Of all the Mercs I’ve tested, this, the C200 CDI, happens to be one of my favourites! Yes, I actually like this one better than its petrol-engined sibling, the C180, which is really saying something.

This is one cool looking set of wheels, to begin with. I mean, you climb out of a Merc E-Class, and people give you the ’’we know you are driving Daddy’s car today...’’ look. Not so with the C200. This car manages to exude a certain young, snazzy, exuberance about it. The styling is absolutely FABULOUS, and much better than that of the earlier C-Class (lots of which were, at one time, privately imported into India...) Mercs. Handsome alloys, meaty rubber, those way-cool fused-together twin headlamps at the front, the measured and muscular stance.... Yes! I’m in raptures...! :-)

Inside, there is loads of space, the legendary Mercedes Benz build-quality, and a THUMPING multi-CD changer. Is this ROCKING or what! And on the steering wheel, you find a smattering of buttons which allow you to control the CD-player, and the multi-function display unit etc. Very surprisingly though, the automatic A/C is a tad less effective than you’d expect it to be! This, in a Merc?!?
The diesel engine is a gem. No shakes or rattles - just smooth, linear power delivery. At about 110 horses, it isn’t really very powerful (the Accord engine, for example, is much more perky, but then that’s a petrol mill...), but it’s enough to propel the car to a speedo-indicated 200km/hr. Not bad, eh? And certainly satisfying enough. Even on the Pune Expressway, no cars were passing our C200, and the Merc was quite capable of holding its own.
The chassis/suspension combo is set up very well, and provides an ideal mix of ride-comfort, and handling at very high speeds. Teutonic engineering at its best! There is ABS, which doesn’t let the wheels lock up in panic braking situations, and as we tested it quite a few times (sometimes, without meaning to...!), it WORKS!

There is also traction control, which the brave (or, if they don’t know what they’re doing, the foolish...) can switch off. With TC on, it’s VERY difficult to get the rear end to step out even a few degrees. Even when it does get out of line, a whiff of opposite lock brings things back to normal. Switch off the electro-gizmos though, and the fun begins! Sure, this is no AMG-tuned hot-rod, but still, if you try hard enough, you CAN make the C200 go sideways (especially in lower gears), which can be such HUGE fun. Ho ho ho :-) But for heaven’s sake, DON’T do this unless you KNOW what you’re doing.... ;-)

The automatic gearbox works very well, and even allows manual upshifts and downshifts! Just nudge the gear lever sideways to shift. No clutch, of course. The electronic gubbins do all the hard work for you :-) Still, I must say I hardly ever felt the need to shift manually. The auto ’box is quite capable of handling all kinds of driving situations, and I had no reason to complain at any time...
THIS is the Merc to have. Cool, snazzy, stylish, fast, and safe. As a bonus, you save on running costs as well. The benefits of diesel.... :-)

The Accord is bland. The Sonata? How the hell can you compare a Hyundai with a Mercedes?!?! The Mondeo Hmmm....I’ll have to think about that now...   :-)

Purchase Price (INR):	No Comment
Dealer Name and City:	No Comment
Model Year:	2001