SA Road Tests

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This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. We drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under South African conditions. It also just happens that most of the vehicles we drive are world cars as well, so what you read here probably applies to the models you can get at home.
*To read one of our road tests, just select from the menu on the left. Hover your cursor over the manufacturer's name, then choose from the drop-down menu.
*Please remember too, that prices quoted were those ruling on the days I wrote the reports.


We try a 2013 Mercedes-Benz C180 Avantgarde Edition C

No plain brown wrapper

Published in Witness Wheels on Thursday October 3, 2013

Just because you drive a Plain Jane Mercedes-Benz C180, it doesn’t mean you have to look like a 45-kg weakling; for only R5900 extra you can order an Edition C styling package that makes your car, and by extension you, look pretty muscular. And if you go the whole way by upgrading to Avantgarde trim (+R21 000) as well, then Lara Croft and Jean-Claude van Damme had better watch out.

The package is available as an option on all Classic and Avantgarde C-class sedans, estate cars and coupés. There are differences depending on which base vehicle you choose, but essentially it consists of an AMG styling kit – front and rear aprons and side sill panels; an exclusive radiator grille with high-gloss black louvres and chrome trim, flanked by darkened headlamps; a chromed tailpipe trim and Edition C badges on the front fenders. Special black alloy wheels for Classic versions are shod with 225/45 R17 tyres. Our test car, being an Avantgarde automatic, qualified for wider five-spoke classic alloys coloured in ‘sterling silver’ and fitted with 225/40 R18 tyres in front and 255/35 R18 rubberware behind. It’s almost worth finding the Avantgarde money just to be able to get these wheels.

Moving inside, the package provides a black fabric roof liner; three-spoke sports steering wheel in nappa leather; an 11.4 cm multi-function TFT colour display with Attention Assist; sports seats upholstered in Artico and black Dinamica; shift lever in Artico; door centre panels in Dinamica microfibre; through-loading feature (sedans only); dark aluminium trim with longitudinal grain and velour floor carpets. Most of these trim items have contrasting top stitching in blue or alpaca grey. A media interface kit is included with Avantgarde Edition C packages, but optional on Classic models. Now that you look the part, what’s the car like?

The first thing we noticed is that Dinamica is a rather attractive imitation suede material. It adds a touch of snob value to the seats that adjust through their various lifts, supports, slides and angles using a combination of mechanical muscle and electrical power. Steering wheel adjustments are mechanical too. The central armrest-cum-utility box that also houses USB and M-B interface sockets is fairly small – we guess you would get no more than three CDs in there.

Driver controls include the classic Mercedes parking brake - engaged by foot and released with an electronic tab; a proper shift lever in the centre with manual override off to the left, but no steering wheel paddles; selectors for economy and sport functions and ECO mode. Settings default back to ECO and E when restarting. There are two cup holders under a roller-top cover and the door bins and cubby are nicely sized. Dual channel air conditioning features repeater vents for those in the back and there is an audible reverse parking assistant, but no graphics. Wipers, indicators and cruise control occupy a pair of stalks behind the wheel; with music, computer and phone buttons on the front.

The turbocharged 1600cc engine, albeit in a heavy body, performs very well. It never appears to find your demands beyond its capabilities, although it obviously won’t give the inspiration for its seats, the C63 AMG, any cause for concern. It loafs along at about 2200 rpm in top gear at 120, so there is always power in hand. We occasionally noticed a slight hesitation when demanding instant gratification at around 110 – 120 km/h in seventh gear, but switching its mode to sport helped to mask that.

The lid pops open when you push the button on the key fob, to reveal an almost square boot fitted with a light, four lashing rings, two baggage hooks and a netted nook off to one side. It loads at upper thigh height and is about 10 cm deep. The spacesaver spare nestles in a compartment under the base board. A pair of convenient handles just inside the boot release the 60:40 seat backs, so you don’t have to walk around to attend to that little chore. Once released, they lie down completely flat to line up with a slight hump at the front end of the load area.

The SA Standard Tall Passenger found sufficient head, knee and foot space in the back seat so guest travellers of average size should have no problems at all. The central armrest features a pair of cup holders and a shallow tray for phones or office supplies, while a 12-Volt, 15-Ampere socket at the rear of the console provides recharging capacity. Head restraints and belts are provided for three.

Whether it’s for young families or singles, this Edition C styling package provides an attractive and affordable alternative for owners seeking to make their C-class yet more personal.

Test car from MBSA press fleet

The numbers
Price as tested: R419 436
Engine: 1596cc, 16-valve, four-cylinder turbocharged
Power: 115 kW at 5300 rpm
Torque: 250 Nm between 1250 and 4000 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 8,9 seconds
Maximum speed: 223 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 8,4 l/100 km
Tank: 66 litres
Boot: 475 litres VDA
Warranty and maintenance: 6 years/100 000 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 as well.

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 I ever place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with that vehicle at least once 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.

My reviews and launch reports appear on Thursdays in the Wheels supplement to The Witness, South Africa's oldest continuously running newspaper, and occasionally on Saturdays in Weekend Witness as well. I drive eight to ten vehicles each month, most months of the year (except over the festive season) so not everything gets published in the paper. Those that are, get a tagline but the rest is virgin, unpublished and unedited by the political-correctness police.

Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. As quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so they can see I do actually exist.



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