Why the W205 Mercedes-Benz C200 1.5-litre EQ Boost died so soon in Malaysia?

With the introduction of the new 2020 Mercedes-Benz C200 AMG Line in Malaysia, the biggest change revolves around the powertrain. The update to the 2020 C200 AMG Line sees the return of the M264 2.0-litre engine in place of the outgoing 1.5-litre EQ Boost unit with 48-volt mild hybrid.

This does seem rather strange seeing that the EQ Boost powertrain was only introduced in late-2018. Having said that, there's no arguing with the output of the M264 engine. Power is up from 181 PS to 206 PS. Torque is also given a 20 Nm bump to 300 Nm. 

These performance figures translate to a 0-100 km/h sprint time of 7.1 seconds, compared to the EQ Boost’s 7.7 seconds. Top speed is also up 11 km/h to 250 km/h. 

While one would argue that the EQ Boost's powertrain gives instantaneous torque with its mild-hybrid, the M264 has a wider torque range. The M264's torque band is from 1,600 to 4,000 rpm, whilst the EQ Boost's one is from 3,000 – 4,000 rpm. 

This would suggest that the power delivery in everyday situations is much better in the new C200, simply because the slug of torque arrives much earlier and through a wider window. Either way you look at it, there's not much to be said about the benefits the EQ Boost unit brings to the table.

Moreover, the combined fuel consumption and CO2 emission figures are identical between both power units (M264: 5.9l/100km, 135g/km vs EQ Boost: 6.0l/100km, 136g/km). This is despite the M264 having the better power & torque figures. 

Finally, it is my conviction that EQ Boost 1.5-litre engine was perhaps more complex and expensive to manufacture than the M264 (which is deployed in multiple Mercedes models), thus making its continued existence hard to justify.

All in all, looking at it from a consumer's perspective, it was also hard to see what benefits the EQ Boost power unit brought to the table, specifically in our country. It wasn't more economical, nor was it more efficient. The only real savings was on your annual road tax rates. Thus, that is probably why the EQ Boost engine was so short-lived in the C200.