Tiger
with lamb's badging!
 If
you still think that diesels are loud noisy and sluggish, think again!
Or go and change that mind of yours - this here will fit into any
sports car league in the country, stand a chance to outsprint any
car in production and keep up with the fastest of them, diesel or
petrol notwithstanding.
The car gets to the 100kmph mark in ten and a half
seconds which is marginally quicker than even the E240 with the automatic
gearbox. Top speed is close to the 220kmph mark, something that we
hope is just academic.
What counts the most in everyday driving is the roll
ons, the in gear acceleration when you have to put your foot down
to overtake or just get clear of a pack of traffic on the highway
and it is here that the C220 CDI really impresses. Both the impressive
maximum torque and the fact that it comes in at an extremely low 1800rpm
come into play as the car just blitzes past every thick line on the
speedometer, once the rev needle has gone past the 1500rpm mark. From
60kmph up to 90kmph, every 10kmph speed increase is achieved in under
two seconds in 4th gear, Around two seconds is what it takes to get
to 100kmph from 90kmph in both 4th and 5th gears. In fifth gear the
under two seconds required to reach 90kmph from 80kmph occurs as soon
as the engine gets to the rpm band where the maximum torque is produced
|
March
2004