively affect fuel consumption ? I don't disbelieve you, but just curious !

Torque doesn't directly affect fuel consumption.

In the car world it generally means that your engine pulls better at lower revs.

That can mean less gear changing, more relaxed in town driving, and may indirectly achieve better fuel consumption.

On that basis the 220 may be a bit better than the 200 diesel.

 

[recycled]

believe me you do not want to rev if you have a diesel.
Sounds like .................... massey ferguson

 

[Dieselman]

Sounds like .................... massey ferguson

A WHAT.?...I CANT QUITE HEAR YOU OVER THAT DAMNED ENGINE..

 

[fuzzer]

Go for the petrol, the diesel will cost you a couple of grand more to buy which doing that mileage will take a few years to recoup. I also find diesels a nuisance in traffic as they are noisiest when pulling away in first gear and thats what in-town driving mainly consists of. After a while the noise just reverberates around your head long after your journey has finished.

Also there is the lag issue, although the latest CDI engines are far better than the previous generation there is still a delay before the boost comes on which makes smooth town driving a little weary. The 180K has a supercharger (rather than a turbo) which provides boost throughout the rev range, lag free.

Just my views, I know DM will try and shoot me down in flames

Cdi engine is much better to drive than the C180k Any day of the week.

However , being in london i would Buy a C180k and convert it to LPG and go down the alternative fuel route for the Congestion charging.

 

[sym]

believe me you do not want to rev if you have a diesel.
Sounds like .................... massey ferguson

Might sound like one, but mine definitely goes better than a massey ferguson ... (well OK, just a LITTLE bit !) and at least pedestrians can hear me approaching properly ! (additional safety feature !)

Had a colleague in the car on friday who couldn't believe it was a diesel, in fact, and I must say its the 'quietest' one that I've had yet - (in relative terms of course - no mistaking it as far as I'm concerned !)

S.

 

[simpix]

Thanks for all your replies.
As with the advice from the dealers I am still confused.
Can anyone give me an idea of what mpg I can expect around town from the 3 models (C180,C200cdi and C220cdi) I am looking at?
thanks

 

[sym]

C200 CDI AUTO - you'll get 30mpg .. if you're careful - in my experience ... usually less. Some careful gear changing could improve this figure, but if its all stop start, expect no more than 25mpg (unless there's something wrong with mine !)

S.

 

[recycled]

Cdi engine is much better to drive than the C180k Any day of the week.

.

except monday - friday

 

[Dieselman]

And at the weekends....

 

[simpix]

"C200 CDI AUTO - you'll get 30mpg .. if you're careful - in my experience ... usually less. Some careful gear changing could improve this figure, but if its all stop start, expect no more than 25mpg (unless there's something wrong with mine !)"

Thanks Sym,
Anyone got likely figures for C180/C220cdi?
Simpix

 

[crockers]

However , being in london i would Buy a C180k and convert it to LPG and go down the alternative fuel route for the Congestion charging.

Wouldnt this kiss goodbye to his warranty?