Mercedes C270 CDi

Diesel is quite a controversial source of fuel at the moment. You get lots of kilometers per tank, a lot of torque, and a bomb proof motor, but with every smile comes a frown. You also get the noise of a farm tractor, the horrid smell and smoke out of your exhaust. And in the case of the C270, a lot of turbo lag.

However once the turbo spins into life you also get a lot of torque, 400Nm’s to be precise. Turbo lag is fine when you have control of the transmission, because if you keep the revs up, it limits the effect, but in the case of most Merc’s, you don’t get manual transmission. Mercedes aims their cars to a market base that enjoys performance, comfort and luxury but importantly you don’t have to be a racing drive to get the most out of it. Thus automatic transmission is favorable as it is a less involving way of driving and furthermore, having an automatic gearbox do the work for you in the traffic is much more relaxing than a manual, however you do have to wait for your torque and power to arrive in the diesel versions.

So by now you’ve probably gathered that the power delivery is a bit different as in most diesels but when it does arrive 400Nm’s does move you along adequately. The C270 also has 125KW of power which is not tremendous but diesels never really have large Kilowatt outputs. Also the seats are comfortable and the interior is well thought out and functional ergonomically. You will seat 4 comfortably and there is a very boot capacity as you would expect from the German saloons. The ride is more than comfortable over our bumpy roads and the steering is reasonably direct. Obviously there is body roll but you’ll never reach the limits of grip cornering around the suburbs streets. Well one would hope so anyway.

Looks of this C class are outdated now, but you can find some really good deals second hand. In a nutshell it’s quite easy to summarize this car. Its quiet, has a comfortable drive, is relaxing in traffic, has good motorway characteristics, good economy and is sublime. However it won’t be an adrenaline inducing racer.

Pros:
Economy
Value
Torque
Executive feel

Cons:
Outdated
Turbo lag

 

Ewen Cameron