The Engine Can Get Buzzy

On the move, the new C200K has not strike me as sprightly. Like mentioned before, the gas pedal felt a little too ‘resistant’ while the throttle response was still a tad muted for quick initial take-off. It is reasonably powerful once it gets going (say after 30km/h or so), with the Kompressor whine louder and higher pitched than its predecessor. The engine can get buzzy, as always, more so at extreme high revs but I am darn sure the all-aluminium M271 improves with mileage - the tester has only about 1300km on its odometer. In all fairness, the petrol motor was neither raucous nor gruffy at any rate. I have driven dozens of these 1.8L supercharged 4-pots in various guises, at varying clocked-kilometers ‘credentials’ and this lump does get better with age! So there you have it, the new Mercedes-Benz C200 Kompressor tested on local roads. Before I conclude, I discovered Merc’s COMAND dial worked pretty well here, with maybe just the LCD screen a teeny too small. Then again, DaimlerChrysler Malaysia (DCM) has most likely saved the larger pop-up LCD for the upcoming C230 V6 Avantgarde next year.

We're talking about a road car that surpasses the performance of most of the racers that will line-up for this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans race. The Fl runs into the 7500 rpm redline in sixth at 221 mph—but it's still accelerating. Gordon Murray, the F1's designer, is convinced that with taller gear­ing, the car is capable of at least 230 mph. The motivation behind this speed is a normally aspirated, 6.1-liter V-12, custom-designed for the McLaren F1 by BMW Motorsports. It breaks the magic 100-­horsepower-per-liter barrier, yet it is not about power alone, although its 618 hp at 7400 rpm might convince you otherwise. Helped by BMW's variable valve timing, Paul Roche's masterpiece also pumps out a staggering 479 pound-feet of torque between 4000 and 7000 rpm. At only 1500 rpm, it produces 280 pound-feet. Try trickling along at 1300 rpm in sixth gear and the spread of torque is con­firmed, the flexibility so astonishing that unless you glance at the tach, you have no idea of the engine rpm. Floor the accelerator and while there's a trace of engine knock, the acceleration is still assertive. Such a tractable nature is confirmed by the top-gear acceleration times.

Although the engine is only turning 1000 rpm at 30 mph in sixth gear, 50 mph comes up in only 7.0 seconds. From 50 to 70 mph, the engine has picked up enough rpm and torque that the time drops to a mere 3.7 seconds. A Lamborghini Diablo needs 7.5 seconds to cover the same interval in top gear and the F40 needs 12.2 seconds. Best of all, whatever the right foot does is instantly translated to the rear wheels in a way no turbo engine can emulate. Only a reverse gear that's difficult to engage. You pay a price for this performance at the gas pump, yet the efficiency of the engine, a drag coefficient of just 0.32, and the enormous benefits of a light 2579-pound curb weight mean consumption is reasonable. On a diet of unleaded pre­mium, it still returns 19.3 mpg at highway speeds. Thrash the car and it drops to just 9 mpg. Crucial to the McLaren's handling excellence are three key factors: the cen­tral driving position, the car's diminutive dimensions, and a unique patented sus­pension system.

The advantages of the central driving position are many: the driver can be posi­tioned further forward, his legs slotted between the wheel arches in two long car­bon-fiber beams that house the controls. The relationship with an F1 racing car is obvious. There are no offset pedals, and the tiny, almost-vertical steering wheel is positioned so the driver's right hand drops from the rim to the alloy gear lever. From this position and without the hin­drance of an A-pillar, you can see the pave­ment just five feet in front of the car through the huge windshield. You quickly learn that the compact Fl—it's about nine inches narrower and seven inches shorter than a Diablo—can be placed within inches of the apex. And because the driver is sitting in line with the roll center, any impression of body roll—and there is a little—is removed. You won't find a finer supercar chassis in the world.