I have certainly read about the probable change to a 1.8 litre engine for the C230 in 2003. What does that really mean?

I went to several European Mercedes sites and obviously noticed the "Sport Coupe" is sold with quite a number of iterations. There is a C180 with a 1.8 litre engine, a C200 with a 2.0 litre Kompressor, and the only one we have here in the States: the C230 with the 2.3 litre Kompressor. Invariably, the C230 is the most expensive of the three versions in Europe.

I am curious if it is the opinion of the experts on this site that Mercedes might be attempting to keep the 2003 C230 in the United States at that $25K entry level by including an engine that, by my observation, must cost less than the current 2.3 litre Kompressor? If they are truly changing from a 2.3 litre Kompressor to a 1.8 litre engine, does that not mean we will essentially have a C180 clothed in a C230 nameplate here in the States? The price differential in the UK, for example, is approximately $4,000 between the C180 and the C230.

I guess if the new 1.8 litre engine is supercharged, all bets are off. If that is the case and it is a new engine with similar horsepower as the current 2002 C230, does anybody have any estimate on what list price will be for a 2003 C230? Would it not need to be bumped up at least a couple grand?

Help is needed as I am about to finalize on a 2002 C230 unless somebody stops me!

CP

 

the new 1.8 and the old 1.8 engines are different, so dont worry about the difference between a rebadged 180 in the 230.

the big advantages of the new engine are:

better fuel efficiency
comparable HP
lower weight

the big disadvantages:

lower torque
less mod friendly
unknown reliability

The old engine in my opinion seems to be a bit better, power is more important to me then fuel efficiency. Plus its modability allows for easy bolt on power, at relatively low costs

greg

 

beyond the engine changes, there are rumored tweaks to the car that may also affect your decision. checkout flashman'sunoffical faq for full details.

to me, it seems the new engine will be a second slower...

 

My initial response when I heard that the 2003 C 230 K was going to have a new 1.8 L engine, with better fuel economy than the present 2.3, was to wait for it. However:

- it is 5 HP short of the EU power rating for the C 230 K (192 vs 197)

- it is short by 20 Nm of torque, a loss of over 7%

- the THEORETICAL fuel economy gain of 0.7 L/100 km represents exactly 7%

I suggest that the present model may be preferable, for the following reasons:

1) The present iron-block engine - may - be more robust than the new one. Its specific power is certainly lower (HP/L), meaning it is under less stress per cc than the 1.8 willl be. I have also heard anecdotal evidence that Mercedes-Benz was losing too much money on the C 230 K in North America owing to the high cost of production. That may be down to over-engineering of the 2.3, or it being an economically inefficient engine to build due to the two different displacements, or a combination of both. Probably the 1.8 will see service in the A-Class as well as the C, CLK, SLK and E in Europe. If the 1.8 is produced in such large numbers, it will certainly be more economical to make. I wonder about the degree of over-engineering that has gone into this new engine. I guess a naturally aspirated one that could go in the A-Class (if my specualtion is correct) would be bulletproof, but what about the 192 HP version?

2) The theoretical fuel economy advantage of the 1.8 may be illusory if the car has to be driven harder to achieve the same progress as the 2.3. That seems possible, especially as there's a drop of 7% from the present car's torque figure.

3) For the go-faster boys, I'd think that there is more tuning potential in the 2.3, if only because the specific power output is lower than the 1.8 to start with.

4) The new 1.8 HAS to be slower

Anyway, I'd be tempted to go for the 2002 model.

 

secretly i wish a c32 gets totalled (in a rear end accident, while they're not in the car) so a c230 owner can buy one of those engines, and TRY and shoehorn it into the coupe.

i wonder if it would fit at all??? and the list of parts you would need to change out my be expensive/long.

but god damn you would have one fast c230 if it worked

greg