Recently, I read from an advertisement on The Straits Times that the C-Class C180 Blue Efficiency sedan will receive a new 1.6-litre turbocharged engine. Erm, but don't we already have a 1.6-litre C-Class sedan in the form of the supercharged C180 Kompressor Blue Efficiency ? This spurred me to demystify what this new engine is all about.

Codenamed M274, this new turbocharged 1.6-litre engine is the longitudinally mounted version of the M270 which has already made its debut on the new generation A-Class. The M274 is developed for use in rear-wheel-drive platform. The advent of the M274 will lead to a gradual phasing out of the current M271, a turbocharged 1.8-litre with up to 201bhp.

The combustion process of the new engine is based on the third generation Mercedes-Benz direct injection system which was introduced last year with the BlueDIRECT V6 and V8 engines. It will feature a Camtronic two-stage variable valve lift. The direct injection system pressure is up to 200 bar and is variably optimized according to the engine’s characteristic map.

Completely re-developed piezo-electric injectors allow up to five injections per power stroke for optimized mixture formation while the multi-spark ignition helps to ensure reliable combustion of the mixture.

According to Mercedes, the new 1.6-litre petrol unit is delivering “diesel levels” of torque, with a peak torque of 249Nm available at just 1,250 rpm. It delivers 154bhp at 5,000 rpm. In the C-Class application, the motor will be mated to the 7G-TRONIC Plus transmission. This is a blessing indeed as Mercedes is not giving us the 5-speed gearbox in the current C180 Kompressor.

With the introduction of the downsized C180 Blue Efficiency, I guess Mercedes will do away with the C180 Kompressor Blue Efficiency. The upgrading of the 1.6-litre C-Class couldn’t have been timelier as the new 1.6-litre BMW 318i will be making its debut soon.

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