Review: Mercedes-Benz C200 Kompressor Avantgarde

A superb long-distance cruiser with which to run away from the hoi polloi.

WORDS Marvin Tan PHOTOS Marvin Tan  | 20 April 2008

CLICK ON PHOTOS TO OPEN PHOTO GALLERY This, ladies and gentlemen, is a Mercedes-Benz C200 Kompressor Avantgarde. And it costs three million bucks. That price can buy you almost two brand-new Honda Accords. Or three and a half Honda Civics. Or seven and a half Suzuki Altos. It begs the question: just what kind of car do you get for this lordly amount of money? Is this Benz worth two Honda Accords? It’s a tough sell. Heck, in many ways the Benz doesn’t even equal one Honda Accord. The top-of-the-line Honda flagship sedan has more space, far more power, more features, more gee-whiz technology and has the same build quality and the same materials quality. And let’s not even talk about the Benz’s upkeep and maintenance. The radiator requires Johnnie Walker Blue Label as its antifreeze. The engine needs liquefied foie gras for lubrication and extra virgin olive oil for fuel. The tires will bubble unless you put argon in them. Even the windshield washers demand nothing less than Perrier aqua. But the fact of the matter is this. The Mercedes-Benz is a Mercedes-Benz and the Accord is just a Honda. The Benz can brashly thrust its polished three-pointed star into the Accord’s nose and scream, “I am a Mercedes-Benz!” Poor Accord, bewildered and terrified at this bold ejaculation, like a jilted Australian lover. There’s another key difference. Buyers of the Benz are likely as mind-bogglingly rich as the Lopezes and Montanos and aren’t counting pesos anymore. This means that if you even begin to wonder if this C200K is worth two Honda Accords, you can’t afford the Mercedes-Benz. And I can’t, so I can wonder. Just what does it mean for you to drive around in a Mercedes-Benz? Everyone in every car around you on the road stares at the car. And then at you. When you’ve arrived and parked the car, everyone in the parking lot stares at the car. And then at you. I was wearing a t-shirt when I drove the Benz. People probably thought I stole the car. Suddenly, security people at gated subdivisions no longer require your ID and seem to hurry to raise the barrier. Suddenly, security people at malls wave you off without checking your trunk for weapons of mass destruction. Suddenly, security people at hotels aren’t as persistent in shooing you away when you’ve been waiting at the driveway for more than two minutes. Suddenly, you’re a celebrity. Sometimes, the attention is unwanted. It’s hot to the eyes. People will keep staring at you long after you’ve become paranoid. In many ways a Mercedes-Benz limits you and where you can go, especially if it has no tint on the windows. You can no longer stop by the fruit stands going down from Tagaytay. Somehow, pulling over the rickety stalls and haggling with the vendor for a pineapple just seems… wrong with a Mercedes. And suddenly, you’ll be choosing your parking spaces more carefully than you’ve ever had in your life, lest some careless – or envious – soul scratch the beautiful paint. Or steal the Benz emblem on the snout. Or something. Once I was passing a small side street in a neighborhood that wasn’t as rich as the Mercedes-Benz’s target buyer. Somebody slapped the rump of the car as it drove past. I guess celebrity isn’t all beer and skittles. Besides the social consequences of driving an elitist vehicle in a third-world country, there is another thing about this Mercedes-Benz. And that is the simple fact that this is a superb car. Three million bucks is a lot of money. And for that you get the sacred details that only top-dollar machinery have, and that no spec sheet will ever hope to capture. The hefty, substantial doors feel and sound like three million bucks when you shut them. Slide into the driver’s seat, and then behold the classy instrument panel. The speedometer needle seems like it is floating unsupported in the dial. How is this possible? I don’t know, but it is fascinating. As are the chrome rings around the gauges. And of course, the aluminum trim can only be real metal. The list goes on. When you turn off the stereo, the sound fades to silence instead of cutting off abruptly. The cubbyholes and map pockets are felt-lined. The lids of the cubbyholes are gently sprung and nicely damped. The doors are triple-sealed. The trunk opens fully when you press the button to open it. The rearview mirror is a beefy piece that feels like a million bucks by itself. The power window safety lock is marked by an LED light. Build quality is impeccable. All very nice. And then I tried changing the radio station. And promptly got confused. Apparently, the more complicated a car is, the more expensive it feels. Because simplicity is, well, for simpletons. So in this Benz, simple things like resetting the trip meter, inserting a CD into the player, switching radio stations and even opening the cubbyhole between the seats take a moment’s deliberation. There are no less than seven buttons on the overhead console by the rear-view mirror, including controls for, as far as I could tell, the solar eclipse, turning off the front doors, turning off the overhead fire alarm and turning off illegal MMDA towing. Moreover, there are 14 buttons on the steering wheel, including ones for adding, subtracting and for controlling bad breath. That’s not counting the 45 buttons and knobs on the dashboard and console, including a switch for turning off mental telepathy, nor the controls for the lights, wipers, windows and mirrors. You wouldn’t necessarily need a degree from Harvard to operate this C Class. One from Georgetown will do. If you can afford this car, you can afford the higher education. I might be exaggerating slightly. The interior design is actually refreshingly clean and uncluttered given all the features that must be controlled. But no matter. Because it won't be long until you have the controls down pat, and then it takes only a moment to realize that the C Class is fantastic in how it goes about its business of mobility. Firstly, C200 is actually a lie because the engine is in fact a 1.8-liter four-cylinder. Supercharged, however, so it makes a fair bit more power and torque than a Honda Civic – 181 hp and 250 Nm (184 lb-ft), to be precise. On the road, it works beautifully, with the engine pulling robustly even from idle. Unlike a Honda engine which is rather lacking in torque until you get the revs up, this blown four-pot feels sufficiently brawny in most everyday conditions. It doesn’t sound particularly stirring, but its smoothness is impeccable. It gets this baby Benz to 100 kph in 8.6 seconds, which is exactly as Mercedes-Benz claims, and overtaking need not be a Hail Mary moment with a 60-100 kph time of 4.5 seconds. Best of all, fuel economy isn’t bad: 6.8 km per liter in the city, 7.9 in mixed driving, and as high as 10.2 on the highway. But all those numbers do not describe the uncanny effortlessness of how the C200K accelerates. At triple-digit speeds, there are no untoward vibrations, no hint of stress or exertion and no uncouth noises. This Benz is as stable as Switzerland on the Skyway. And the steering, though over-assisted, keeps you posted at all times about all the details of the road surface. A superb long-distance cruiser, this car. The ride is commendably supple and impressively quiet, with potholes and surface imperfections dispatched decisively and quietly. And the audio system is spectacular. When the highway meets the mountains, the Mercedes remains game even though it’s not as sporty as a BMW. Body roll is well-controlled for the most part, and you’ll have to be in a massive hurry to induce understeer in ordinary driving. The car feels nimble and light on its feet in the esses, though too bad the steering becomes too light and a bit aloof in this kind of driving. The electronic stability control steps in sternly to discipline hooliganism, but if you’re the type who would turn it off anyway, you wouldn’t be buying a Mercedes-Benz anyway. Downsides? A few. The five-speed automatic transmission can be quite clueless at times, particularly when pushing off from a stop. It seems to prefer a high gear, realizes that you’re asking for more poke, then kicks down brusquely to first gear. There are some bits in the interior that feel chintzy, like the plastic shift knob (come on, how much can a proper shift knob cost?), headlight height adjuster and the parking-brake release. Audi is still the champ at doing bespoke interiors. Speaking of headlights, I thought that the beam of the halogen peepers was too low, even when set to the highest they will go. The brake pedal is a little bit imprecise as well. Interior space also isn’t a strong suit, particularly in the rear seat. A Honda Civic is roomier, not to mention an Accord or Camry. But when all is said and done, there’s one last thing to say about this new C Class. And that is this is a beautiful car. The headlights, the powerful grille with the massive three-pointed star, the 17-inch wheels, the long hood and low, short tail, the short overhangs, the fender flares and the bold character line along the flanks, the restrained use of chrome accents… it all adds up to a car that turns heads and induces awe. The BMW 3 Series is downright unremarkable in comparison. And let’s face it. You buy a Mercedes-Benz in the Philippines to make the plebeians go ooh and aah. And that’s why this car is worth two Honda Accords and worth buying liquefied foie gras for. Because a Honda Accord just doesn’t make the plebeians ooh and aah like a Mercedes-Benz does, and just doesn’t make village security people hurry to raise the barrier… like a Mercedes-Benz does. SPECIFICATIONS Vehicle type 4-door, 5-passenger luxury compact sedan Vehicle layout Front-engine, rear-wheel drive Price P 2,980,000 THE GOOD Makes your social standing skyrocket, nimble handling, supple ride, handsome styling, killer audio, good performance THE BAD Tight interior space, overboosted steering, a few cheap bits inside, sporty drivers will still want a BMW THE LOWDOWN Yes, of course it's worth the price of two Honda Accords. It's a Mercedes-Benz. Length 4,581 mm (180.4 in) Width 1,770 mm (69.7 in) Height 1,447 mm (57.0 in) Wheelbase 2,760 mm (108.7 in) Curb weight 1,505 kg (3,318 lb) Engine M271; supercharged and intercooled 16-valve DOHC EFI inline-4 gasoline Displacement 1,796 cc Engine features Variable valve timing, supercharger and intercooler Max. power 181 hp @ 5,500 rpm Max. torque 250 Nm (184 lb-ft) @ 2,800 to 5,000 rpm Transmission 5-speed automatic Front suspension Independent: multiple links, coil springs, stabilizer bar Rear suspension Independent: multiple links, coil springs, stabilizer bar Brakes (front/rear) Ventilated disc / disc; with anti-lock Tires Michelin Pilot Preceda, 215/50ZR-17 95W Major standard features Driver and passenger airbags, side airbags, side curtain airbags, driver knee airbag, power windows, mirrors, door locks, power driver and front passenger seat, dual-zone electronic climate control, fog lamps, anti-lock brakes with brake assist ad adaptive brake lights, front, side and rear parking sensors, electronic stability control (ESP), multifunction trip meter, automatic headlights, cruise control, six-CD in-dash changer with MP3 capability, electronic service interval indicator bigbigcar.com TEST RESULTS Acceleration, 0-60 kph 4.1 seconds Acceleration, 0-100 kph 8.6 seconds Acceleration, 60-100 kph 4.5 seconds Fuel economy, city 6.8 km per liter Fuel economy, highway 10.0 km per liter Fuel economy, mixed city and highway 7.9 km per liter Top speed (manufacturer claimed) 230 kph CATS Motors lent the test unit for this evaluation.

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