C350e 2834 miles on the clock now
Discussion
So I've basically totally given up on the train, 15 quid a day, late, overcrowded compared with driving door to door at about 3 quid a day in first class comfort really is a no brainer.
The car seems to be getting more economical. My 25-35 mile commute into London has been approaching the 99.9 max displayed MPG since I started, and this morning easily reached that figure a mile before the office, and supposedly consumed 2% of my petrol (81->79%) which is a pound.
Maybe it's the warmer weather I don't know, but I basically drive from home to a couple of miles up to the motorway on leccy, then switch mode to "E-SAVE" and cruise in the traffic at about 60 for a few miles before I hit the outskirts of London ~8 miles from destination switching to E-MODE. All this in the comfort setting.
Anyhow, plenty of electric to waft from red light to red light silently and park at the electric point outside my office near Oxford Street.
Out of town on 100+ mile journeys it's still fairly poor if you tank it, 35-40 maybe a normal/slightly above average motorway speeds, but 60 possible if you don't mind taking your time and doing 65-70.
Oh, and as predicted someone knocked off the electric flap -- I feel sorry for the chap because it's in exactly the wrong place and I felt sure someone would clip it. He was decent enough to leave his details but Merc have quoted an astonishing 1200 quid to paint in the little scratch made on the bumper and perform a load of tests and diagnostics etc. Hopefully he'll be letting me know his insurance details although unsurprisingly since I emailed him the quote he's gone quiet. I'm tempted to forget the bumper in the interests of keeping the costs down, but not knowing if the charging plug has been tweaked, I need to have that lot looked at during the strip down as I'm relying on my 6 year electrical warranty from Merc and I don't want to jeopardise that.
A big design flaw here from Merc (low down, offside) and I expect they'll be getting these fixed hand over fist.
Anyway, the car is superb, and anyone looking forward to getting one should definitely look forward to it
100% luxury and cheap as chips to run.
Hopefully the 330e BMW will be as good, although the reading I've done suggests the transition between electric and petrol is a bit harsh, something they've managed to get perfect on the Merc, sometimes you just don't know it's come on, the transition is almost completely seamless.
The car seems to be getting more economical. My 25-35 mile commute into London has been approaching the 99.9 max displayed MPG since I started, and this morning easily reached that figure a mile before the office, and supposedly consumed 2% of my petrol (81->79%) which is a pound.
Maybe it's the warmer weather I don't know, but I basically drive from home to a couple of miles up to the motorway on leccy, then switch mode to "E-SAVE" and cruise in the traffic at about 60 for a few miles before I hit the outskirts of London ~8 miles from destination switching to E-MODE. All this in the comfort setting.
Anyhow, plenty of electric to waft from red light to red light silently and park at the electric point outside my office near Oxford Street.
Out of town on 100+ mile journeys it's still fairly poor if you tank it, 35-40 maybe a normal/slightly above average motorway speeds, but 60 possible if you don't mind taking your time and doing 65-70.
Oh, and as predicted someone knocked off the electric flap -- I feel sorry for the chap because it's in exactly the wrong place and I felt sure someone would clip it. He was decent enough to leave his details but Merc have quoted an astonishing 1200 quid to paint in the little scratch made on the bumper and perform a load of tests and diagnostics etc. Hopefully he'll be letting me know his insurance details although unsurprisingly since I emailed him the quote he's gone quiet. I'm tempted to forget the bumper in the interests of keeping the costs down, but not knowing if the charging plug has been tweaked, I need to have that lot looked at during the strip down as I'm relying on my 6 year electrical warranty from Merc and I don't want to jeopardise that.
A big design flaw here from Merc (low down, offside) and I expect they'll be getting these fixed hand over fist.
Anyway, the car is superb, and anyone looking forward to getting one should definitely look forward to it
100% luxury and cheap as chips to run.Hopefully the 330e BMW will be as good, although the reading I've done suggests the transition between electric and petrol is a bit harsh, something they've managed to get perfect on the Merc, sometimes you just don't know it's come on, the transition is almost completely seamless.
Thanks for the supermono; great review.
I have mine on order, but I've being getting a bit concerned as a few people on the MB Club forum have stated the fuel economy is poor on pure engine. Most citing a return of 25mpg, but I'm not sure if this is normal hybrid mode or E-charge. Plus, as you rightly say, if you're driving it quite spiritedly, fuel economy will suffer.
How have you found the real world range of the battery after a full charge?
I have a 19 mile commute; 2 miles on B roads, 14 miles on the motorway and then a final 3 miles on B roads to the office. I'm wondering if I'm being optimistic thinking I can do this all on battery and maybe doing the motorway section on petrol (akin to you) would make more sense.
I have mine on order, but I've being getting a bit concerned as a few people on the MB Club forum have stated the fuel economy is poor on pure engine. Most citing a return of 25mpg, but I'm not sure if this is normal hybrid mode or E-charge. Plus, as you rightly say, if you're driving it quite spiritedly, fuel economy will suffer.
How have you found the real world range of the battery after a full charge?
I have a 19 mile commute; 2 miles on B roads, 14 miles on the motorway and then a final 3 miles on B roads to the office. I'm wondering if I'm being optimistic thinking I can do this all on battery and maybe doing the motorway section on petrol (akin to you) would make more sense.
I saw 25 on charge mode over a 50 mile thrash, and it was a (fun) thrash. I ended up with >90% battery from 15% at the start. Charge mode seems really wasteful to me and I don't use it. Not really sure why I would to be honest. Maybe if you have 10 miles city driving and you don't mind cruising carefully for 40 miles on the way and have no charge at the start to save, it might make sense.
Your trip will be impossible on battery alone no matter what you do. Real world it'll do 10 miles on electric only before it starts going onto petrol at about 25-30% remaining. But then the engine going off downhill etc will add maybe 20% of your journey on battery.
My long term average is about 40% electric (1200 miles so far out of total) which is mainly because of my commute.
My guess on your commute is E-MODE to the motorway get up to speed then E-SAVE until your battery range says a mile or two more than you have left to destination, then E-MODE again. If you don't mind a pedestrian 60mph on the motorway bit, you'll get 80+mpg for that trip. 70mpg if you want to do 70, 60mpg if you're in a hurry. Fairly confident guess
As long as you can charge up at work this car should outperform a diseasel on that commute fairly easily.
Your trip will be impossible on battery alone no matter what you do. Real world it'll do 10 miles on electric only before it starts going onto petrol at about 25-30% remaining. But then the engine going off downhill etc will add maybe 20% of your journey on battery.
My long term average is about 40% electric (1200 miles so far out of total) which is mainly because of my commute.
My guess on your commute is E-MODE to the motorway get up to speed then E-SAVE until your battery range says a mile or two more than you have left to destination, then E-MODE again. If you don't mind a pedestrian 60mph on the motorway bit, you'll get 80+mpg for that trip. 70mpg if you want to do 70, 60mpg if you're in a hurry. Fairly confident guess
As long as you can charge up at work this car should outperform a diseasel on that commute fairly easily.
Brilliant; those figures sound exactly like I was hoping.
We're having charging points installed at work, so I'm hoping that my trip to and from work will be electric aside from the motorway.
What's it like inside? I've only got the basic sport specification (keep the BiK down) but the equipment level seems impressive. A comfortable interior really is key for me; seeing as that is where most of my time is spent.
Thanks for the info
We're having charging points installed at work, so I'm hoping that my trip to and from work will be electric aside from the motorway.
What's it like inside? I've only got the basic sport specification (keep the BiK down) but the equipment level seems impressive. A comfortable interior really is key for me; seeing as that is where most of my time is spent.
Thanks for the info
Well I got the premplus kit so I guess my roof and improved display/hifi/ambient and seat adjustment makes it slightly nicer inside, but it's basically the same as yours. Very comfy seats, lovely ride and rock solid stability at any speed (only seen 130mph so far but still seems super stable, I'm sure at 155 it's perfect too in Germany)
Lighting brilliant on those back roads in the dark, best I've seen and better than the xenons on my 911 which I thought were great.
Super quiet especially on electric but >50mph the engine is un-noticable also. Engine a bit gruff at slow road speeds, and you hear it a bit on sport+ at 4-6k especially on the overrun since it holds onto gears but that's fine because you want it up there for the speed. And it's fairly quick too, especially when you feel the "second turbo" feeling of the leccy.
Yeah, comfort wise it's really great.
Lighting brilliant on those back roads in the dark, best I've seen and better than the xenons on my 911 which I thought were great.
Super quiet especially on electric but >50mph the engine is un-noticable also. Engine a bit gruff at slow road speeds, and you hear it a bit on sport+ at 4-6k especially on the overrun since it holds onto gears but that's fine because you want it up there for the speed. And it's fairly quick too, especially when you feel the "second turbo" feeling of the leccy.
Yeah, comfort wise it's really great.
Hey there. Well it's nearly 5k miles now, and mpg seems to be basically 90-99.9+ on my daily commute either way, not tearing about driving purely to save cash on my weekly commute. And high-30s on my regular 100 mile plus trips where I'm not driving with economy in mind. Looks like of 5k miles around 2200 of them are electric only and my long term average so far since new is flipping between 50.4 / 51.4 Definitely hard to get 99.9+ on cold mornings, and easy on warm ones.
Engine seems quieter now its run in, though a bit thrashy sometimes when you're enjoying the full rev range. On the motorway it's really super civilised and quiet at any speed at all. Brilliant at long trips comfort wise but definitely less economical than a diesel, though I much prefer a petrol engine to use.
I'm really pleased still. So far I'm running a luxury car at least as good as the Jag I had before, yet every week I'm retaining around 50-60 quid instead of giving it to those shysters at SWT, plus I'm coming and going as I please. Range seems around 500-600 miles with the trips I'm doing and it costs me under £50 in super unleaded per fill up.
Engine seems quieter now its run in, though a bit thrashy sometimes when you're enjoying the full rev range. On the motorway it's really super civilised and quiet at any speed at all. Brilliant at long trips comfort wise but definitely less economical than a diesel, though I much prefer a petrol engine to use.
I'm really pleased still. So far I'm running a luxury car at least as good as the Jag I had before, yet every week I'm retaining around 50-60 quid instead of giving it to those shysters at SWT, plus I'm coming and going as I please. Range seems around 500-600 miles with the trips I'm doing and it costs me under £50 in super unleaded per fill up.
Awesome news and thank you for the update.
I've currently got an Audi A3 diesel as a pool car and I get around 500 miles from a £40 fill up. If the C350e comes in near that, I'll be very happy. I'm hoping my 19 mile commute gets me a similar mpg to you, especially as it is 15 miles of reasonably quiet motorway.
Are you doing many trips in pure electric mode? My parents live about 7-8 miles away, so I'd like to think I could pop to their house and back in 90% electric mode.
Any comments regarding the electrical jack plug? I've heard slightly worrying stories about corrosion and a tendency to be very fragile...
Cheers
I've currently got an Audi A3 diesel as a pool car and I get around 500 miles from a £40 fill up. If the C350e comes in near that, I'll be very happy. I'm hoping my 19 mile commute gets me a similar mpg to you, especially as it is 15 miles of reasonably quiet motorway.
Are you doing many trips in pure electric mode? My parents live about 7-8 miles away, so I'd like to think I could pop to their house and back in 90% electric mode.
Any comments regarding the electrical jack plug? I've heard slightly worrying stories about corrosion and a tendency to be very fragile...
Cheers
Hi there,
On that commute yeah you'll manage that sort of economy I'm sure.
That trip you describe if your parents don't mind you plugging in and you go on high charge for about an hour I reckon you could get there and back without even starting the engine.
No problem with the plug at all other than the predicted knock-off that's happened twice now because of the stupid low down / offside location of it. Cars leaving from behind don't see it. I was quoted bonkers money from merc because it seems the hinge can't be easily replaced and I'm not having them remove the bumper, I was able to repair fine with superglue as only the hinge was snapped.
Regarding the leccy only, yes I decide on my trip when to save and when to use electric based on my experience of the trip. I make sure I'm on electric only as I hit 9 miles from London, with a little electric from my house to the main road. I aim to arrive with 10-15% left. You'll get the idea and do the same thing I'd imagine.
On that commute yeah you'll manage that sort of economy I'm sure.
That trip you describe if your parents don't mind you plugging in and you go on high charge for about an hour I reckon you could get there and back without even starting the engine.
No problem with the plug at all other than the predicted knock-off that's happened twice now because of the stupid low down / offside location of it. Cars leaving from behind don't see it. I was quoted bonkers money from merc because it seems the hinge can't be easily replaced and I'm not having them remove the bumper, I was able to repair fine with superglue as only the hinge was snapped.
Regarding the leccy only, yes I decide on my trip when to save and when to use electric based on my experience of the trip. I make sure I'm on electric only as I hit 9 miles from London, with a little electric from my house to the main road. I aim to arrive with 10-15% left. You'll get the idea and do the same thing I'd imagine.
Has anyone worked out the cost per mile on electric and so the average pence per mile?
I looked into it - my old BMW would do 40+ mpg happily which I worked out as 12p a mile. My Tesla, if I charge at home, adds about 22 miles for an hours charging at 7kwh. I pay 10p a kwh but I also don't get 22 miles from 22 charge - I get nearer 17 real world - ie 70p gives 17 miles so about 4p a mile. Its still 1/3 of the cost which is great, and even better if I use free public charging.. but its not insignificant.
I think this is the only real way to work out how good the economy is.
I looked into it - my old BMW would do 40+ mpg happily which I worked out as 12p a mile. My Tesla, if I charge at home, adds about 22 miles for an hours charging at 7kwh. I pay 10p a kwh but I also don't get 22 miles from 22 charge - I get nearer 17 real world - ie 70p gives 17 miles so about 4p a mile. Its still 1/3 of the cost which is great, and even better if I use free public charging.. but its not insignificant.
I think this is the only real way to work out how good the economy is.
jason61c said:
Its nothing to do with this car, yours is a proper electric jobbie. This a 2.0 turbo with a battery. This is how to work out the economy in this type of car.
Why? If you get 100 mpg on your 40 mile round trip commute to work inc a charge that, say, costs £1.20 you can work out the cost per mile - otherwise a 100 mpg means nothing doesn't it? The other way of looking at it is given in my case the electricity cost of about a 1/3 based on 40mpg diesel, a genuine 120mpg is the same price as on diesel as electricity.
JonV8V said:
Why? If you get 100 mpg on your 40 mile round trip commute to work inc a charge that, say, costs £1.20 you can work out the cost per mile - otherwise a 100 mpg means nothing doesn't it?
The other way of looking at it is given in my case the electricity cost of about a 1/3 based on 40mpg diesel, a genuine 120mpg is the same price as on diesel as electricity.
You're not comparing eggs with eggs.The other way of looking at it is given in my case the electricity cost of about a 1/3 based on 40mpg diesel, a genuine 120mpg is the same price as on diesel as electricity.
I was after the mpg on a long motorway run of a plug in type car.
jason61c said:
I was after the mpg on a long motorway run of a plug in type car.
I would work on 40mpg. The leccy range is so short to as not make a significant saving, eco-driving, coasting and regen make a small difference. What a PHEV is very good at is lots of short journeys (which diesel is bad at) on leccy and longer journeys without range anxiety.If all you need us long-distance motorway cruising then diesel is your friend.
MrOrange said:
jason61c said:
I was after the mpg on a long motorway run of a plug in type car.
I would work on 40mpg. The leccy range is so short to as not make a significant saving, eco-driving, coasting and regen make a small difference. What a PHEV is very good at is lots of short journeys (which diesel is bad at) on leccy and longer journeys without range anxiety.If all you need us long-distance motorway cruising then diesel is your friend.
jason61c said:
JonV8V said:
Why? If you get 100 mpg on your 40 mile round trip commute to work inc a charge that, say, costs £1.20 you can work out the cost per mile - otherwise a 100 mpg means nothing doesn't it?
The other way of looking at it is given in my case the electricity cost of about a 1/3 based on 40mpg diesel, a genuine 120mpg is the same price as on diesel as electricity.
You're not comparing eggs with eggs.The other way of looking at it is given in my case the electricity cost of about a 1/3 based on 40mpg diesel, a genuine 120mpg is the same price as on diesel as electricity.
I was after the mpg on a long motorway run of a plug in type car.
Someone who commutes 20 miles to work, different journey type, quoting 100mpg but also a full electric charge needs to do the maths.. fuel is say 5p/mile, electric is £1 say, or another 5p a mile.. Total is 10p. (It's probably better than this, I don't know the figures which is why I'm asking).
The mpg seemed to be really good on the commute, but in the example the all in cost is only 20% less.
I understand what you are asking, its just the long trips that I have a 'concern' about. Given that I'll only get 12p ish per mile. I need 40mpg on a long run. Which it seems to do, the battery running which seems to cover about 15miles just means free running around into town etc.
I was impressed with how quickly it'd charge a flat battery using braking and coasting on a motor run.
In theory a 200 mile drive would be 170miles on the engine, 30miles on the battery.
I was impressed with how quickly it'd charge a flat battery using braking and coasting on a motor run.
In theory a 200 mile drive would be 170miles on the engine, 30miles on the battery.
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