SA Roadtests
South Africa
ctjag8
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. Most, but not all, 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.
The cheat sheet
Basic price: R586 810 inclusive of carbon dioxide tax
Engine: 2143 cc, M-B OM 651, DOHC, 16-valve, twin turbo, four-cylinder diesel
Power: 150 kW at 3800 rpm
Torque: 500 Nm between 1600 and 1800 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 6.9 seconds
Maximum speed: 241 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 6.7 l/100 km
Tank: 66 litres
Luggage: 490 – 1510 litres
Warranty and maintenance: 6 years/ 100 000 km
You don’t see many station wagons (estate cars) these days because the whole world and his dog are fixated on SUVs. That’s a pity because a station wagon is essentially the same thing; a five-person people mover with extra space for luggage, groceries, a bicycle, work equipment, camping gear, bags of cement, window frames – you name it.
It’s also built like a saloon car; decently close to the ground and with a low centre of gravity so you can drive enthusiastically without that gut-pinching feeling of top-heaviness. The Mercedes-Benz C250 Estate is like its C-class saloon sisters but with a touch more space and added practicality. Let’s look closer:
It has the same wheelbase, track dimensions, width, turning circle and fuel tank as the saloons – because it’s built on the same platform. It gains 16 millimetres in body length, 35 mm in height, 10 litres more initial luggage space and 10 kilograms greater payload capacity. That’s not much, granted, but the rear seat backs fold flat in three sections - 40:20:40 percent - in any combination you choose.
The flat load floor, at just above knee level, extends from just under a metre long when the seats are up to about 1.8 metres when they’re folded. And, depending on what’s loaded, there’s still room for one or two passengers plus those up front.
To make life comfortable, the hatch lid lifts and closes electrically, four lashing rings and a luggage net help keep things secure and there are two lights and a 12-volt socket for convenience. If you make a habit of walking around with your arms full, the Easy Pack tailgate, included with keyless entry and start at R9 500, lets you open and close the gate by wafting a foot beneath the bumper.
As expected these days, the body of this station wagon is a little bigger, up to 65 kg lighter, stiffer, stronger and more aerodynamic than the old one; but everybody does that right? It’s also simpler of line and more stylish. To quote the company’s Head of Exterior Design, Robert Lesnick: “Purity means that we take off everything that you don’t need. We (…) keep it round and concentrate on the proportions and a good stance, which I think is typical for a German car design. Then we don’t need so many details.”
Because this is the biggest engine option in C-class Estates, standard kit includes the 7G-Tronic Plus automatic gearbox that wrote the book on how these things should work, seven airbags and a boatload of safety equipment. Thermatic dual zone climate control is there too, along with the competent Audio 20 music system, Bluetooth, cruise control, tyre pressure monitoring, Artico faux leather seats and the electric tail gate.
Agility Control provides amplitude-selected damping along with four modes - Eco, Comfort, Sport and Sport Plus - tailoring different engine, steering, aircon and start-stop settings. There’s also a fifth mode called Individual that lets you brew your own mixture of behaviours. Note: Every combination defaults back to automatic stop-and-start when the engine is re-fired after shutdown. Switch it off, if you like, with a button on the console.
Avantgarde interior and exterior trim is standard but unlike other Mercedes’ with their three-way C-S-M selectors, you cannot dial in a completely manual shift mode. That could be disappointing for those lusting after an über sportwagon, but for its intended family audience it’s probably perfect.
With 150 kilowatts and 500 Newton-metres at its disposal the C250 diesel gets the job done quickly, quietly and unobtrusively. It has all the acceleration and power any civilised person needs and, able to loaf along at 1700 rpm at 120 km/h in seventh, it’s almost indecently light on fuel.
Keeping things simple, doors still need you to handle buttons on the key fob, the ignition turns on by inserting said fob into a slot and twisting it, seats adjust mechanically but steering wheel movement is powered and satnav with fancier music system is extra. But because it’s a Mercedes-Benz the options list is as long and expensive as you choose to make it. Our test car was fitted with R159 000-worth of extras but we won’t confuse you by trawling through the list. Let’s just say it was nice stuff, but one could live without most of it.
Looking through the price guide in the back of THAT magazine, you notice some fairly mainstream SUVs in the C250 Estate’s price range. Interesting; for around R587 000 you could buy something ordinary or you could have what is possibly the most practical and well balanced Mercedes-Benz of all. Pretty much a no-brainer isn’t it?
Test unit from MBSA press fleet
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.
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.
Comments?
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SA Roadtests
South Africa
ctjag8