SA Road Tests

Welcome

This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. I drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under real-world South African conditions. Many of the vehicles driven are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you get where you live.

My most recent drive is on the home page. Archived reviews and opinion pieces are in the active menu down the left side. Hover your cursor over a heading or manufacturer's name and follow the drop-down.

Editor's note: SA Roadtests accepts multi-day vehicle loans from manufacturers in order to provide editorial reviews. All vehicle reviews are conducted on our turf and on our terms.

For out-of-province vehicle launch features however, travel costs are covered by the manufacturer concerned. This is common in the motor industry, as it's more economical to ship journalists to cars than to ship cars to journalists.

Judgments and opinions expressed on this site are our own. We do not accept paid editorial content or ads of any kind.


2008 Mercedes Benz C220 CDI

Hey? Is it a diesel?

Originally posted: January 9, 2008

You want a Mercedes, you can afford one and you deserve it, but...

It's always been a numbers race in motoring circles, hasn't it? My 320 is bigger than your 280 and lucky old Surisha runs a 450? The numbers have traditionally been a reflection of bigger engines pulling more easily up hills and sprinting up to the magical 100 km/h more quickly, but what makes sprint times so important? By the time you can  realistically see a luxury car in your life, you have probably passed the age when testosterone-driven traffic light grands prix have any real meaning, anyway.
 
The fact that petrol and diesel fuels cost well over R7.00 per litre and the end is not yet in sight, also means that you are, like the rest of us, driving like a little old lady in order to extract every last metre of benefit out of your fuel. Then there's your bunny-hugging sister-in-law who is continually on at you about THE ENVIRONMENT (she always says that in capitals, doesn't she?). Like, what are you doing to rescue the planet, how fuel-efficient is that monster of yours and what about the CO2 grams per kilometre?

Fret not, friends. The answer to all but the one-upmanship of numbers is here. The SA Car of the Year (COTY)-nominated Mercedes Benz C220 CDI could well fulfil your needs and allay your concerns.

In manual transmission form, it sprints to 100 km/h in 8,5 seconds and reaches a top speed of  230 km/h - quick enough to see off most juveniles in their little econoboxes, surely? Economy-wise, the Car magazine fuel index is 6,1 l/100 km while the CO2 number is only 160 gm/km.  I think your sister-in-law might grudgingly agree to get in the car with you?

That's not all, though. This diesel-burner is pure Mercedes, with all the comfort, safety, standard equipment and build quality you expect. For those wanting more, the options list is six pages long. It is quiet, too. Inside, with the air conditioner on and the music playing gently, only Superman could hear that there is a diesel up front.  For example, I visited a local tyre guy to have a puncture fixed and after he had driven the car into the service area, I asked whether he had driven any other new Mercedes diesels recently. His reaction: Hey? Is that a diesel? Couldn't hear a thing!

Getting back to the options list, those accustomed to the model designations and trim packages available on most cars will need to accept a culture-adjustment. Forget about model designations such as L, GL, GLE etcetera and particular options available only to certain trim levels. On these new Mercedes' you start off with your basic (in this instance) C220 CDI Classic, then add on as desired. Automatic? Yours for an extra R13 000 (all six cylinder models come in automatic only). Leather? R10 500. Sunroof? R9 500. Avantgarde trim package? R18 000 (once again, included on six cylinder models). It's truly a case of  being able to build your own car, limited only by the generosity of your wallet.

The car we tested arrived quite heavily loaded with metallic paint, Avantgarde package, AMG kit, automatic transmission, leather upholstery, sunroof, electrically adjustable seats, Parktronic parking assist, COMAND navigation and music system, blue tooth phone kit and Harman Kardon Logic 7 surround sound system. These added R105 200 to the basic car's list price of R305 000.

Out on the road, the ride was everything one expects of a modern car, both on tar and country gravel - supple, compliant and stable. When one needs to overtake, one simply floors the throttle and a most undiesel-like surge pulls you past. For example, power on tap at 120 km/h is, as the Rolls Royce people used to say: "more than adequate." As for handling and hill climbing abilities, there's "this hill I know." With "Sport" selected on the transmission and bearing in mind that the AMG package includes slightly lowered suspension and the rear tyres on the classy AMG mags are slightly wider (245/40 R17 vs 225/45 R17) than the fronts, the car took the twisty hill in its stride. In most cars, it takes a bit of work to maintain 70 to 80 kays up this incline, while in the Mercedes I could have gone beyond the 100 km/h indicated, quite easily.

Shortcomings? Very few. If I were picky, I might say that rear seat legroom (six footer sitting behind six footer) was OK but not lounge-like and the side sills are a bit deep, meaning that those with long legs and size 12 feet get a wee bit tangled when climbing out. The lowered suspension of the AMG package results in restricted ground clearance - beware the parking lot humps at Hayfields shopping centre.

Summing up, if you want a frugal and nimble Mercedes that belies the numbers race, look no further. To become a COTY nominee, a car has to be pretty special and this one is exactly that.  If I had the money, would I buy one? You bet!

Test unit from MBSA press fleet

The numbers:
2 148 cc four-cylinder inline, commonrail turbo-diesel
Power: 125 kW @ 3 800 rpm
Torque: 400 Nm @ 2 000 rpm
Bore x Stroke 88,0 mm x 88,3 mm
Compression ratio 17,5:1
Boot capacity 328 cu. dm.
Mass 1 585 kg
Payload 485 kg
Tank 66 litres

Performance (Car magazine, automatic version)
0 - 100 km/h  9,24 seconds
Top speed 225 km/h
Fuel Consumption index 7,18 l/100 km
CO2 188 gm/km

What We Do

This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.

Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads or goat tracks as well. As a result, my test cars do occasionally get dirty. It's all part of the reviewing process.

I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material.

If ever I place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with a very similar vehicle already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.

Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. There are no advertisers and no “editorial policy” rules. I add bylines to acknowledge sponsored launch functions and the manufacturers or dealerships that provide the test vehicles.  And, as quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so you can see I do actually exist.

Comments or questions?
Want to ask a question, comment or just tell me you completely disagree with what I say? If you want advice or have a genuine concern, I will be happy to hear from you. All I ask is that you write something in the subject line so I know which vehicle you're talking about.