Picture update: Mercedes Benz C180

In 2011, the Mercedes Benz C-class (introduction: 2007) has received a Facelift, called "Mopf" (Modellpflege) in German. Beside minor changes in the tail- and headlight units and the front spoiler, the major improvement is the interior section. Another change was that the standard trim, which has been known under the "Classic" name, has lost its name and usually is referred to as "standard" or "basis (basic".

In the pictures below, you can find a  Mercedes Benz C180 with the basic trim:

Mercedes Benz C180 BlueEFFICIENCY: €33.052,25

6-speed "Agility Control" manual gear box: €0

Standard trim: €0

Obsidian black metallic: €916,30

Standard 16-inch 7 spoke alloy wheels: €0
Cloth black: €0

Comfort Multifunction Steering wheel: €178,50

3-zone climate control "Thermotronic": €702,10

Heated front seats: €380,80

Through loading rear seats: €309,40

Becker® MAP PILOT: €892,50

LED daytime running lights: €351,05
USB-connection : €?

Total price: €36.782,90

Prices are for the German market, September 2012

Mercedes Benz C-class W204 Facelift

For more about the Mercedes Benz C-class W204 Facelift look here:

Mercedes Benz C180 Avantgarde Calcite white:

• For videos of this particular Mercedes Benz C-class: Video update Mercedes Benz C180 BlueEfficiency Avantgarde
• For more pictures of this Mercedes Benz C-class: Picture update Mercedes Benz C180 Blue Efficiency Avantgarde
• For a full car review of this particular Mercedes Benz C-class: Car review Mercedes Benz C180 BlueEfficiency Avantgarde

Mercedes Benz C200 CDI Basic Black uni:

• For pictures of this Mercedes Benz C-class: Picture update Mercedes Benz C200 CDI Blue Basic

Mercedes Benz C220 CDI Basic Palladium Silver Metallic:

• For pictures of this Mercedes Benz C-class: Picture update Mercedes Benz C220 CDI Basic
• For videos of this particular Mercedes Benz C-class: Video update Mercedes Benz C220 CDI Basic

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Car review: Volkswagen Passat 1.4 TSI Variant Comfortline

Technical Data

Model (Code / Model Year): Volkswagen Passat 1.4 TSI Variant Comfortline (B7 / 2012)

Engine: OM 642 DE 30 LA / 1390 cm³ / R4 / petrol
Transmission: 6-speed manual transmission
Paintwork + Interior + interior trim + wheels: Black Oak Brown metallic paint + Cloth black "Matera" + Trim iridium printed + 16-inch alloy wheels "Alicante"

Optional Equipment:

• Comfortline package:
  Chrome front bumper strips / Chrome front bumper strips / 
  Multifunction steering wheel (3 spoke)
  ParkPilot - Parking sensors front and rear
  Driver alert system
  Radio RCD 310 Radio/MP3 compatible CD player
  
  €665,00 RNS 315 touch-screen navigation
  €0,00 Front seats with lumbar adjustment 
  €0,00 Exterior badge deletion (only engine badge)
  €290,00 Tinted glass 65% from B pillar backwards
  €0,00 Air conditioning, 'Climatic' semi-automatic control
  €0,00 Rain sensor 
  €0,00 Daytime running lights with coming home function

Performance: 112hp (83kW) / 200nm
0 to 100km/h: 10,3sec
Top speed: 205km/h (128mp/h)
Fuel consumption in liter / 100km (U.S. miles per gallon): 8,5 liter / 100 kilometer (27,67 mpg / US) (click the link for the fuel consumption test)
Price (Germany): €29.960,00

In 1973 Volkswagen introduced its first Passat, while the 6th generation Passat (B7 / type 3C) has been brought to the European market in 2010. Altough the new Passat shares its platform with its predecessor, almost none of the visible parts remained unchanged. Apart from the slightly enlarged wheel base, the drag coefficient has also been reduced.

The estate, called "Variant", represents about 70% of all Passat sales in Germany, while the Passat also is the most popular company car on the German market. 

1. Exterior

Volkswagen has initiated congruent design among its several models, and the Passat is not exception. The chrome grille can also be found on other VW models, while the rest of the car is has been styled in a neutral way, in order to attract a broad customer base. 

In order to individualize the car, Volkswagen offers the Trendline / Comfortline / Highline package, each sporting a slightly different design. This particular car has been equipped with the Comfortline package, sporting extra chrome strips along the bumpers and windows, 16-inch alloy wheels "Alicante" as well as some extra options.

2. Engine, transmission and handling

In order to reduce CO2-emissions, downsizing has proved to be a very popular strategy among many car manufacturers. Thus Volkswagen has fitted this Passat with a 4-cylinder 1390cm³ petrol turbocharged engine (TSI = Turbocharged Stratified Injection). 

During most driving conditions in cities, local roads etc. the engine performance is fine. Only when driving at speeds above 100km/h the acceleration becomes noticably slower. When considering the fuel consumption, it becomes obvious that the engine is optimized to perform well in the lower rev ranges, when the turbocharges has to work in the higher ranges the fuel consumption increases significantly.

Volkswagen offers both a 6-speed manual transmission and 7-speed DSG automatic gearbox on the Passat, while this particular car was fitted with the manual transmission. Shifting the gears is very smooth, yet it feels neutral, as the gearbox lacks the sharpness of a BMW manual gearbox.  But just as with the design and gearbox, this handling has the same neutral setup, which is the key to its succes in attracting a large customer base.

Volkswagen Passat 1.4 TSI petrol engine

3. Interior, multimedia and communication

The interior of the Passat is very bland but its layout is very logical, the driver is able to find and reach to every operation in a logical way. Seats adjustments can be made from the normal point of views, while the seat comfort is sufficient for most journeys. 

One of the features that make the Passat stand out is its storage space, not only does it have a very large booth (larger then for example an Audi A4, BMW 3-series or Mercedes Benz C-class), another treat it the easy folding down of the rear seats by utilizing two good accesible handles. There is also ample storage space for the driver. Beneath the center armrest there is a large compartment for big items (wallet, phone etc.), while the cupholders are located in front of the center armrest including some small storage space behind it.

RNS 315 navigation system with a SD-card (blue) on the left.

Another feature that sets the Passat apart from its non-Volkswagen group competitors is the RNS 315 touch-screen navigation system (the RNS 510 system being its larger counterpart). The interface of the RNS 315 system is ok, after a short period of time one is getting used to it and able to find all relevant information in the system. What does bother me is the touch-screen system, when making adjustments while driving it might be hard to hit the right spot, causing some nuisance to the driver. Luckily some operations can also performed by using the multifunction steering wheel, like changing the music track while being in the navigation mode.

Two major operations that are performed in the communication department are is the bluetooth connectivity and being able to play your own music through the cars entertainment system. Bluetooth connectivity is an option on the Passat, and unfortunately it was not checked when this car was ordered.
In order to play music Volkswagen offers several options on the Passat. Using a CD, however that disables the satnav in the way that it is not able to calculate new routes, using an SD-card in the slot next to the satnav (see picture) or use the optional media interface. Unfortunately this car was not equipped with the media interface, hence I used a SD-card to play music, which worked fine.


4.Optional Equipment

Unfortunately this Passat was only equipped with a minimum level of options, most of which have been discussed in the section before. Although it lacked so many options, there only where three which have been missed while driving this car. First there is the cruise control, it is a great option to improve comfort on longer journeys while it also helps to reduce fuel consumption somewhat. Another spot of bother it the bluetooth, as many countries nowadays make hands-free calling mandatory, every car should come equipped with this option.

When travelling with two persons that prefer different climate control settings, a dual zone climate control is a very good feature. Having travelled with two persons with different wishes, it became apperent that the one-zone system has its limitations. But the standard climate control (with one zone) is sufficient when driving alone.

One-zone climate control

Final thoughts:

"Neutral" en "practical" is the best way to describe the Volkswagen Passat. In order to attract market share in this class, these two characteristics are key to its succes. The Passat is not a particularly exciting car, but it is good value for its money. Lots of space, nice options to make a comfortable journey (altough this one missed a few), they all make this a good car.

There is still a small spot of bother, the engine is somewhat too small for what is quite a heavy car. I would rather like a diesel engine that provides a bit more punch (more torques / nM), but is more fuel efficient.

But if you add the missing options (cruise control, dual zone climate control, bluetooth) and combine it with a diesel engine, that will give you the perfect travel companion for every family. 

Volkswagen Passat 1.4 TSI Variant Comfortline media:

• Volkswagen Passat Variant pictures
• Volkswagen Passat Variant videos

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Fuel Consumption: Audi A6 3.0 TDI (MY 2012 / C7)

In 2012 Audi has introduced the new A6, in this blog Guitigefilmpjes has taken an Audi A6 3.0 TDI with 204hp to the road in order to see how the fuel economy is. Technical details about this engine type can be found below:

Engine: 6-cylinder (V6) diesel engine (2967 cm3) 
Transmission: stepless automatic Multitronic CVT-transmission
Performance: 204hp / 400nm
0 to 100km/h: 7,2sec
Top speed: 240km/h (150mp/h)
Fuel tank (US gallons): 65 liter (17.17 US gallons)

In the picture below, the transmission was put into efficiency mode, where it revs lower and shifts gear earlier. The driving profile was 15% inner city traffic and 85% secondary road at a maximum speed of 85km/h (53mp/h). 

After having drivin about 90 kilometers (56 miles) the onboard computer displayed an average consumption of 5,3l / 100km (44,38 mpg US). Considering that the average fuel consumption specified by Audi is 5,1l / 100km, the result is merely 0,2l / 100km off.

The second picture displays the average fuel consumption for several trips combined. The driving profile was divided by 15% Autobahn (fast), 50% highway, 15% inner city and 30% secondary road using the `normal` driving mode. 

After having drivin about 1655 kilometers (1035 miles) the onboard computer displayed an average consumption of 7.2l / 100km (32,7 mpg US). Considering that Audi states that its average consumption for a combined driving profile is 6.1l / 100km, the gap widens as `heavier` driving conditions (lots of braking and acceleration in the city, fast runs on the Autobahn) prevail.

Previous Fuel Consumption reports:

• Audi A4 2.0 TDI / Audi A6 3.0 TDI / Mercedes Benz E220 CDI
• BMW 530d xDrive / Mercedes Benz C220 CDI
• Mercedes Benz C180 / VW Passat 1.4 TSI / BMW 520d Touring

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The co-drivers view: Hamburg

This episode of `the co-drivers view` takes us to the port city of Hamburg, in northern Germany. Hamburg is the 2nd largest city of Germany with 1,8 million inhabitants, and the largest port in Germany. 

In the first part, we drive along the `Fischmarkt` in Hamburg Altona, past the Landungsbrücken towards the Hafen City. After passing Hafen city, we continue towards the Hauptbahnhof and into the city center.

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The co-drivers view: Veluwe

Just like in the previous episode of "the co-drivers view", the Dutch countryside, this episode was also filmed during the summer of 2012. But in this episode we move more towards the west, into a series of forest-rich hills in the province of Gelderland, called the "Veluwe".

The road we travel on is the local interstate "N344" that runs from Amersfoort in the west towards Deventer in the east, parallel to the highway A1 that nowadays has replaced the N344 as the major roadlink between the western and eastern part of the Netherlands. Highway A1 is part of the European route E30 that runs from Cork in Ireland to Omsk in Russia.


Part 1: Starting near Dutch army barracks (Generaal Majoor Kootkazerne near Stroe, also see the Scania trucks from the army moving towards the barrack) we drive onto the Amersfoortseweg towards the city of Apeldoorn. After driving for a while we pass a roundabout in the town of Nieuw Milligen (passing Army camp / Kamp Nieuw Milligen on the left) while continuing towards Apeldoorn over the Veluwe.

Part 2: Continuing near the town of Nieuw Milligen while driving towards Apeldoorn.

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