What does 180 mean on a Mercedes Benz 180?
By
Vroomouk
This article will answer the following questions: what does 180 mean on a Mercedes Benz? Which engines are available in the Mercedes 180 variant? and should you buy a Mercedes Benz 180?
What does 180 mean on a Mercedes Benz 180?
Mercedes Benz model names are easy to understand but the number after the model name can be difficult to understand. The 180 on a Mercedes Benz means there is a 1.6-litre displacement engine in the car which produces power equivalent to a 1.8-litre displacement engine. Similarly, if there is 250 or 350 written after the model designation it means it is powered by a 2.0 or 3.0 litres engine.
On older models, the number is used to represent the actual displacement of the engine in the particular models. However, as advanced technologies like direct fuel injection, and forced air inductions are implemented in passenger cars, engines started developing more power from smaller displacement capacities.
Instead of changing the model variant name, Mercedes Benz continued to use it but unlike the old models, the latest models do not have the same engine size according to the number written after the model designation letter.
today, Mercedes Benz offers lots of different engine options in different classes. There is a choice for petrol as well as diesel engines. Following are some of the model variants available in different classes.
- 160/180
This is the smallest engine displacement model in the Mercedes Benz lineup. The A, B, C and E class are available in 160 and 180 engines. The diesel engine variants are represented by the letter d after the numbers. For example, 160d, 180 d. The power produced in 160/180 is between 100 and 180 horsepower.
- 200/220/250
The engines in the 200/220/250 models are mostly four-cylinder inline with 1.6 to 2.0 litres displacement. This is also the most popular category among the customers as the engines strike the perfect balance between performance and fuel economy. All the engines are turbocharged and the power produced is from 170 horsepower to 200 horsepower. The 200 and 250 models are available in A, B, C and E class while the 220 is only available in diesel engines.
- 300/350
The 300 and 350 engine displacement is 2.0 to 3.0 litres. Almost all the engines in the 300 and 350 model variants are inline 4 cylinders with twin turbochargers or low-end electric air compressors. The power produced by the 300/350 model variants is between 240 to 300 horsepower.
- 400/450
The 400/ 450 is the start of high-performance model variants with a 3.0-litre biturbo V6 petrol engine. Mercedes Benz uses the M276 across many different models. There are no diesel engines in 400/450 models. The power produced can be up to 400 horsepower and entry-level models like the A and B class models do not have any 400/450 model variants.
- 580/600/680
The 580/680 have massive 4.0 and 6.0 litres bi-turbo V 8 and V12 petrol engines. The 580/680 model variants are available only in the S class and S class Maybach models. The power produced is almost 500 to 600 horsepower. The Mercedes Benz S680 Maybach is the only model with a V12 engine.
Which engines are available in the Mercedes Benz 180 model variants?
The Mercedes Benz models with 180 engines are the cheapest and most fuel-efficient. 180 is a popular choice in the energy level models for A, B, C and E classes. The engines in the 180 model variants are as follows:
The M270 and 274 are the same engines and the only difference between them is the placement in the car. M270 is a transverse engine while the M274 is longitudinal. Both the engines are inline 4 cylinder petrol engines with a single turbocharger. The charge air intercooler is liquid-cooled with an air recirculation bypass flap to compensate for the air mass in different driving situations.
The power produced by the M270 and 274 engines is 100-150 horsepower with maximum torque of 250 Nm. This allows the engines to be used with a manual transmission. The air mass is calculated by the engine control unit based on the manifold pressure and temperature sensor and the engine load. There is no dedicated air mass sensor which helps in keeping the production cost low.
M270 and M274 also utilise camtronic, Camtronic is a Mercedes Benz variable valve lift technology that shifts the intake camshaft to a more aggressive high cam profile. A higher cam profile means the valve opens more and allows more air into the cylinder.
There is also variable valve timing, it is achieved by camshaft adjustment for both intake and exhaust camshafts which can advance or retard the opening and closing of intake as well as exhaust valves. Thanks to the camshaft adjustment the torque curve of the engine is very wide with maximum torque generated as early as 1800 rpm.
The turbocharger is wastegate controlled but the actuator of the wastegate is completely electric and controlled by the engine control unit via pulse width modulation signal. The intercooler is still liquid-cooled with an air bypass valve to compensate for the different driving conditions.
The engine and cylinder head are made up of aluminium alloy. Cylinder walls are lined with Nanoslide coating. Nanoslide is an extremely thin coating applied to the inner surface of the cylinder to reduce friction between the piston. Twin-wire arc spraying (TWAS) is used to spray an extremely thin coat of iron-carbon alloy on the cylinder walls. The friction between the piston and piston rings is reduced by almost 50 per cent.
There are 4 valves per cylinder with integrated output stages in the individual ignition coils. Ignition coils are also capable of multi-spark mode. Spark plugs generate an ignition voltage of 15000 to 45000 volts in a Mercedes Benz petrol engine.
Multi spark mode is active during the warm-up phase and instead of discharging the ignition coil completely, it is changed again in small intervals. This results in multiple sparks which increase the combustion temperature and the engine can reach the operating temperature more quickly.
Mercedes Benz discontinued the M270/274 in 2018 and currently uses the M282 engine with 1.3litres, it was produced in partnership with Renault, and Nissan and used in compact car models. The M282 produces 134 horsepower and 200 Nm of torque. It is also the smallest engine with a cylinder shutoff function that can increase fuel economy.
For diesel 180d model variants OM 608 is produced by the Renault and Nissan partnership. It is also the smallest capacity diesel engine used in the Mercedes Benz and Om 608 makes 114 bhp and 260 Nm of torque.
Other articles about Mercedes Benz you may be interested in
Should you flush the Mercedes Benz radiator?
Does Mercedes Benz make Semi-trucks?
Conclusion
Mercedes Benz 180 model variants are a good choice because of their balanced performance and fuel consumption. There is even a choice of manual transmission in 180 model variants but Mercedes Benz will soon discontinue it in 2024. Therefore, the Mercedes Benz 180 is a great way to experience comfort and performance at a reasonable price.
