Psst…if you still want a diesel, Merc has a new hottie in the C-Class
The motor industry is renowned for its kneejerk reactions to potential problem areas, cautions Iain Robertson, and the ‘clean air’ junkies have worked hyperactively to destroy most of the benefits of diesel fuel, despite its relative cost efficiency.
There was a time when the local barber completing a client’s haircut would lean in and ask if he needed ‘something for the weekend, sir?’. Indiscriminate, mac-wearing back street vendors in seedier city centres worldwide would hawk their ‘dirty pictures’ in a not dissimilar manner. Fear of offence, most especially of today’s so easily offended young people, has clearly eradicated an entire post-war tranche of naughty but not necessarily nice practices, as part of an underlying clean-up operation that was epitomised by the Constance Mary Whitehouse stance against the permissive society.
Of course, automotive cleaning and greening (or blueing, in some cases) became a notional cause during the 1980s, reinforced as we have coursed through the ‘noughties’ and the past decade. Look, I am not going to argue with environmentalists, whom have long argued that natural resources have been consumed and diminished, at both a wasteful and an accelerated rate in recent times. They are right. It took millions of years for crushed fibres to be pressurised enough to yield great fields of potential fuel that cannot be replaced realistically.
Personally, I am of a belief that replacing every ‘gusher’ with unpressurised water is leading to tectonic plate shift that causes unimagined but tragic event outcomes, which should never be described as ‘natural’. Yet, to demonise diesel, the emissions of which are ‘cleaned’ by AdBlue and vehicle exhaust catalysers, when petrol contains every bit as many cancer-causing elements but happens to smell a bit sweeter, is what happens when pressure groups are listened to. Okay, both types of refined fuel are on a future ban list but the kneejerk reaction is to favour Sino-controlled battery packs and electric motors, aspects of which seem to have attracted a NIMBYesque ignorance of deeply tragic third world issues.
While raw oil stocks are depleted significantly, there is still enough for another fifty years usage, without running out and operating diesel-powered vehicles would extend that period in a way that only a very few petrol-fired machines might comprehend. Fortunately, Daimler-Benz is in the same developmental bed as Porsche that is seeking to formulate a man-made replacement for diesel that will not herald the premature and unwarranted end of the internal combustion engine…the disposal of which, were BEVs to take over, would cause a monumental and largely irreconcilable waste mountain.
So, if you still want something slightly grubby but fairly hot for the weekend, I believe that you will find the latest Merc C-Class in 300d form eminently suitable. There is no point any more in looking to Merc to guess engine sizes by numerical model naming, when the C200 petrol is a teensy 1.5-litre turbo-four kicking out an immodest 204bhp, and the C300 petrol is a 2.0-litre unit that has access to 258bhp. For the moment, there are two diesels available; a C220d, which is actually a 2.0-litre four-pot developing a decent 200bhp and a most satisfying 324lbs ft of twist energy, and the only apt C300d, which features a 3.0-litre, four-cylinder engine developing a generous 265bhp and a positively mountainous 368lbs ft of easy towing torque.
Equipped across the range with an integrated starter-generator and a 48v battery (mild hybrid) support mechanism, an additional 20bhp and 147lbs ft can be tapped into on full-throttle demand. The main reason I rather fancy the 300d and I am sure that you will too lies in its 133g/km CO2 rating and potential to return up to 55.4mpg (WLTP figures). Even with the upward spiralling cost per litre of diesel, this is a car that is super-efficient, frugal and easy on the bank account…although what Boris and Rishi have in mind for the next stage of demonisation by tax is anybody’s guess.
Every C-Class engine is mated to a nine-speed automatic gearbox. Starting from £38,785, the generously equipped Sport model line, which is available on C200 and C220d only, includes the latest generation MBUX media system, which includes a high-resolution 11.9-inch central touchscreen, 12.3-inch digital driver display, ‘Hey Mercedes’ virtual assistant, 17.0-inch diameter five-spoke alloy wheels, Agility Control comfort suspension, LED headlights with adaptive main beam, parking assist package with reversing camera, heated front seats and wireless smartphone charging. Of course, all models feature the latest suite of ADAS and connectivity options.
Opt for the range topping C300d that I am recommending, complete with even grander AMG Line Premium Plus trim, and it costs £52,125, or £53,425 for the capacious estate version that I may have forgotten to mention thus far. I know it is costlier by a fat chunk but we are talking about a car that can despatch the 0-60mph sprint in around 5.8s, before the electronics step-in to limit its top whack to 155mph.
The new C-Class is assembled beautifully and earns its upmarket stripes with high-end cabin detailing and taut chassis dynamics. It remains a compact dimensioned car that offers excellent interior space and, thanks to a generous range of front seat adjustment, plenty of room for unchallenged driver comfort regardless of individual stature. While the boot on the saloon is spacious, the estate would be perfect for a group of four on a golf trip, complete with bags and baggage.
The latest C-Class is a handsome evolution of what has been a much-loved run of models. It offers good value for money at the bottom of its line-up and the C200 (petrol) is not exactly a slouch, neither is the C220d. For as long as diesel is available as a fuel source in a Merc, it makes logical sense for model choice, as the engine is exceptionally refined and ultimately dependable and economical enough for business use. Just because the rest of the car world has gone slightly mad of late should not alter the wise individual’s choice of a Merc diesel as a next new car. It makes sense on so many levels.