Mercedes-Benz C180K 2006 Long-term review - 3

Long-term Test:

Update III:

Update II: LIVING WITH A SILVER STAR
There's a suggestion that premium brands have lost some of their shine Down Under. The story goes that due to the growing numbers of entry-level Audi, BMW, Lexus and Mercedes-Benz models on our roads, the general public is placing less value on the marques... That some of the cachet is wearing off.

Quite apart from the fact statistics simply don't support the contention that we're even close to the proportion of 'premium' to 'conventional' models experienced in markets like the UK (where 'premium' brands account for almost double the market share they do Down Under) our experience in the relatively short period we've run our C180K long-termer is quite the contrary. To the man and woman in the street the silver star has lost none of its lustre.

Car enthusiasts might be keen to highlight entry-level model 'premiums' as overpriced and underpowered but to the general public a Benz is a Benz, is a Benz... Indeed, we've been genuinely surprised not only by the drive of our long-term baby C but also how it has been received at the kerbside.

Whether one consciously acknowledges it, how others perceive a new car purchase plays an important part in our overall satisfaction rating. Had we spent our own hard-earned dollars on 'our' C180K, the verdict to date on 'peer rating' would be a solid thumbs-up.

That silver is the default colour for big Benzes has probably counted in the 180's favour. Interestingly, few kerbside courtesans are at all interested about what's under the bonnet. They comment on the looks of the C, and perhaps the smart charcoal interior, but that's the extent of the 'detailed' observations.

We'd hazard you lot are keener to hear a more enlightening summary of the drive to date, however.

So far the C180 has largely been pressed into family service. In addition to city and suburban commuting duties this has included a couple of near-country runs and a full highway stint to Canberra over the New Year period.

What we haven't had the opportunity to do is take the C180 for a decent 'fun' drive. Once the holiday crowds diminish, a strop down the Great Ocean Road is on the agenda to evaluate Mercedes' claims that evolution has sharpened up the C.

Around town duty has allowed us to check out the amenity of the C in general use. As you'd expect from a conventional, compact four-door sedan there is little to fault. Visibility is good all around and the car's size and the addition of front and rear park sensors as standard equipment means parking is hatchback easy.

We've largely been toting a couple of passengers as a maximum. The times we've had to squeeze five in, the journeys have been (mercifully) short. The C's compact dimensions mean that it really is a four-seater in adult terms. Pack in five adults and they'll yell enough (or E-Class!) quick smart

Indeed, even three-up Xmas tree duties almost meant leaving one passenger with the Scouts that sold the greenery! The dimension of the (albeit small) tree we selected meant that without a splitfold rear seat or ski-port we had to maneouvre the shrubbery into the rear seat (along with the ten-year old) and then on returning home spend an hour removing the pine needles and sap it dropped en route.

If we were surprised by the inclusion of the park sensors and gearshift paddles in the standard spec of the C180 K, we were more disappointed to find out you need to stump up an extra $820 for the optional splitfold seat. Further if you do want a skiport and bag that's another $740 on top of the (required) splitfold. An extra $1560 for the sort of convenience you take for granted in a $25,000 medium car is a bit steep.

Water restrictions and Victoria's ash-laden skies combined to leave the C180 less than pristine over the pre-Xmas period. This was put right with a handful of gold coins and a trip to the local car wash. The default silver mentioned above cleans up a treat and even the alloys played along -- the open five-spoke design means they're easy to clean.

CAPITAL EXPOSURE
First chance to put some real highway miles on the C was on New Year's weekend in the national capital -- in time for 30 degree heat, thunderstorms, inches of hail and torrential rain (all in the space of a couple of hours!)...

The trip showed up the still tight C180K as a happy highway hauler. Both legs of the return Melbourne-Canberra journey -- a distance of approx 700km each way -- were dispatched easily in around seven hours on one tank with just a couple of quick coffee stops.

You'd expect a car conceived in the land of the autobahn to be good on the open road and it was. The cruise control was set at 10km/h above the indicated legal limit (no apologies -- the 110kmh/h limit on 90 per cent of this road is a joke) not long after leaving the respective cities and we rolled on down the highway.

In this sort of environment the C returned excellent fuel economy, averaging 7.2lt/100km on the way up to the Pollies' Playground and better than 6.9lt/100km on the return (downhill?) trip! That translates to mileage of better than 40mpg at better than 60mph average in the old money. Who needs diesel?

We can't guarantee fuel choice made any difference but it's worth noting the return trip was made exclusively on 98 octane fuel (at a marginally faster average speed).

Bordering on hard and feeling somewhat flat around town, the C's front seats offered day-long comfort on the trip.

Indeed, about the only criticism we can level is the poor performance of the MW radio. At this time of year, if the Poms hadn't already been beaten to a pulp by Rickie Ponting's happy band of retirees, this malfunction could have been a sack-able offense.

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