adminWheel On with Abel Zhakata
SOME years back or rather decades ago, motorists hesitated owning a Mercedes Benz as many thought that it was very expensive to own one. Mercs were owned by company executives and well-to-do businesspeople. Rumours were that Mercs were expensive to maintain in terms
of servicing while their engine and body parts were out of reach when one wants to do repairs.
However, in the last decade with the continued importation of second-hand Japanese and UK vehicles into the country, Mercs are a must see in our roads, especially the C class W202 model.
Those who own this model are a happy lot for it is durable and very reliable. Built in the 1990s, the W202 model stands as one of the aptly designed Merc model, which arguably is perfect in every aesthetic expected from a vehicle.
It is hard to break a W202 in as much as it is hard to run down a Peugeot 504 or 404. No wonder why it is easy these days to sell a W202 because every motorist is looking for one.
This week we are going to explore the functions and dynamics of this increasingly popular car model which is now an envy of those with a few thousand dollars to spare.
The first C-Class (W202) sedan was produced on 1 June 1993, and the first of the second generation (W203) rolled off the assembly line on 18 July 2000. The third generation (W204) was launched in 2007. The latest generation C-Class (W205) came out in 2014.
In October 1986, three years into Mercedes-Benz W201 (190)’s production run, work began on a successor. Design work began in 1987, with the final design by Murat Gunak being selected in 1989 and the production design by Olivier Boulay frozen in January 1990, being later patented on 19 December 1990. Rough prototypes went into testing in 1989, with first production design prototypes commencing testing in 1990. In May 1993, the first generation W202 C-Class was introduced as a replacement for the 190. The C-Class sedan was the company’s entry-level model up until 1997, when Mercedes launched the A-Class. Styling themes were carried over from the previous W201 series, but the new series had a smoother and rounder design than the previous generation of compact Mercedes.
On its debut, the C-Class was the only Mercedes model with a complete lineup of multi-valve engines. The new family of four-cylinder petrol units, called M111, debuted in the C 180 (1.8 L, 122 PS (90 kW; 120 hp)), C 200 (2.0 L, 136 PS (100 kW; 134 hp) and C 220 (2.2 L, 150 PS (110 kW; 148 hp), the only four-cylinder of the range sold in the U.S.). In 1997 the C 220 was replaced by the C 230, enlarged to 2.3 L displacement but with the same output, although with torque increased to 220 N·m (162 lb·ft). The C 280 was the high-end model of the class, with a four-valve-per-cylinder straight-6 engine, capable of reaching 193 PS (142 kW; 190 hp).
Four-cylinder diesel models were equipped with the same OM601 engine of the 190, in the 2.0 L and 2.2 L versions. Many of these diesel variants were sold as taxis, due to their low fuel consumption and strong reliability. There were also more powerful OM605 five-cylinder engines which were available in naturally aspired (C 250 D) and turbocharged (C 250 TD) forms. The turbo-diesel was introduced in 1995 and is one of the novelties in the engine range available from this year.
The most important was a supercharged version of the M111 straight four, the C 230 Kompressor, using a Roots-type supercharger to generate 193 PS (142 kW; 190 hp) at 5300 rpm: Mercedes-Benz reused supercharger technology after 50 years. Due to the tax law in Italy and Portugal, models in those countries featured a supercharged version of the smaller 2.0 L (C 200 Kompressor), which had a similar output of the C 230 Kompressor.
The 1997 diesel models featured the OM611, equipped with a common rail direct injection system (co-developed with Bosch).
The new model was named C 220 CDI, and had an improved output of 30 PS (22 kW; 30 hp) compared with the C 220 Diesel, better fuel average and lower emissions. Also, the inline six engines were replaced by a family of V6, the M112.
The new engines featured SOHC heads instead of the previous DOHC, three valves per cylinder instead of four, and twin spark-plugs. The four-cylinder C 230 was replaced by the C 240 (2.4 L) and the I6 C 280 by the V6 C 280. These changes reduced emissions and improved fuel consumption, without sacrificing power (the C 280 in fact had a slight 4 PS (3 kW; 4 hp) increase with the change).
In the last four years of production, the W202 received a few changes in the choices of engine. In 1998, a less powerful version of the 2.2 L turbo-diesel was added, called C 200 CDI, which replaced the C 220 Diesel. In 2000, the C 200 Kompressor’s output was cut to 163 PS (120 kW; 161 hp), the C 240 displacement was enlarged from 2.4 L to 2.6 L, but output remained at 170 PS (130 kW; 170 hp) and the C 180 got a 2.0 L engine.
The original W201 “Baby Benz” came standard in Germany with a five-speed manual transmission, automatic transmissions were optional. In the United States automatic transmissions were standard, but individuals had the option of a manual transmission although few chose the option. At the launch of the “official” C-Class, all W202 variants were equipped with a five-speed manual gearbox.
The 722.4 four-speed automatic transmission, also called 4G-TRONIC, was available as extra cost (standard on the C 36 AMG), which US dealers chose to mainly offer on sales lots. In 1996 this old transmission – which was on sale since 1981 – was replaced by a five-speed automatic gearbox (aka 722.5 or 5G-TRONIC), which received the manual shifting in 1999 (722.6). In 2000 the T-Model, the only still on sale, was equipped with the G56 6-speed manual transmission.
At the launch the C-Class had a standard driver airbag, ABS and integrated side-impact protection; the front passenger airbag became standard from 1995 onwards, and from the same period Traction control (ETS in the 4-cylinder models, combined with limited slip differential (ASD) or ASR in the 6 cylinders models) was available as extra cost. In 1997 ASR became standard in the C 280s equipped with the automatic transmission and in the C 36 AMG, as ETS in the 4-cylinder models, except for the C 180 and the C 220 Diesel.
With the 1997 restyling ASR became standard in all the models, except in the C 180 and C 220 Diesel.
This last model continued to offer ETS available as extra cost. Moreover front side airbags and Brake assist (BAS) came in the list of standard safety features. The two basic models finally joined ASR in 1998, and, in 1999, the W202 was the first mid-size sedan to offer ESP as standard in all the range.
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