Mercedes C180 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY Review & Road Test (2010) Part 3

Final part Mercedes C180 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY Review

Traditionally, small Mercedes saloons with small engines have been the stuff of company cars. A reward for a successful salesman at the top of his game, or a bit of kudos for a junior manager. But this C180 CGI BE would make a great private buy, a terrific family car or even a trade down in these financially trying times.

It makes good progress when you want it to and will sit all day on the motorway at speeds you shouldn’t be doing. And it will do that in a very grown-up, small S Class kind of way. But if the mood takes you it can pick up its skirts and offer you a good chassis, very good steering response and a whole bunch of fun as you blat round the back roads in the way you’d normally only expect from a 3 Series.

The Mercedes C Class has always been considered the ‘Grown Up’ choice with the BMW 3 Series the ‘Fun’ choice. That is now a very blurred line; there is only subjectivity to choose between the two. This latest C180 – even with its BlueEFFICIENCY bits – is a lot of fun as well as being as sensible car.

It will hold on to a big chunk of its value when the time comes to sell, averages 40.4mpg (although we were a bit hard on it and managed 36.9mpg) and is well-equipped enough to not need big lumps spending on options (we’d probably just add Mercedes fake leather for £300) over its list price of £26,160.

Good looking, good to drive and economical, this Mercedes C180 CGI is finally everything Mercedes has promised it would be for nearly twenty years. For twenty years it has had a big image problem. It’s been the old man’s compact exec-mobile. But it’s not any more. It is right up there with the dynamism of the 3 Series and the quality of the Audi A4.

If you’re under 40 and looking for a car in this sector you can no longer dismiss the C Class – even in this lowly version – as out of contention. It’s just too good for that.

In fact, it’s very possibly the best car in its sector.

Full Mercedes C180 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY Executive SE specification, data and price

(23 photos – click any thumbnail for full gallery)

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By Cars UK