Merc C350e nightmare
Discussion
jason61c said:
Leggy said:
Trouble is now puts the Outlander back into contention as it can have the tow bar and still get the grant and qualify for the lowest BIK.
why the outlander? the v60 twin can have a tow bar, I bet the bmw 330e can also?I was talking to the lease car firm that my employers use, they have leased a lot of outlanders and are not recommending fitting a tow bar, due to effects on fuel consumption (i think it has quite a small tank, which probably means going any distance means frequent stops) and they suggested the volvo or vw is better due to more torquey ICE.
Interesting they are now quoting for passat GTE - which can be specced with electric folding towbar, for about the same as the volvo D5 twin engine
sawman said:
jason61c said:
Leggy said:
Trouble is now puts the Outlander back into contention as it can have the tow bar and still get the grant and qualify for the lowest BIK.
why the outlander? the v60 twin can have a tow bar, I bet the bmw 330e can also?I was talking to the lease car firm that my employers use, they have leased a lot of outlanders and are not recommending fitting a tow bar, due to effects on fuel consumption (i think it has quite a small tank, which probably means going any distance means frequent stops) and they suggested the volvo or vw is better due to more torquey ICE.
Interesting they are now quoting for passat GTE - which can be specced with electric folding towbar, for about the same as the volvo D5 twin engine
I doubt we'll know the correct answer unless we have a Mercedes engineer in here, so I'll put my two pen'eth in:
On some cars, in order to spec a towbar the car has to be spec'd with uprated suspension (otherwise the towing noseweight max wouldn't be useful). On some of those cars, in order to spec uprated suspension you need to buy the "sports" package, which includes bigger alloy wheels.
I had this with a Vauxhall Vectra estate - old-man spec but with sports suspension and 18" wheels, simply because it had a towbar and the original owner towed a caravan.
Is that the case with a C350e?
On some cars, in order to spec a towbar the car has to be spec'd with uprated suspension (otherwise the towing noseweight max wouldn't be useful). On some of those cars, in order to spec uprated suspension you need to buy the "sports" package, which includes bigger alloy wheels.
I had this with a Vauxhall Vectra estate - old-man spec but with sports suspension and 18" wheels, simply because it had a towbar and the original owner towed a caravan.
Is that the case with a C350e?
donkmeister said:
I doubt we'll know the correct answer unless we have a Mercedes engineer in here, so I'll put my two pen'eth in:
On some cars, in order to spec a towbar the car has to be spec'd with uprated suspension (otherwise the towing noseweight max wouldn't be useful). On some of those cars, in order to spec uprated suspension you need to buy the "sports" package, which includes bigger alloy wheels.
I had this with a Vauxhall Vectra estate - old-man spec but with sports suspension and 18" wheels, simply because it had a towbar and the original owner towed a caravan.
Is that the case with a C350e?
I'm not a Mercedes engineer, but I am an owner, and as mentioned previously, your post is on the right lines. The issue is with the weight at the rear of the car and the need for the extra strength or load capability of the bigger wheels. On some cars, in order to spec a towbar the car has to be spec'd with uprated suspension (otherwise the towing noseweight max wouldn't be useful). On some of those cars, in order to spec uprated suspension you need to buy the "sports" package, which includes bigger alloy wheels.
I had this with a Vauxhall Vectra estate - old-man spec but with sports suspension and 18" wheels, simply because it had a towbar and the original owner towed a caravan.
Is that the case with a C350e?
You can have an estate with 17" wheels but only if
- there is no sunroof
- there is no towbar
Either one of those options forces you to have 18s.
Incidentally this is not the case on the saloon which presumably has a slightly lighter back end (as most saloons do over their estate equivalent).
jonah35 said:
Intereesting. From what ive heard you halve what it says on the range display.
No point plugging in for 10 miles of free fuel.
Amazing how it adds up though. My commute is done with the engine off. No point plugging in for 10 miles of free fuel.
By the end of the week half my mileage hasn't used any petrol.
It's currently more economical running this than my old 320ED.
The big issue though is it suits my usage. For many people it won't so you need to make sure you know what you are getting yourself into.
RicksAlfas said:
jonah35 said:
Intereesting. From what ive heard you halve what it says on the range display.
No point plugging in for 10 miles of free fuel.
Amazing how it adds up though. My commute is done with the engine off. No point plugging in for 10 miles of free fuel.
By the end of the week half my mileage hasn't used any petrol.
It's currently more economical running this than my old 320ED.
The big issue though is it suits my usage. For many people it won't so you need to make sure you know what you are getting yourself into.
Fast Bug said:
As already said, it's due to the weight. Which is why if you have a Premium/Premium Plus pack you have to have the wheel upgrade. I'm sure you should be able to find a towbar cheaper than £2500 though? That sounds really expensive, I thought the factory one was a touch expensive
Unfortunately our leasing company won't touch an after market tow bar. Factory fit or nothing. So essentially to fit a poxy tow bar then costs £900 for the 18" wheels and loss of £2500 grant, and then more tax!
I'm 7 months and 18,000 miles in to ownership of my c350e estate.....including tow bar. At the time of ordering back in July 2015 there was no BMW, Volvo or Passat option. In reality even at 1 tax bracket up, it is still far far cheaper than any Diesel on BIK tax. I have personal fuel as well and to put it into perspective my last company car was a 2L TDI affair at 24% BIK, so represents about £200 a month in my pocket saving. Yes a lower bracket would have delivered another £50 or so, but I am not really complaining.
Electric range is erm.....10-12 miles for me max. However even on long trips of 150+ miles I a surprised by how many are done with the engine off, delivering 45ish MPG. Worst was a sport+ hoon and 12MPG
Electric range is erm.....10-12 miles for me max. However even on long trips of 150+ miles I a surprised by how many are done with the engine off, delivering 45ish MPG. Worst was a sport+ hoon and 12MPG
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