11/7/2023 0 Comments Mercedes benz kompressor sedanOn the other hand, were small but luxury-priced station wagons a hit in the US in the 1990s? The W203 wagon, which did make it here, recorded pretty modest sales, which is why Mercedes then made the decision to keep the 2008 W204-generation wagon out of the states, as well as the next two generations. If anything, Mercedes should have brought the W202 wagon here and kept the W203 wagon out as SUVs became more popular. On one hand the smallish station wagons were more popular in the 1990s than at any later time. That's a difficult question to answer even with 25 years of hindsight. Were Mercedes and BMW right to keep the C-Class and the 3-Series Touring out of the US in the 1990s? The automaker was also protective of its status as a seller of luxury cars in the US, which is why we didn't see any truly budget versions of its offerings here, including diesel versions of the C-Class sedan or the A-Class hatch that arrived in 1997. But Mercedes also kept most of its least expensive and smallest models out of the US, letting the E-Class serve as its sole wagon model for quite some time. When it came to station wagons, Mercedes certainly had a hit on its hands with the W123 and W124 generations, which battled Volvo 700 and 900 series wagons along with the E34 5-Series. Street-Spotted: Citroën Grand C4 Picasso.And then you'd have something you couldn't just as easily have on the four-door model-some distinction other than the hatchback. Personally, we'd trade the leather seats that our tester had for the nearly $500 cheaper Panorama sunroof. Stupidly, an in-dash CD player is not available. On the upside, all three-doors come standard with automatic climate control and a stability-control system. With an as-tested sticker price of $27,860 with only two options-17-inch wheels for $750 and leather seats at $1440-this runabout hatchback is priced like a premium car, a couple grand more than a well-equipped Acura RSX Type-S. But the three-door-well, the three-door has no competitors in the premium-hatchback segment That vehicle should be competitive with the Acura TSX, Saab 9-3, and Audi A4. Mercedes does offer this new 1.8-liter in a version of the C-class sedan, meaning, you know, with a trunk. Maybe if the company had called it a C230 hatchback, we wouldn't keep expecting it to drive like a "sports coupe." Its shifter hasn't improved it's still plasticky and slow to engage anew gear. This is, indeed, a good thing if you're in the market for a comforting companion on long commutes. So zealous was Mercedes in exorcizing the flatulence of the old motor that this new one makes almost no noise at all. The 1.8-liter, which will be the base engine of an all-new SLK beginning next summer, is smooth and linear in operation, with no apparent hills or valleys in the surprisingly robust torque curve. Worse, it sounded as if it had an acute and chronic case of gastrointestinal distress. Higher in the rev range, the 2.3 was rough. The previous engine felt weak at low revs, despite its power advantage and greater displacement. On the other hand, the new motor allows the hatch to go another four or five miles on each gallon of gas, depending on whether you get the six-speed manual or the $1325 optional five-speed automatic.Įven better, with this engine the C230 is, if not exactly transformed, at least a more pleasant thing to use. This is not something most owners-the majority of whom we don't anticipate will go bracket drag racing-need worry about. Try as you might, the engine will not rev above 4000 rpm with the clutch pedal in. We attribute this, in part, to an engine-management system that will not allow for abusive standing starts. Indeed, the sprint to 60 mph for the 1.8-liter 2003 model is an unremarkable 8.1 seconds-more than a half-second slower than the 2002 model. The new 1.8-liter engine makes 189 horsepower at 5800 rpm and 192 pound-feet at 3500 rpm. The old 2.3-liter-still the base engine in the SLK hardtop roadster for 2003-makes 192 horsepower at 5500 rpm and 200 pound-feet of torque at 2500 rpm. It's down about a half-liter of displacement compared with the old engine, and it makes less peak horsepower and torque. On paper, this engine would seem to be a step backward for Mercedes. For the 2003 model of the C230, Mercedes has largely addressed our engine complaint with an all-new 1.8-liter, all-aluminum supercharged four-cylinder.
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