07 Feb 05
Mercedes' current C-Class saloon, estate and Sport Coupe line-up isn't far from retirement, but the range has just had a pair of pick-me-ups. In come two new V6 flagship powerplants, the 320 CDI and 350, replacing the old 270 CDI diesel and 320 petrol engines without major price hikes, apparently. They go on sale in July.
We've had a taste of this petrol V6 before when it arrived in the quite brilliant new SLK, but this is the 320 CDI's debut. First in a family of advanced modular engines that will spin off future V8 and V12 turbodiesels, the new 320 CDI (ignore the badge - it's actually a 3.0-litre engine) develops 221bhp at 4000rpm and a hefty 306lb ft of torque from just 1400rpm. Opt for the beefier seven-cog 7G-Tronic automatic gearbox (around £1100 more than the standard six-speed manual) and torque will climb to 376lb ft at 1600rpm. That's 32 percent more power and 27 percent more torque than the outgoing 270 CDI. The turbodiesel is an extremely advanced piece of machinery, featuring a third-generation commonrail injection system with piezo-electric injectors, an aluminium-crank, a 24-valve head and electrically adjusted turbocharger vanes.
It's clean enough to meet Euro IV emission standards without a particulate trap. Economy, at 37.7mpg on the combined cycle, is excellent. There's no word yet on CO2 levels but expect the engine to match, if not better, the old 270 CDI's figure of 181g/km, placing it into the 25 percent BIK tax band. It's a gem, this engine. Sweet, rev-happy and sophisticated, it provides plenty of power to effortlessly bullet the Mercedes along at points-gathering speed. Fitted with the seven-speed auto, the 320CDI belts to 62mph in 6.9 seconds, a mere half a second slower than the C350, and above 50mph, it pulls much harder through the rev-range.
