By Lee Nian Tjoe

Talk about ticking all the wrong boxes. The test-car is a station wagon. A black one. And it is a Mercedes-Benz with a diesel engine.

This should not be an issue in most other places in the world. But here, a black station wagon screams "undertaker" and a diesel Mercedes says "taxi". A buyer shelling out good money for a luxury car may not want these associations.

Inauspicious traits aside, there is definitely something cool about the look of the Mercedes C-class estate. Its arcing roofline goes well with the car's wide mien, making the junior executive model in the so-called Avantgarde trim look sportier.

The tasteful application of chrome on the tailgate and those racy big alloys make it appear anything but utilitarian. Had the test-car been painted a suitably stylish colour, the estate will come across like a proper lifestyle statement, no less chic than, say, the Audi Avant or Volvo's V models.

The cabin is pretty much standard C-class fare, consisting of reasonably good materials assembled robustly in the most no-nonsense manner.

Coming to the engine, Mercedes' diesels have to be pretty good to win the hearts of taxi companies. Given how hard taxis are used, they have to be tough, too. The turbodiesel in the C200 CDI is not on the cutting edge of technology.

It is tuned to meet the Euro IV emission standard, not the Euro V standard. But at least it does not belch black smoke when the accelerator is floored.

The 2.2-litre inline-4 makes 136bhp, which is noticeably less than the 156bhp produced by the C180 Kompressor's 1.6-litre supercharged engine.

Of course, the diesel makes more torque, 270Nm versus 230Nm. But according to factory figures, the CDI is slower to 100kmh from rest than its petrol equivalent.

In reality, though, the CDI feels gutsier and more relaxed than the smaller petrol engine. The rattling sound at idle disappears once the car is on the go and the overall refinement seems better than the supercharged petrol engine, with less noise and vibration (mainly because the diesel engine needs fewer revs).

It is frugal, too. During this test, the car manages at least 9km a litre of fuel (often better). A C180 is about 10 per cent thirstier.

Even before considering the difference in fuel prices, the CDI looks like the ideal long-distance partner given the range you get from its tank.

But things tip against the CDI when tax is taken into account. It attracts $4,072 in annual taxes, compared with the mere $742 for the 1.6-litre C180.

Unless you charge your passengers "by the meter", it is going to be a raw deal. Pity.

stlife@sph.com.sg

The writer is the editor of Torque, a motoring monthly published by SPH Magazines.

The C200 CDI long-term test-car is powered by Caltex Techron D.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.

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