What Car? Q&A - Does a C200 have a 1.8-litre engine?

Q: I was looking through What Car? and noticed that you listed the Mercedes C200 as having a 1.8-litre engine? Is this right?
C Bowley

A: The model designations Mercedes use only bear a loose relationship with the engines you'll find under the bonnet.

So yes, the C200 is indeed a 1.8-litre engine – a 163bhp supercharged one. You'll also find a 1.8-litre engine fitted to the 143bhp C180 and 122bhp C160 Sports Coupe. In a similar vein, the C230 uses a 2.5-litre, the 280 a 3.0-litre and the 200CDI a 2.1-litre.

Besides the C180, the only other C-Class model name that actually gives away the size of the engine is the C350.