Mercedes C250 Blue Efficiency

[dragon]

Power is up to 201bhp, with an astonishing 500Nm of torque – yet combined fuel economy is 54.3mpg, and CO2 emissions of 138g/km mean road tax costs only £120 a year.

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carreviews/firstdrives/229737/mercedes_c250_blue_efficiency.html

Don't they have one in petrol?

 

[television]

One thing that I did notice on that report is that they have changed the design of the wing mirrors, as there have been complaint from excessive wind noise on the current cars.

The car looks good on paper

 

[dragon]

The 130g/km co2 meets the 2011 EC emission rule.

 

[jberks]

fantastic package - 201bhp/500nm - 0-60 in 7 makes it comparable with the current 320cdi but with an extra 15mpg and low emissions. Having driven the 220cdi this week I'd consider one instead of a 320 but if they do an E250cdi, it will be a no brainer.
If it keeps like this, Brown will have to lower his emmissions tax ranges. Can't wait to see what they have in store for a 'blue' v6 cdi - 350bhp/700nm and 55mpg anyone?

 

[television]

The Blue E320CDI has been anounced and it comes within the next few weeks or just into the new year.

I put up details some time back somewhere

 

[dragon]

This is EC rule with maximum 130g/km for 2011 else manufacturers will be fined for every car they produced above this emission.

There are video clips in http://www.mercedes-benz.tv/ for 28.10.2008

 

[hawk20]

Actually the 138gms/km does not meet the EU rule of 130 that you quote. And I thought the rule was 120 gms? or have they yielded to all the lobbying?

BTW the 138 figure MB quote is for manual versions and of little interest to most as well over 90% are automatic in the UK.

In Germany, they are selling manual versions only at the moment of the 250 according to the German website.

 

[Rory]

One thing that I did notice on that report is that they have changed the design of the wing mirrors, as there have been complaint from excessive wind noise on the current cars.

The car looks good on paper

The article also says Leather and Sat Nav standard - I wonder if that's really the case?

The roughness noted vs BMW probably wouldn't be an issue in an auto version.

I do wonder how these cars will fare as second-hand buys - the engine / emissions controls are becoming ferouciously complicated.

 

[psmart]

BTW the 138 figure MB quote is for manual versions and of little interest to most as well over 90% are automatic in the UK.

In Germany, they are selling manual versions only at the moment of the 250 according to the German website.

This is the killer for most, manual! Mercedes seriously need to re-consider bringing back a newer version of the Sequentronic and build in Stop/Start technology and regenerative braking. If you look at the German website, there are a large number of Blue Efficiency vehicles, with most that are C02 practical using a manual (5 or 6 speed) box.

Reading page-page the Which green car last night, nearly all cars which have any green credential are manual, and so many throw away other luxuries such as air-con into the bargain!

The 54mpg figure quoted for the new C250 is nothing special, especially if you consider town driving! Nearly all the cars in the Which magazine quoted very high combined Mpg, but town driving hit them for six, even the BMW Mini 1.6D!

The new C250 with Sequentronic (or DSG variant), Stop/Start technology and possibly regenerative braking would be a very nice package! Interesting that Mercedes arent going down this road, unless they have a party trick in drive-trains up their sleave!

 

[dragon]

They are going toward using Beemer engines instead.

 

[hawk20]

They are going toward using Beemer engines instead.

Won't happen. Endless Press stories about MB and BMW working together on some engines, but it will be together if it happens IMO.

MB are working on lots of new engines both petrol and diesel, and electric and hybrid.

 

[st4]

Stop start tech on a diesel in the long run will be fatal, or any turbo charged car. You need to idle the engines to let the turbo cool down. Don't and it wears. MB pride themselves on cars that do high milliages, that sort of tech will kill an engine. I am sure the C250 will have been engineered for engine longevity, not just silly CO2 emission pleasing figures.

 

[psmart]

Stop start tech on a diesel in the long run will be fatal, or any turbo charged car. You need to idle the engines to let the turbo cool down. Don't and it wears. MB pride themselves on cars that do high milliages, that sort of tech will kill an engine. I am sure the C250 will have been engineered for engine longevity, not just silly CO2 emission pleasing figures.

Regardless of the motives behind CO2, its here and is being forced upon us. The Germans lost against delaying the EU motions on CO2, they have to comply and so do we. Its the measure the EU is using against us, wether for taxation or saving the planet. Either use their stick against them, as I did with the Prius, or keep on forking out ever increasing amounts in tax and in the end, you'll have to adapt.

Technically, turbo's can be kept lubricated by low consumption pumps, valves can be made to be electrically decompressing (as per an old Lister Twin I rebuilt), starter motors can be like the Prius, a high power motor, used part time for regeneration, and part time to start the engine by spinning it upto 1000rpm or more prior to activating the valves, allowing compression and injection to start. Technology is there, it just takes a reason to do it.

The C220 cdi I own will, driven in a relaxed manner and using the chancellors gear, returns 65mpg, but hit traffic lights and you see that figure rocket down! This week I was lucky getting 30mpg running to work and back, had it got stop/start, I may have seen over 40! Now add that technology to the C250 and that claimed 54 will be much higher, CO2 lower and we all get to keep owning these fast machines, paying b ugger all tax, whilst sticking 2 fingers up at the Chancellor/EU President!

 

[Rory]

This week I was lucky getting 30mpg running to work and back, had it got stop/start, I may have seen over 40!

I guess that depends on how long you're stopped for, but in normal stop/start conditions I can't for the life of me imagine it would any really significant difference - vehicles use very little fuel at idle. What kills the fuel consumption is accelerating from rest over and over again.

Having said that, I doubt turbo lubrication is an issue with a stop/start system - at low speeds the turbo wouldn't be doing much anyway.

 

[psmart]

I guess that depends on how long you're stopped for, but in normal stop/start conditions I can't for the life of me imagine it would any really significant difference - vehicles use very little fuel at idle. What kills the fuel consumption is accelerating from rest over and over again.

Having said that, I doubt turbo lubrication is an issue with a stop/start system - at low speeds the turbo wouldn't be doing much anyway.

You can actually watch the mpg go down stood at the lights in the C220.

I used to praise German cities for their good light control, maximising traffic flow and waiting. At night the lights used to flash amber so you could use your own judgement as to proceed. Unfortunately, as per Leeds, their goal now is to cause maximum traffic disruption, waiting times at lights have gone up significantly, lights arent sequenced, so you wait, drive, wait. One line of thought is that they are doing this to cause drivers to burn as much fuel as possible to gain as much tax as possible, the other is to cause drivers as much grief to ensure some give up their cars.

They pay lip service to the Greens, by jumping on board the umwelt bandwagon, forcing all cars to be graded Red, Orange, Green as to how much CO2 they kick out, the idea being if the city suffers too much smog, they prevent certain categories of cars from entering, yet they re-sequence the traffic lights to cause maximum snarl-ups and they havent once used the Umwelt powers to prevent cars entering the city!

I know stop/start would benefit me, and I see this in the Prius. Looking through Which green magazine, cars which have stop/start, such as the mini 1.6D fare much better, although as you rightly say, accelerating from rest uses a lot of fuel, hence regenerative braking, use the wasted braking power to re-accelerate you, or at least help.

 

[dragon]

Isn't start/stop incorporated in the Sprinter? I don't see many petrol Sprinters, they are all diesel.

 

[Rory]

You can actually watch the mpg go down stood at the lights in the C220.

I have a C270 so I know what you mean, but I wonder how real (and accurate) that the display is. It's not measuring fuel consumption at all - the figure you see is calculated from fuel injection cycles.

There's obviously some connection, and if your journey was completely in stop/start traffic then I guess stop/start would make a noticeable difference.

You could, of course, stop and start the engine yourself - there's a 4way set of lights either way from my house and if I don't quite get through then it's a full 2 min wait so I usually stop the engine.

I used to praise German cities for their good light control, maximising traffic flow and waiting. At night the lights used to flash amber so you could use your own judgement as to proceed. Unfortunately, as per Leeds, their goal now is to cause maximum traffic disruption, waiting times at lights have gone up significantly, lights arent sequenced, so you wait, drive, wait.

Some light is the UK, especially in town and out of town of fast roads, monitor traffic flow and they look for a break in the traffic then change to red. This is very annoying as it works against you as if you drive gently and allow a gap to open up then you're going to get stopped at every light.