Short drive with the C220 and the E200K - Team-BHP

GTO · 27th July 2006, 14:37

So my wife and I decided to take a one day trip on Sunday, and what better place to go in the monsoons than the lonavla house.

After confirmation calls, there were 7 of us on for the trip. We chose to take the Mercs, and since the only other male was my inexperienced kid brother, we decided to take my driver along. More than the weather in Lonavla, I was looking forward to a headon comparo between the C and the E. Cann the girlie conversations, all I wanted to do was shift from the drivers seat of one car to the other along the way.

The meeting point was down my house early morning, and I started with the E200K. I found the E200 to be pretty responsive at first, and wondered what all the fuss about it being underpowered was! Buttttttttttttt after the first 50 kilometers, the E200 left me unimpressed. In terms of power, there is nothing "up" there. This engine is severely stressed to cope with the massive weight of the E Class, and is an outright shame to the rest of this supposed drivers car. The 1.8 liter runs out of breath even before you get to what even my aunts would call "spirited driving". Out on the expressway, the E seems to hit an invisible wall at 180 km/h with very little progress to go any further. My driver was leaving me for dead on the open and up the Lonavla ghats, try as I much....I could not keep up with the C220. Mercedes slushboxes are known to be the best in the world and the E transmission lives up to the reputation of being extremely smooth and jerk-free. Passengers can barely tell when the transmission is going through its ratios. Drive sedately and it will impress, but try to "kick-down" when you want to overtake and it will disappoint. The response time was very slow.

Another surprising aspect of the E200K was the relatively small size of its interiors. Team-BHPian "Sahil" recently commented on how similar he found the E interiors to that of the C. Rightly so...its really not that much bigger. Its only on the rear seat where you can tell the difference. From the drivers seat, I found the instrument cluster to be pretty complicated with three dials (speedo, rpm, clock) and an array of text and bar graphs. Gimme the C Class' two dial cluster anyday!

The one area where the E200 was very impressive is the ride quality. Bad roads were eaten up with a silent gulp, unlike the C220 which does tell its passengers of how incapable our road maintenance department is. I would attribute some of the difference to the C220s high performance Eagle F1s.

Unsurprisingly. I switched over to the C220 soon enough. With its 6 speed transmission and the stonker of a CDI engine...its a no-brainer.

GTO

Sahil · 27th July 2006, 14:49

Finally! Someone agrees with me

Kodos on the comparision between two cars from the same stable, different segments but close on the price difference.
Mercedes should have kept the older E240 engine at the price of the E200K. The 1.8 is not feasible for a car of that size.
I do agree on the suspension, that is one area where the E200K stands out. (The E280 and E280 CDi are equipped with even better suspension)

mxx · 27th July 2006, 16:20

yeah, the 200k's engine is ok in a C, not enough for E.

Rtech · 27th July 2006, 16:33

So now its CDi 2 - Kompressor 0.

Who's next in line?

Shan2nu · 27th July 2006, 17:42

The E is bound to be sluggish. The cars too big for the engine.

If you're gonna buy an E. Make it a E270 Cdi or an E320.

Shan2nu

GTO · 27th July 2006, 17:52

Quote:

If you're gonna buy an E. Make it a E270 Cdi or an E320.

You mean the E280's?

GTO

Shan2nu · 27th July 2006, 20:34

Quote:

You mean the E280's?

Sorry, yeah the E280.

0-60 - 3.9
0-100 - 8.2
1/4 mile - 15.8
Top speed 244kmph

Shan2nu

Mpower · 27th July 2006, 21:14

Good comparison. The E 200K is really for people who want to crawl around in traffic or cruise around town chauffer driven. A manual might help performance but I'm not sure if
that's an option. Any comments on the handling front?

jango · 27th July 2006, 22:42

GTO no pics ?? and is that ur car .....i mean the Merc

Guess? · 28th July 2006, 00:11

I know many people here would rather take the E28 or the 240E over the C but IMHO the E just isn't good. The trim levels compared to the C are just the same and if people really want a sporty car then the C is waaaaaaay better suited than the E if nothing else.

nitrous · 28th July 2006, 01:05

A VERY informative report,GTO. Its not surprising that it comes from u.

I've got a question. What does "Kompressor" mean??
I've always assumed it to be a supercharged engine while my tuner told me that its got an extra injector in the inlet manifold.
Which theory is correct??

cheap_deal · 28th July 2006, 01:18

You have assumed right nitrous. it does mean engine is supercharged

lamborghini · 28th July 2006, 14:48

Guess?
While buying our E270, we were initially considering a C220 CDi but the car was just too small and quite uncomfortable.
The E has a better ride quality, more space and that is a deciding factor for most buyers in that category.
That is infact one of the main reasons why the E sells more then the C (I read the sales bit somewhere).
GTO,
when did you get the E200K?

GTO · 28th July 2006, 14:59

The E200K is not mine, and I would never buy something so underpowered. I seriously did not find the E Class that much more spacious..but to each his own.

lamborghini · 28th July 2006, 15:08

GTO,
i am almost 6', my dad is 6'1".
In a C class, with my dad infront my knees are at a really uncomfortable position (same case with the CLS).
This wasn't happening with the E class. I had ample space to stretch out.
But then as you said, to each his own.

27th July 2006, 14:37	#1 (permalink)
GTO Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 13,101 View My Garage	Short drive with the C220 and the E200K So my wife and I decided to take a one day trip on Sunday, and what better place to go in the monsoons than the lonavla house. After confirmation calls, there were 7 of us on for the trip. We chose to take the Mercs, and since the only other male was my inexperienced kid brother, we decided to take my driver along. More than the weather in Lonavla, I was looking forward to a headon comparo between the C and the E. Cann the girlie conversations, all I wanted to do was shift from the drivers seat of one car to the other along the way. The meeting point was down my house early morning, and I started with the E200K. I found the E200 to be pretty responsive at first, and wondered what all the fuss about it being underpowered was! Buttttttttttttt after the first 50 kilometers, the E200 left me unimpressed. In terms of power, there is nothing "up" there. This engine is severely stressed to cope with the massive weight of the E Class, and is an outright shame to the rest of this supposed drivers car. The 1.8 liter runs out of breath even before you get to what even my aunts would call "spirited driving". Out on the expressway, the E seems to hit an invisible wall at 180 km/h with very little progress to go any further. My driver was leaving me for dead on the open and up the Lonavla ghats, try as I much....I could not keep up with the C220. Mercedes slushboxes are known to be the best in the world and the E transmission lives up to the reputation of being extremely smooth and jerk-free. Passengers can barely tell when the transmission is going through its ratios. Drive sedately and it will impress, but try to "kick-down" when you want to overtake and it will disappoint. The response time was very slow. Another surprising aspect of the E200K was the relatively small size of its interiors. Team-BHPian "Sahil" recently commented on how similar he found the E interiors to that of the C. Rightly so...its really not that much bigger. Its only on the rear seat where you can tell the difference. From the drivers seat, I found the instrument cluster to be pretty complicated with three dials (speedo, rpm, clock) and an array of text and bar graphs. Gimme the C Class' two dial cluster anyday! The one area where the E200 was very impressive is the ride quality. Bad roads were eaten up with a silent gulp, unlike the C220 which does tell its passengers of how incapable our road maintenance department is. I would attribute some of the difference to the C220s high performance Eagle F1s. Unsurprisingly. I switched over to the C220 soon enough. With its 6 speed transmission and the stonker of a CDI engine...its a no-brainer. GTO __________________ GTO Change the way you think, and watch the world change around you. Please don't PM for support. Use the Contact Form instead. Please read the NEW Team-BHP FAQ section for all your queries.

27th July 2006, 14:49	#2 (permalink)
Sahil Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 2,041	Finally! Someone agrees with me Kodos on the comparision between two cars from the same stable, different segments but close on the price difference. Mercedes should have kept the older E240 engine at the price of the E200K. The 1.8 is not feasible for a car of that size. I do agree on the suspension, that is one area where the E200K stands out. (The E280 and E280 CDi are equipped with even better suspension) __________________ ______________ __________ ______ __

27th July 2006, 16:33	#4 (permalink)
Rtech Team-BHP Support Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 5,982 View My Garage	So now its CDi 2 - Kompressor 0. Who's next in line? __________________ He who makes the loudest noise usually has the least to say. Unfortunately they don't realise that and keep at it! ____

27th July 2006, 17:42	#5 (permalink)
Shan2nu Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Hubli - Karnataka - India Posts: 4,165 View My Garage	The E is bound to be sluggish. The cars too big for the engine. If you're gonna buy an E. Make it a E270 Cdi or an E320. Shan2nu __________________ VTEC flyby - youtube.com/watch?v=1AhWJlVRPqE

27th July 2006, 21:14	#8 (permalink)
Mpower Team-BHP Support Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Chicago/B'lore Posts: 3,869 View My Garage	Good comparison. The E 200K is really for people who want to crawl around in traffic or cruise around town chauffer driven. A manual might help performance but I'm not sure if that's an option. Any comments on the handling front? __________________ The difference between the men and the boys....................is the speed of their toys.

27th July 2006, 16:20	#3 (permalink)
mxx BHPian Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 98	yeah, the 200k's engine is ok in a C, not enough for E.

27th July 2006, 22:42	#9 (permalink)
jango BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: B'lore & kotayam Posts: 570 View My Garage	GTO no pics ?? and is that ur car .....i mean the Merc __________________ Wounds Heal & Bones Set DRIVE FAST !!

28th July 2006, 00:11	#10 (permalink)
Guess? BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Mumbai Posts: 142	I know many people here would rather take the E28 or the 240E over the C but IMHO the E just isn't good. The trim levels compared to the C are just the same and if people really want a sporty car then the C is waaaaaaay better suited than the E if nothing else.

28th July 2006, 01:05	#11 (permalink)
nitrous Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2004 Location: Motorcity Madras Posts: 4,331 View My Garage	A VERY informative report,GTO. Its not surprising that it comes from u. I've got a question. What does "Kompressor" mean?? I've always assumed it to be a supercharged engine while my tuner told me that its got an extra injector in the inlet manifold. Which theory is correct?? __________________ Where were hamilton's.... when he had to overtake Rosberg?

28th July 2006, 01:18	#12 (permalink)
cheap_deal BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: unknown Posts: 426	You have assumed right nitrous. it does mean engine is supercharged

28th July 2006, 14:48	#13 (permalink)
lamborghini Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: South Mumbai/Smithfield, RI, USA Posts: 2,656 View My Garage	Guess? While buying our E270, we were initially considering a C220 CDi but the car was just too small and quite uncomfortable. The E has a better ride quality, more space and that is a deciding factor for most buyers in that category. That is infact one of the main reasons why the E sells more then the C (I read the sales bit somewhere). GTO, when did you get the E200K? __________________ ¢нєєяѕ ℓαмвσ lamborghinirules@gmail.com

28th July 2006, 14:59	#14 (permalink)
GTO Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 13,101 View My Garage	The E200K is not mine, and I would never buy something so underpowered. I seriously did not find the E Class that much more spacious..but to each his own. __________________ GTO Change the way you think, and watch the world change around you. Please don't PM for support. Use the Contact Form instead. Please read the NEW Team-BHP FAQ section for all your queries. Last edited by GTO : 28th July 2006 at 15:14.

28th July 2006, 15:08	#15 (permalink)
lamborghini Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: South Mumbai/Smithfield, RI, USA Posts: 2,656 View My Garage	GTO, i am almost 6', my dad is 6'1". In a C class, with my dad infront my knees are at a really uncomfortable position (same case with the CLS). This wasn't happening with the E class. I had ample space to stretch out. But then as you said, to each his own. __________________ ¢нєєяѕ ℓαмвσ lamborghinirules@gmail.com

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