I still remember quite clearly the worst of the engines on any of the Mercs we have tested. Yes, the four-cylinder 1998cc engine on the C180. Well, that did fall short of expectations and if I were to tell you that this sports coupe sports the same engine under the bonnet, you would be quite surprised. But that it the truth. The sports coupe does have the very same 1998cc 4-cylinder 16-valve DOHC engine albeit with a slight difference.

T he slight difference is located between the air cleaner and the intake manifold and is commonly know as the supercharger, which the company, Mercedes-Benz denotes by Kompressor. This device functions as a type of a fan and is driven directly by the crankshaft by means of a separate V-belt. Driven by the crankshaft, the supercharger produces pressure in the intake system by compressing incoming air. As the accumulated air exceeds the engine's normal intake capacity, it keeps on getting more and more compressed before even reaching the cylinders. This generates boost-pressure, one of the basic criteria for efficient cylinder charging and more effective engine aspiration. Owing to the optimal air throughput and improved cylinder charging, the supercharged engine develops far greater torque than a comparable naturally aspirated engine. Together with specialists from the Eaton company, Mercedes engineers have redeveloped the supercharger and made numerous improvements to it. These include a special plastic coating on both the 3-blade rotors inside the oval supercharger housing, which are offset by 60 degrees and rotate at speeds of up to 14,000rpm without making contact with each other.

The results are there for all to see. Maximum power increases by 39bhp to 161bhp achieved at the same 5300rpm and the maximum torque not only increases by 52Nm but is also available from 2500rpm right up to 4800rpm. This is a livewire engine compared to its uncharged sibling, for sure.

This Kompressor engine is mated to a superb six-speed manual transmission which is precise, light and has very short shift travel. Compared to their earlier manual transmissions, the engineers at Mercedes were able to reduce shift forces by about 25 per cent by using more efficient synchromesh units featuring multi-cone synchromeshing. The synchromesh for the third and fourth gears has been positioned on the countershaft thereby reducing the shift forces for the third gear even further. Special care has been taken to ensure ease of diagonal gearshifts from one shift gate to another. I can vouch for the fact that this 6-speed gearbox was a joy to not only use but use while driving the car on its limits, fast and furious. Not once did I have a problem shifting, even on some of the fast mountain sections and also did not miss the excellent automatic gearbox that many Mercs come equipped with. For me half the fun is in slotting the gear lever into the desired slot as and when I want it. And for doing so I would choose this gear box any time. The sixth gear on the sports coupe is not for lazy driving to conserve fuel but is designed as a genuine drive gear in which the car reaches its top speed

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