Motorway cruiser (Mercedes-Benz C180 Avantgarde)

Member Name: DarkestGrey

Product:	Mercedes-Benz C180 Avantgarde
Date:	11/08/08 (363 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Comfort, reliability, air conditioning is amazing

Disadvantages: Build quality on interior, jamming boot

I have had one of these for a few years now and not really had any problems with this car.

One thing I would recommend, however is that you go for the automatic gearbox. It seems perfect for the car and never seems to be in the wrong gear.

The build quality of the car seems very good from the outside, yet you can see the accountant doing his job on some aspects of the interior. The metal effect looks nice, but some items like the cigarette cover seem to be made of a cheap plastic. Nothing has broken (on a 53 reg) but you get the feeling it will before long.

The cruise control and speed limiter are very good, easy to operate and with speed cameras around, very useful to have as well.

Big problems with the car is the expense. Servicing isn't cheap (starting at just under £300) and road tax is not in the cheapest of brackets either (about £210 at my last disc). The car does suffer from very low MPG around town. I manage at least 25 to 30 MPG even on the shortest of runs from a cold start. Motorway miles are much better and I have managed almost 44mpg on a 100 mile run.

The car is comfortable and quick enough by todays standards. The steering is fairly responsive if you are forceful enough with it, but very comfortable if you are not. The steering lock is amazing and I can turn the car in some sections of road where some little cars have to use reverse.

And speaking of reverse, you can't tell where the back of the car is. Being a saloon, you should get reverse sensors because the boot tapers away and you can't see it in any of the mirrors.

Which brings me to the boot. Which can get jammed shut. It is an electric release, but the sensor thinks the boot is open and you have to jump on the boot with your weight to get the sensor to think the boot is closed before it will open it!

Overall though, I am very happy. Space is good, the boot is limiting (saloon version). Comfort is outstanding and performance is ok. The climate control/air conditioning is one of the best I've ever known. Cold air in just a few seconds and it doesn't seem to affect the MPG even though everyone says it should!

Summary: I would buy another one of these, no problem.

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