On paper this should be no contest. Germany’s engineering excellence and manufacturing efficiency takes on a bucket of rust designed on the back of a fag paper and built from leftover bits by a bunch of inept Trotskyites from Birmingham.
But paper can also be used in the toilet.
The facts
| 1992 Metro 1.1 | 1995 Mercedes 300D | |
| Purchase price (OTR) | £100 | £220 |
| Engine | 1.1 litre 4 cylinder petrol (K series). | 3 litre, 6 cylinder normally aspirated (non turbo) diesel |
| Fuel/ignition | Single Carb with choke. | Injection. Some pre-heaters. |
| Brakes | Disks at the front, drums at the rear. | Not very good disks all round. |
| Transmission | 6 speed (5 forward, one rear) manual gear box. Front wheel drive. | 4 speed automatic, rear wheel drive. |
| In car entertainment | Two speaker radio cassette player. | 6 speaker CD player. |
| Safety features | Seatbelts. | Airbags (not working). |
| Weight | Normal steel mostly replaced by lightweight rust. | Very heavy. |
| Comfort features. | Parcel shelf, winding windows. | PAS, rear headrests that fold back (not working), Air conditioning (not working), Electrically adjusting mirrors, electric sunroof, electric windows (not all working). |
| Performance | 0 to 60 about 15s. | Depends on wind and incline. |
| Top speed | About 90mph. | As fast as you dare. |
| Suspension | Hydro-elastic | Knackered. |
| Mileage | 62,000 | 200,000 |
The feel
| Metro | Mercedes | |
| Comfort | Front seats offer good stiffness and comfort over long journeys. Lack of leg room in rear will be an issue. Could do with a grab handle for passenger whilst trying to maintain momentum through corners. | Exhaust joined in middle with two empty coke tins can be a bit load on long journeys. Passengers can become a little warm when operating heating at full to reduce engine temperature – particularly in hot climes. |
| Performance | Poor | Piss poor. |
| Reliability | No known issues. | Some smoke from diesel leaking and burning on engine during long mountain passes. Overheating mended. |
| Drivability | Can be chucked round corners. | Eats up miles on the autobahn. |
Verdict
Since the metro has only covered her “to the start” miles, it is perhaps too early to compare these two cars under full race-rally conditions.
Overall, though, the metro would seem more suited to twistiness where superior road handling and light weight will rule the day whilst the Merc is much more content chewing up the miles on the motorway.
At less than half the price, the Metro certainly offers great value for money.
Metro - Good value for money.
Mercedes - German
