BMW335d vs Merc C350e

[k3lvc]

The time has come to return to avoid a 3 car family by changing my S3 Cabriolet for something more sensible

I have 2 offers on the table

Merc C350e Estate - fully loaded petrol hybrid, 2016 for £16k

BMW335d Estate - fully loaded diesel, 2016 for £22k

Both main dealer, both similar mileage

Always fancied a 335d but £6k and the ability to commute/recharge at zero fuel cost is appealing

Anyone have experience of both or views I haven't considered ?

[raspy]

I have a C350e. Don't buy one without an extended warranty, preferably from MB. I've not had anything to wrong in 2 years but they are complex vehicles and if something goes wrong, it would be expensive. The C350e is not very efficient on petrol once the battery runs out.

Apart from that, buy the Merc if comfort and luxury are a priority, otherwise if you want a car that is more engaging to drive and you're a swift driver, get the BMW.

[Mack11]

I had the C350e and it was basically a company car tax dodge, the electric range was pathetic (13 miles was the best i got).
The mpg was not as good as i hoped/was advertised but probably only a little worse than a 335d.
You mention fully loaded and the basic kit is pretty good , the panoramic roof means you need the bigger wheels and this impacts the MPG as its heavy. The air suspension is standard and makes it a very comfortable ride but maybe a little dull.
As the estate models were over 40k, the newer ones have the higher Road tax after 31st March 2017, that one would be £0 vs £160 for BMW.

The BMW would probably be more fun to drive and is quicker, but the Merc at 6k less and probably more toys makes real financial sense in my opinion.

[quinny100]

I ran a C350e for a couple of years. I averaged 46MPG over 30k charging at home every day. A charge costs about 50p.

It was flawlessly reliable - one service and a set of rear tyres was the only expense over 2 yrs/30K.

The benefits of the C350e are all at low speed, particularly in stop-start traffic. Once you're above 70MPH on the motorway you're just dragging 200Kg of hybrid system around as ballast. Above 80MPH the hybrid system is disconnected so you effectively lose 80BHP. As such, they're fast off the line but tail off significantly - a 335d is much faster at higher speeds and better suited to high speed cruising.

The standard Garmin navigation is rubbish - you want Premium Plus so you get the COMAND system - which is better but still not as good as the BMW system.

The biggest bugbear I had with the C350e is the fuel tank is only 40L, so a usable range of about 300-350 miles until the fuel light comes on which meant filling up twice some days which annoyed me more than it probably should do.

I moved on to an E220d estate as I do a lot of long business trips and it's much better suited to my usage.

[ZX10R NIN]

What is your main type of journey as this will dictate what type of drivetrain is best for you, also what's your annual mileage?

[k3lvc]

Mix of mileage - 3 mile commute with chargers at work, 10-15 mile round trips as Dads Taxi, work trips to Central London (200 miles each way) then weekend jaunts

Total 15-18k pa

I suspect from comments reviews the BMW will win on economy/fun but the Merc on lower price and 'doing my bit'

[ZX10R NIN]

For your usage have you considered a V60 Plug in diesel hybrid as it ticks a lot of boxes, with the EV part for your short journeys & the D5 lump for the longer runs.

SE Nav

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

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R Design Lux Nav

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Or the C300Dh

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With bothof the above you're still doing your bit but with cars that are more suited to your needs.

[quinny100]

I wouldn’t bother with a C300h - the battery is so small it can’t really run on pure electric for any distance and I found it irritating the engine cutting in and out in slow moving traffic - the 2.1d is a bit rough by modern standards. There’s a lot to go wrong for almost no economy benefit.

Your short commute and 10-15 mile local trips will mean you will certainly benefit from the hybrid system on the C350e. On your London trips you’d probably want to put it in Save mode which will minimize battery use on the motorway then you can run largely on electric in London traffic.

To get the best out of the C350e you do need to set the driving modes manually sometimes and think ahead a bit. That’s not for everyone.

[k3lvc]

ZX10R NIN said:

For your usage have you considered a V60 Plug in diesel hybrid as it ticks a lot of boxes, with the EV part for your short journeys & the D5 lump for the longer runs.

With both of the above you're still doing your bit but with cars that are more suited to your needs.

Considered but doesn't really cut it in driving ability moving from an S3 (and a Jag XF S prior) - as a wildcard I'd consider a Polestar'd V60 D6 in Rebel Blue for a bit of standout but they're rare as hens teeth

[ZX10R NIN]

k3lvc said:

Considered but doesn't really cut it in driving ability moving from an S3 (and a Jag XF S prior) - as a wildcard I'd consider a Polestar'd V60 D6 in Rebel Blue for a bit of standout but they're rare as hens teeth

You do know can add the Polestar package to a standard D6.

[k3lvc]

ZX10R NIN said:

You do know can add the Polestar package to a standard D6.

Yes - but isn't it only up to a certain age (6 months) ? Irrespective there doesn't seem to be a single D6 in the Volvo Used network at the moment - not sure what to make of that

[ZX10R NIN]

k3lvc said:

Yes - but isn't it only up to a certain age (6 months) ? Irrespective there doesn't seem to be a single D6 in the Volvo Used network at the moment - not sure what to make of that

You can also add a map to the plug in diesel.