MUCH TO BE MODEST ABOUT  First Published: Friday January 16, 1998 The Sydney Morning Herald The 180E lowered the entry price of Benz ownership. The allure of the three-pointed star, says JOHN WRIGHT, was more powerful than the engine. In October, 1991, Mercedes-Benz surprised competitors and customers alike by introducing a cheap new model. "Cheap" is, of course, relative, but a Mercedes for the same price as a Ford Fairlane was news indeed. There had to be a catch and there was. This newcomer was powered - or, rather, moved - by a 1.8-litre engine. Performance was in the modest-to-poor bracket when automatic transmission was harnessed to this small four-cylinder engine, as mostly it was. The reluctance of the transmission to select a lower gear without heavy pressure on the accelerator made this problem worse. A five-speed manual was available, enabling adequate acceleration, although open road hills frequently demanded at least one downchange Base Mercedes and BMWs have traditionally been sparsely equipped by prestige car standards. But on the 180E, power steering, air-conditioning, central locking and a quality sound system were all standard. As price pressures increased, however, the standard sound system was deleted. Steel wheels and wind-up windows marked the 180E as a car one would not buy for its long list of tangible goodies. Many industry pundits predicted that the 180E, being spartan and underpowered, would not hold its value in the used car market. But the reverse has been the case - for more than a year after its disappearance from new car price lists, the 180E commanded close to the original price. The appeal of the three-pointed star has been one reason. Less cynical observers would also point to the extraordinary solidity and the secure, safe feel of the car itself. On the road, the 180E felt like any other Benz, with excellent steering, firm seats and distinctive automatic gearchange (where you wiggle the lever through a set of notches to select gears manually - a system subsequently copied). Perhaps surprisingly, anti-skid brakes were not fitted, despite Benz's long-held safety reputation. The message of the 180E was Mercedes quality and image at a cheaper price. For those uninterested in winning traffic light derbies or climbing the hills with V8 ease, the 180E's shortage of urge barely registers - what does is the feeling that the whole car was fashioned from a single billet of high quality steel with the trim, glass and componentry magically incorporated.  No other car of this size (about the same as a current Corolla) delivers such a feeling of integrity and high quality. Many people can forgive the paucity of luxury items and even the tardy performance. Throw in that famous bonnet mascot and it becomes easy to see why used 180Es command a high price. A 180E should still drive like a new car and provide trouble-free service for many years to come. Brakes, specifically the front and rear pads, may require attention. Some 180Es have been driven quite hard to overcome the inherent lack of performance, with the result that the brakes are used more heavily. About 18,000 km is the typical life of the front pair, rather longer for the rear pair. Pads and brake discs (rotors) are soft, and fitment of aftermarket brake pads can lead to problems with squealing and worn rotors. Benz engines used a timing chain instead of the more common toothed rubber belt. This chain, of a single-row design on the earlier 190Es, requires replacement at 100,000 km intervals, otherwise it can jump, causing expensive engine problems. But the 180E's 1.8-litre engine uses a double-row timing chain which gives no trouble. The rear band in the automatic transmission tends to wear and this creates shift problems. When you engage drive there can be a clunk, as if you've engaged it twice; the downshift from fourth gear to third will be harsh and thumpy if the band is worn. Occasionally the hydraulic engine mounts can wear on very high mileage cars, a problem that reveals itself through a vibration when D is engaged. The repair bill will be in the order of $400, which shouldn't seem exorbitant once you've grown accustomed to sighting traffic through the three-pointed star.  Back