C350E ordered

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Discussion

supermono

7,368 posts

247 months

Tuesday 12th January 2016
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Yes it's going great. I've taken to driving to London every day instead of using the train and it's working out in the order of three quid a day plus whatever my home charge is costing in electric. No ccharge, no parking fees and a free charge up while I'm there. About 25 miles each way mixed dual carriageway @70 for about 15 miles then increasing traffic as I reach my destination right off Oxford St. Using "comfort" mode and selecting E-SAVE once I'm up to speed on the d/c and E-MODE when I'm around 8 miles from destination I can get 85mpg there, 75 going home. Traffic far better than I thought and at a saving of about 60 quid a week (and no train delays and misery) that's a pretty amazing economy there. The "eco" mode seems to prioritise charging the batteries on the motorway which means you have too much charge left when you arrive and you used too much petrol, it manages around 65mpg compared with 85mpg on "manual" process I describe.

On a longer trip it's a different story as you'd expect. If you're not in a hurry you can cover 80-100 miles getting around 50mpg at 70ish, but if you are in a hurry you'll drop that down to sub-40, even near 30. Over 100 miles and you're really struggling to get much into the 40s though I've not done that many long trips yet to be sure. I'm going 130 miles each way this weekend so I'll report back.

However, the ride and handling are really great and comfort too. In Sport+ it's pretty good hanging onto gears, changing hard and revving right up, it's not sportscar quick but is definitely on the quick side. Lovely and quiet just a really nice car to be in for a long journey. The premplus really is worth it, that sound system and the lighting inside all seems to make it feel really special, and I'm so glad I went for beige leather rather than the standard black plastic as I think this gives it just that last little bit of luxury. The "Mercedes me" web portal is cool, especially being able to defrost the car and warm it on mains electric before you unplug and drive off -- no scraping or shivering.

Overall I'm really, REALLY pleased with it. It's done 1362 miles now (according to mercedes me portal wink and 42.8mpg average. Though the London trips I've started are boosting that.

The stopstart happens everywhere all the time apart from cruising on the level > 60mph and whilst largely unnoticable since the ECU does a perfect job of rev matching and keeping the throttle feeling perfectly natural most of the time, does worry me in terms of starter motor life and general engine wear as sometimes it'll be off more than it's on and I'm not certain it's really warming up sometimes, not ideal for longevity. A bloody temperature gauge would be useful in this regard (WTF??). For this reason I'm getting intermediate oil changes done at 6 months or possibly even every 5k if it looks like I'm going over 15k miles pa which I might. Shell Helix Ultra 5W40 to Merc 229.5 spec is currently only £20 for 5 litres so for the cost of the change it's pretty much a no brainer to me.

This won't be an issue for some folks who might lease the car since it'll always be in warranty, but in my case I've bought the thing it's mine and I and intend to hold onto it for 10 years+ so wanting to look after the mechanicals.

robemcdonald

Original Poster:

8,716 posts

195 months

Tuesday 12th January 2016
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Good to hear you're enjoying it. The mpg might not be quite what is was hoping though. Still sounds like a great car though.
I would love to hear more updates as and when.
Can't wait until April.

The Beaver King

6,095 posts

194 months

Monday 18th January 2016
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Yeah, great feedback and thanks for letting us know.

I've got one of these on order as of last week, with a 7 month lead time. I'm hoping it will save me some money on my work commute (19 miles, 15 of which are motorway at 7am).

Please keep providing updates.


Also, as a heads up to anyone else ordering one as a company car through a lease; most of the lease companies are disabling the Mercedes Me connectivity. So unless you are buying it yourself or get very lucky with your lease company, don't expect to be able to control the car through your phone...

supermono

7,368 posts

247 months

Tuesday 19th January 2016
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That's a main not enabling the remote services. I find that super useful being a geek.

I have discovered that the defrost feature will draw more current than the domestic charger can supply even on maximum rate. So it's better to set your departure time for 25 mins early giving it time to recharge again before you leave, otherwise you only have 85% charge left. It puts BOTH heated seats on maximum for some crazy reason, there ought to be a way to configure this.

I did this this morning and the car was toasty inside and no ice on the windows at all so didn't refreeze in that 25 mins or so.

The Beaver King

6,095 posts

194 months

Saturday 23rd January 2016
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Already ordered mine, so it's too late now but can someone confirm if the LED headlights are standard on the C350e?

I've read so many conflicting articles, some saying that the LED headlights are standard on the Sport pack (which I think the C350e comes with as standard) and some saying it's an optional extra. Not sure if the confusion is over the Intelligent Lighting System, which I know is a different thing altogether and definitely an optional extra.

It's a bit sad, but I really hate cars that have LED DLRs but stock halogen headlights. It just looks wrong to me and one of my bugbears.

robemcdonald

Original Poster:

8,716 posts

195 months

Saturday 23rd January 2016
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The Beaver King said:
Already ordered mine, so it's too late now but can someone confirm if the LED headlights are standard on the C350e?

I've read so many conflicting articles, some saying that the LED headlights are standard on the Sport pack (which I think the C350e comes with as standard) and some saying it's an optional extra. Not sure if the confusion is over the Intelligent Lighting System, which I know is a different thing altogether and definitely an optional extra.

It's a bit sad, but I really hate cars that have LED DLRs but stock halogen headlights. It just looks wrong to me and one of my bugbears.
LED headlights are standard.

The Beaver King

6,095 posts

194 months

Saturday 23rd January 2016
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robemcdonald said:
LED headlights are standard.
biggrin

Awesome, thanks!

nice1two

328 posts

198 months

Saturday 30th January 2016
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Mines due Tuesday. After being promised November December and early Jan I can't wait

robemcdonald

Original Poster:

8,716 posts

195 months

Sunday 31st January 2016
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nice1two said:
Mines due Tuesday. After being promised November December and early Jan I can't wait
I wonder why delivery dates are so poor and inaccurate.

You would have thought that if there were production issues they would have been resolved by now.

The Beaver King

6,095 posts

194 months

Tuesday 2nd February 2016
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robemcdonald said:
nice1two said:
Mines due Tuesday. After being promised November December and early Jan I can't wait
I wonder why delivery dates are so poor and inaccurate.

You would have thought that if there were production issues they would have been resolved by now.
I've been reading about this on the MB Club forum (link near start of thread).

Basically they underestimated initial demand, which has caused a bit of a bottleneck. They have managed to clear most of this now, but apparently there is still an extended lead time on those ordering Brilliant Blue paint, again due to underestimated demand.

When I initially inquired about the C350e, I was given a 9 month lead time. I placed my order two weeks ago and have now been told 6 months.

It seems that certain dealers are being prioritised over others as well.

robemcdonald

Original Poster:

8,716 posts

195 months

Tuesday 2nd February 2016
quotequote all
The Beaver King said:
I've been reading about this on the MB Club forum (link near start of thread).

Basically they underestimated initial demand, which has caused a bit of a bottleneck. They have managed to clear most of this now, but apparently there is still an extended lead time on those ordering Brilliant Blue paint, again due to underestimated demand.

When I initially inquired about the C350e, I was given a 9 month lead time. I placed my order two weeks ago and have now been told 6 months.

It seems that certain dealers are being prioritised over others as well.
Great. I have ordered brilliant blue.....

Called the company today and the 29th April is still the predicted date.

Anyone got / looking at a home charging point?


The Beaver King

6,095 posts

194 months

Wednesday 3rd February 2016
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robemcdonald said:
Great. I have ordered brilliant blue.....

Called the company today and the 29th April is still the predicted date.
Snap; I believe the issue with the Brilliant Blue is that the painting is being done in Germany, rather than South Africa. Apparently the factory in Africa had big issues with the paint, so MB have opted to do it at a German plant. This has jammed the plant and delayed the BB painted cars.

robemcdonald said:
Anyone got / looking at a home charging point?
No, I rent so fitting one isn't ideal for me. I'd be quick though, the government currently subsidies the cost of charger installation but this ends in the next few months.

GreatGranny

9,097 posts

225 months

Wednesday 3rd February 2016
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robemcdonald said:
Great. I have ordered brilliant blue.....

Called the company today and the 29th April is still the predicted date.

Anyone got / looking at a home charging point?
Go through one of the large national companies.
They have the knowledge and experience for the job to be done as cheaply as possible.

The grant is £700 towards the cost at the moment.

I used a local company and I was their first install.
They took longer than was anticipated because of this and also didn't let me know that their survey cost nearly £100.
Their initial bill was £500 with the grant but they reduced it to just under £300 after a period of negotiation :-)

Very happy with the install apart from that.

supermono

7,368 posts

247 months

Friday 5th February 2016
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I definitely think they're profiteering and basically pocketing a large bit of the grant, then charging you for the install. I spoke to a guy who wanted a total of 900 quid, 200 from me. The wire goes right out of the front of the house where supply is, clipped to my brickwork around 1/3rd of the house and up to a box screwed onto the wall.

Even if they had to put in an MCB outside the CU it's never more than an hour's work drilling a hole and running a bit of wire -- I could do it easily in that time. How much is a box? Even at £300 + a very generous £100 for sundries you're talking £500 quid for an hour's work.

As I've said before you can't blame them -- everyone wants a bit of the loony green gravy train, me included (5k+BIK+free London travel/parking/electric) but I just can't be part of this charging point scam.

By the way, survey wise the guy I spoke to looked at my place on Google Earth as we spoke and did the "survey" then for nothing. Not always possible but shows what can be done.

Andy

GreatGranny

9,097 posts

225 months

Friday 5th February 2016
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The guide price on the Rolec brochure is £195/185 for 32A/16A so £200 is about right.
Especially if its an easy install.

The breakdown for my install was an eye opener.

£100 for a "survey"

8 hrs labour @ £35ph (This is in Lincolnshire where we have probably the lowest average wage in the country)

Charging unit £690!

I've just got the revised invoice of £285 which is £211 less than my initial bill.

They were very fair to deal with. Could have been awkward as I know a few of the employees socially including the woman who deals with all the invoices etc..

nice1two

328 posts

198 months

Tuesday 9th February 2016
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So had mine a week and so far really impressed. Only covered about 400 miles and other then an annoying knock and squeak in the cabin has been good. The premium plus pack really does make it a nice place to be.

Managed to average 59mpg on the way home the last couple of days and that's a mixed 19 mile commute. Hoping the battery life will increase as I only seem to be getting 15miles from a full charge at the moment.

aiden_wallace

29 posts

97 months

Tuesday 16th February 2016
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nice1two said:
So had mine a week and so far really impressed. Only covered about 400 miles and other then an annoying knock and squeak in the cabin has been good. The premium plus pack really does make it a nice place to be.

Managed to average 59mpg on the way home the last couple of days and that's a mixed 19 mile commute. Hoping the battery life will increase as I only seem to be getting 15miles from a full charge at the moment.
Are you using the a/c or heated seats etc. the range in my Phev drops from 30 to 17 the second i hit the a/c!

The Beaver King

6,095 posts

194 months

Wednesday 16th March 2016
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Well I had my demo car turn up yesterday and I am really impressed.

I used last night as a chance to test the performance side of things; my God, it is quick. I knew it was quick for a hybrid, but this feels really quick. The electric motors really give it a kick when you put your foot down. The engine makes a nice growl and, although the car isn't exactly light, it darts about with some real pace. I'm genuinely concerned for my licence...

This morning I decided to test the fuel economy on my 19 mile commute. Again, very impressed. Used pure electric from home to the motorway (5 miles), switched to hybrid for the 10 miles on the motorway and then back to electric for the last 4 miles. Managed a very respectable 68.9 mpg with no effort or real change to my driving style. That's leaving the house on a full charge and with the sat-nav, radio and heating all on. I'm pretty sure I can get that to 70 mpg with a few tweaks.

Overall, I'm very happy that I've ordered one now. I had a few doubts about the mpg reading some of the reviews, but these appear to be exaggerated slightly and are probably more of an issue on long range trips. For my daily commute, the mpg is brilliant.

The ability to switch between eco-warrior and racing driver is intoxicating; I'm pretty sure we'd all be driving hybrids if people realised how much grunt the Germans have brought into the Eco arena.


s111dpc

1,339 posts

228 months

Saturday 9th April 2016
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I've had mine for just over a week now and so far very pleased. Covered about 500 miles at an average of 48mpg, which considering I've been playing with the various settings and Sports+ I'm quite happy with.

A lot of car and a lot of gadgets / settings to play with so it'll take a while to settle into what works best for each type of journey but in the meantime I'm enjoying it drivingthumbup

robemcdonald

Original Poster:

8,716 posts

195 months

Sunday 10th April 2016
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Just a couple of weeks left to wait for mine now. Sounds like it's the perfect combo between performance and economy. If I can return 48mpg I'll be happy as that's the same as the current bus.