S204, compare every engine
All 4 variants in this chassis on one screen. Identical body, identical electronics, identical suspension. Everything below is a consequence of which engine is in the bay.
Full comparison
| Variant | Years | Power | Torque | Fuel | Transmissions | Economy | Risk | Issues | Worst single repair | Band | Good buy | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C 180 Kompressor M271-KOMP | 2008–2011 | 156 PS | 230 Nm | petrol | 6-sp manual, 5-sp automatic (5G-Tronic) | 8–10 | R5 | 10 | €4,500 | €2,750–€7,800 | €3,650 | Avoid unless documented |
| C 180 CGI M271-EVO | 2011–2014 | 156 PS | 250 Nm | petrol | 6-sp manual, 7-sp automatic (7G-Tronic) | 7–9 | R2 | 11 | €2,000 | €6,200–€15,450 | €8,050 | Strong buy |
| C 220 CDI OM651 | 2009–2014 | 170 PS | 400 Nm | diesel | 6-sp manual, 7-sp automatic (7G-Tronic) | 5–6.5 | R3 | 14 | €2,500 | €4,400–€13,750 | €6,000 | Buy |
| C 320 CDI OM642 | 2008–2011 | 224 PS | 510 Nm | diesel | 7-sp automatic (7G-Tronic) | 6.5–8.5 | R3 | 14 | €2,000 | €5,050–€16,000 | €6,950 | Buy with conditions |
Issue overlap by engine. The row that decides it
| Issue | Cost | M271-KOMP | M271-EVO | OM651 | OM642 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balance shaft gear wearwalk away | €2,500–€4,500 | ● | · | · | · |
| Timing chain and sprocket wear (early OM651) | €900–€2,500 | · | · | ● | · |
| Piezo injector failure (early OM651) | €1,200–€2,400 | · | · | ● | · |
| DPF clogging and forced regeneration | €250–€1,800 | · | · | ● | ● |
| Oil cooler seal leak | €900–€1,600 | · | · | · | ● |
| EGR cooler leak | €400–€1,000 | · | · | ● | ● |
| 7G-Tronic conductor plate and 13-pin connector leak (722.9) | €400–€900 | · | ● | ● | ● |
| Intake-port shut-off (swirl) actuator failure | €400–€900 | · | · | · | ● |
| Carbon buildup on intake valves | €400–€700 | · | ● | · | · |
Only engine-differentiating issues are listed. 9 further issues apply to every engine in this chassis. Cooling, electrics, suspension and the gearbox, and are on the chassis page.
Cross-chassis comparison
To compare against a different chassis: an E92 335i against an E90 330d, say, use the general comparison tool, which takes up to four variants from anywhere in the database and encodes them in the URL so the comparison can be shared.