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.
RELAY BOX FOR MERCEDES 2000 C230 KOMPRESSOR MANUAL
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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