111mile commute (3 or 4 times a week) ID.3 or Mercedes E220?

[Dadof2]

I'm starting a new job in a month which will involve 110 mile round trip commute on the M4 in South Wales. Around 10 miles a day in slow traffic but the majority M4 (Swansea to Newport) I don't expect to be travelling quickly (traffic and obsession with 50mph limits), i am trying to maximise comfort and minimise cost to a degree without shedding as i really don't want to bother with something needing a lot of work or tinkering to keep it going.

I don't intend on driving the car much beyond the commute, would be nice to pick the kids up from school occasionally but I have a LWB VW Transporter that i will be keeping as a weekend vehicle (bikes, SUP, surfing etc.)

Last time i did such a commute i was provided with a car (Golf TDi) which was underpowered (1.6TDI), not that economical mid 40's (manual 5 spd) but it did have adaptive cruise, excellent bluetooth and a panoramic sunroof.

Ive narrowed choices down to:

1. VW ID.3 58kw, £25k ish via DrivetheDeal with various discounts 36 mth 15k pa PCP £2500 deposit and £310 (so £380 amortised)

Pro's
- electric, i can charge at home overnight on a low cost tariff
- no ULEZ type issues (non 'known' at the moment but.....)
- quiet electric motor

Con's
- cost of PCP
- 9.9ppm over contract, i will travel within my job so 15k miles might not be enough?
- Golf sized which is fine as i will be in it on my own but is it the 'limo' type comfort i'd like

E Class - 220.

Around £15k would put me on a 5 year loan around £300 a month, it will still have some value when i finish with it unlike a PCP

I see reports of 50mpg for my usage profile? tax is cheap but are they a ULEZ worry as a 6 year old dielse

I would prefer a coupe with a Pan Roof like this

https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/11905009

I think this era E220 coupe is based on the C class so is it 'nice looks' but not as comfortable/good as the equivalent saloon?

Am i better off with a newer saloon for the same money? (SE seems to offer even lower tax than AMG due to wheels I presume)

https://www.motors.co.uk/car-60458086/?i=0&m=s...

I'm aware the E350 V6 is 'better' but I won't use the performance

I've picked the E Class as a mate used to have a E220 estate of 2015 vintage and it was excellent in terms of motorway comfort and reliability and cost to run (until his wife put it into a wall, he now has an A6 which is no where near as nice IMHO)

What else am i 'missing'? think comfort, economy of 50mpg if diesel, but also a bit of ownership 'desire' so id rather not buy a Mondeo or a Kia?

[dmsims]

Part of the reason they have put limits on there is to reduce diesel pollution

Anyway, can you test drive both options?

ID3 is huge inside (compared to a Golf) and rides much better, has a very airy cabin and low NVH

[Gareth1974]

Dadof2 said:

1. VW ID.3 58kw, £25k ish via DrivetheDeal with various discounts 36 mth 15k pa PCP £2500 deposit and £310 (so £380 amortised)

This ID,3 is £357 amortised, although possibly not the same spec https://leasing.com/independent-brokers/hitachi-ca...

[ZX10R NIN]

The E Coupe is a very nice car & would be my pick, they do benefit from a remap & you'll see a real world 60mpg on a run, the ride is pretty good as they're different from the C Class as they're bigger & wider.

If you go for an SE the ride is even more comfortable & you'll get a very low mileage on too.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107124...

AMG Line with the smaller wheels:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202105243...

Now there's an alternative that uses the same drivetrain as the E220 above, it doesn't come in coupe form but it does come with a Sunroof 360 Cameras Heated/Air Cooled Seats Adaptive Cruise great ride & some very comfortable seats.

Sport

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202101308...

Premium

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202105202...

[Dadof2]

dmsims said:

Part of the reason they have put limits on there is to reduce diesel pollution

Anyway, can you test drive both options?

ID3 is huge inside (compared to a Golf) and rides much better, has a very airy cabin and low NVH

I appreciate the pollution element hence my initial thought for an iD.3. Still lol at reducing road traffic pollution next to the steel works though. Good to know its a good experience, hoping to test drive in the next week or so.

[Dadof2]

Gareth1974 said:

This ID,3 is £357 amortised, although possibly not the same spec https://leasing.com/independent-brokers/hitachi-ca...

That’s the same model and a good deal I agree, the mileage kills the cost but for 10000 miles a year I’d definitely get one

[Dadof2]

ZX10R NIN said:

The E Coupe is a very nice car & would be my pick, they do benefit from a remap & you'll see a real world 60mpg on a run, the ride is pretty good as they're different from the C Class as they're bigger & wider.

If you go for an SE the ride is even more comfortable & you'll get a very low mileage on too.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107124...

AMG Line with the smaller wheels:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202105243...

Now there's an alternative that uses the same drivetrain as the E220 above, it doesn't come in coupe form but it does come with a Sunroof 360 Cameras Heated/Air Cooled Seats Adaptive Cruise great ride & some very comfortable seats.

Sport

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202101308...

Premium

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202105202...

I wasn’t aware of the infinity, I have both of those e’s saved, the Amg would only be on small wheels for me for my use, and the se is crazy low miles and great value.

There’s one for sale locally I’m going to look at but it’s a 350 so not sure that’s a great idea!

I’m just after something to waft in and support my knackered back to work and back and I like the pillarless coupe and pan roof aspect as a more practical alternative to a full cabrio

Edited by Dadof2 on Tuesday 27th July 20:41

[ZX10R NIN]

Dadof2 said:

I wasn’t aware of the infinity, I have both of those e’s saved, the Amg would only be on small wheels for me for my use, and the se is crazy low miles and great value.

There’s one for sale locally I’m going to look at but it’s a 350 so not sure that’s a great idea!

I’m just after something to waft in and support my knackered back to work and back.

The Mercedes comes with Orthopedic seats as standard & the Infiniti comes with fully adjustable seats but the Mercedes seats are better, I've supplied an ID3 & 4 for me they're okay but I don't feel they're the best value & the interiors for me are a let down.

I'd rather go for a DS3 Crossback

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202105182...

Golf e:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107134...

A3

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107215...

[dmsims]

In terms of value the ID3 is cheaper than a Golf 8

That e Golf is a joke at 25K

Yes the interior is not as good as the Golf 7 but I cannot get excited about soft touch plastic and what passes for "Chrome"

[Dadof2]

Golf and A3 electric don’t have enough range to remove anxiety for me plus I prefer the styling and packaging of the iD.3
Didn’t know the DS came in full electric

[georgeyboy12345]

Agree - the e-Golf's range will be far too dicey in the real world, especially in winter.

The A3 is an e-tron, which is a PHEV - I have one as I live near the centre of a big city and the 30 miles of electric range is really useful around town. If I had a 111 mile commute, I wouldn't have it. Once the electric range has ran out, it's not so great on fuel - you'll be getting around 50 mpg. Using it the way I am, I'm getting 150 - 250 mpg.

Another thing to consider is when you get the ID.3, you will probably have a couple of months wait before you can get a charger installed at your home, which could be a bit painful unless you have an alternative plan such as charging at work.

[Dadof2]

Phev’s won’t work for my usage. Unless a company vehicle and then the tax breaks kick in

Perfect for my wife though who rarely leaves our city and does lots of urban running around

The wall box thing is a bit of a farce isn’t it? Can’t get the discount until you have the car and then massive wait

No charging at work so would need to do a lot of Tesco shopping 🙄

Something diesel that has taken most of its depreciation out of it bought outright still makes most sense for me.

[GreatGranny]

I did 120 miles a day in a Leaf for 3 years rom 2015 - 2018.

I had to charge near work which did cause some issues back then when the infrastructure wasn't brilliant.

It was a very good car for commuting and being able to defrost and heat the interior remotely in winter and conversely cool the car in summer was a huge bonus.
Nothing went wrong over nearly 3 years and 85k miles.
I was still on the original brake pads and only needed 1 set of tyres.

If I was still working from the office 5 days a week I would go for another EV.

[dmsims]

Your fuel bill will be well north of £2K per year (assuming 4x a week and 46 weeks)

EV could be a tenth of that

[samoht]

Dadof2 said:

i will travel within my job so 15k miles might not be enough?

111 miles daily round trip x 4 times a week x 45 working weeks a year = 20k miles a year just commuting. Obviously if it's 3 times a week that is 15k.


Have you driven an EV yet? If you can rent one for a day or something, I'd recommend doing so, they're very relaxing and pleasant to drive. If I were you that would be my 'Plan A', given you've another car for longer trips.


As another possible car to consider, the "E+" versions of the Nissan Leaf have a 62 kWh battery and 217 miles claimed range, so perhaps worth considering, seem to come in at similar monthlies.

[Walter Sobchak]

If you could stretch to the extra/buy used what about a Model 3 Long Range?.

[ZX10R NIN]

The thing is if the OP's doing 20k a all of the EV's listed are not small amounts of money & the depreciation on them will be big, so why they may be cheaper on fuel but the initial cost & depreciation make spending 12-16k on a ULEZ/CAZ compliant diesel.

[Jasandjules]

My E Class is very, very comfy to cruise along in....

[Dadof2]

ZX10R NIN said:

The thing is if the OP's doing 20k a all of the EV's listed are not small amounts of money & the depreciation on them will be big, so why they may be cheaper on fuel but the initial cost & depreciation make spending 12-16k on a ULEZ/CAZ compliant diesel.

Which is why I’ve picked two very different options/models to compare. It’s correct if I end up going in 4 days a week it’s 20k pa so the id3 is over £400 pcm plus charging costs

Diesel cost at 45mpg for 20k pm is £225 @60 mpg = £166

If I spend mid teens on a car via loan/finance then I still have some value retained at the end of it I’m ‘winning’ but I have to say the gap is closer than I expected now I’ve done the sums and there is an appeal to an iD3 that I can home charge at night at minimal cost

Tesla nice but it’s way more £ than the VW and no super chargers on route and I would need then so it’s unessecary cost

My salary makes the commute worthwhile but I don’t want to burn money that I could keep for fun

[dmsims]

You also have to factor servicing/borkage for the ICE option

I don't think the depreciation is straighforward win for the ICE either

e.g. spend £15K on the Merc (does it have ACC? - it's a very poor advert) and it's going to be north of 100K miles in 3 years

ID3 is £25K new and will have done 60k

place your bets ....................