The
air-con system of the S-class is very complex and like the C-class
cars has a setting for the lowest temperature. Besides there are temperature
settings for each of the occupants. We could do a full article on
that air-con system.
17.17
MERCEDES-BENZ
E240
The
average grille temperature on the E240 went down to 4.98 deg C, second
overall. It is perhaps because of that the car scored a little low
on the counts of circulation. The final average cabin temperature
also remained a little on the higher side, comparatively that is.
17.48
MERCEDES-BENZ
C200 CDI
The
C-class cars have a lot of new features on their air-con systems.
The vents for the rear passengers are very useful indeed and despite
the very low noise levels are able to maintain very good circulation
throughout the car.
17.87
MERCEDES-BENZ
C 180
There
is very little to separate the two C-class cars apart from the fact
that the C180 is even quieter than the C200 CDI. Circulation is excellent
in both the cars and even though the temperature does not drop very
low, all the occupants are quite comfortable.
13.73
MAHINDRA
BOLERO GLX
1st
No
prizes for guessing which vehicle had the lowest grille temperature!
The average grille temperature on the Bolero went down to 1.57 deg
C, and in absolute terms the lowest we recorded during the test was
0.7. Despite poor circulation, the overall performance was quite impressive.
16.70
TATA
SUMO EZI
2nd
Again
an air-con system that cools a lot but suffers from poor circulation.
The AC in the Sumo Ezi is also a little noisier than that in the Bolero
which outscores it on all counts except circulation. The surprise
is that even the Qualis with separate air conditioning for the rear
does not perform as well.
17.46
TOYOTA
QUALIS GST D3
3rd
The
twin blowers at the back for the rear passengers definitely improve
initial cooling, help in circulation while keeping the noise levels
down. But the grille temperatures do not go down as much as those
of its competitors.
19.18
TOYOTA
QUALIS GS C4
4th
The
Qualis with vents upfront only scores poorly on most counts and is
a little out of the league of its competitors in the MUV segment.
If air conditioning is one of your priorities then you should go in
for the higher end Qualis models.
June 2001