C350e anyone considering one?

[350e]

Discount.

You can still get it now if you shop around, but they can't guarantee you will get the grant too, so it is a bit of a gamble.

Coast2coastcars......

Mercedes C-Class Estate ESTATE C350e Sport Premium Plus 5dr Auto

Basic Price £35,158.33

Discount £4,219.00

Sub Total £30,939.33
Manufacturer's Delivery Cost £512.50
VAT £6,290.37

Road Fund Licence (12 months) £0.00

First Registration Fee £55.00

ON THE ROAD PRICE £37,797.20

TOTAL SAVING £5,062.80

Have checked this out on their website and think that because of the terms and conditions it is not a deal that can be used to demonstrate the availability of discounts. Yes, when the initial demand for the car has been satisfied then I would expect deals to be available.

 

[350e]

Afternoon all

So today I've bitten the bullet and ordered C350e Saloon Premium Plus in brilliant blue as a company car.

I've been given an indicative delivery date of March 2016!

Still, compared to what other options on our car list, this seems to tick all the boxes, couldn't face getting out of my BMW 335d MSport (privately owned) and stepping in to any thing else that was offered to me on the list (purely based on the engines and spec offered to me and my heavy right foot).


Not driven/owned a Merc before, but been very impressed with my friends C250 AMG line.

Just hope it's worth the wait and I don't get too screwed by the tax changes!

Congratulations
Have you been told anything about the availability of the government grant ?

 

[Moe']

Congratulations
Have you been told anything about the availability of the government grant ?

Nothing more than there's a bunch of us here trying to get orders in as our fleet administrator has warned that it's running out so it will vanish off the list when the grant does... so will be back to ordering an oil burner - although to be fair all nice cars available they are all the most economic engines in the ranges...

It definatley made more sense to me to take a punt of this than say an E220d Se

 

[crockers]

Right... heres a question....

C350e Range on pure EV.

What is the ideal speed and conditions to get the max EV range ?

Just thinking as mine is arriving in winter now..... Headlights on, heaters on, radio on, phone charger, wipers on, heated rear window and mirrors, busy morning slow stop start traffic, uphill... what sort of range are we talking...... ???? if its less than 50% i will cancelling ! lol !

With a flat EV batterty and 1.8 ton, i bet the car wont see 20mpg in them conditions...

Agree or disagree ?

All I can say is my wife's Toyota Auris Hybrid gets 30%+ in the summer over the winter. That's with an Atkins engine. (Or is it Atkinson?).

 

[JBD]

Just to let everyone know, the grant has now been extended to a year, so any order placed now will definitely get it

 

[JBD]

Also, the grant is currently until 2017, so there should be no worries there

 

[350e]

Nothing more than there's a bunch of us here trying to get orders in as our fleet administrator has warned that it's running out so it will vanish off the list when the grant does... so will be back to ordering an oil burner - although to be fair all nice cars available they are all the most economic engines in the ranges...

It definatley made more sense to me to take a punt of this than say an E220d Se

Well your fears may be allayed by this news

Just to let everyone know, the grant has now been extended to a year, so any order placed now will definitely get it

 

[Wetpanda]

Just checked with my fleet guy, I'm currently down for a March/April delivery date.

Fingers crossed the grant still applies.

 

[350e]

Just to let everyone know, the grant has now been extended to a year, so any order placed now will definitely get it

Do you have a source reference for this information? Everywhere I look I read that it may not last this year out


This from the Guardian a couple of weeks ago :
A £5,000-a-car government giveaway has sent sales of electric vehicles in Britain soaring to record levels – but eco-conscious buyers may now have only a few months left to grab the grant money before it runs out.

In early 2011 the government introduced the £5,000 grants (£8,000 for plug-in electric vans) and promised that the scheme would continue until 50,000 were awarded. Early take-up was slow, and two years later just 3,200 had been made – largely because there were so few electric vehicles to choose from. But the launch of the Nissan Leaf, the remarkable success of the Mitsubishi Outlander plug-in, and the fact that there are now a further 35 models to choose from, has ignited the market.


Are we on the brink of an electric car revolution?
Read more
In the first five months of 2015, the number of electric cars sold in the UK and eligible for the £5,000 grant jumped to 11,842 – four times the number that quietly purred away from forecourts over the same period last year.

The 50,000 limit is in sight. So far, the government has awarded around 36,000 grants. If sales continue to accelerate, the money will certainly run out before the end of the year, possibly sooner.

 

[JBD]

An email from head office today detailed the changes. Apparently another manufacturer has a wait of 11 months on their car and they've been told they are fine to offer the grant

 

[Driver15]

Will just put this here as this thread is phev focused...


2015 Volkswagen Passat GTE first drive review | Auto Trader UK


The second VW to wear the ‘GTE’ badge after the Golf. It’s a signifier of the plug-in hybrid technology on board, which promises tax-dodging CO2 emissions, and strong performance, too.

The Passat uses a brawnier version of the 1.4-litre TSI petrol engine in the Golf GTE, has a slightly higher capacity lithium-ion battery pack, and a punchier electric motor to cope with the increased weight of the Passat’s larger body. The net result is that the saloon is a bit quicker than the Golf from 0-62mph (7.4 seconds versus 7.6) and has a higher top speed, but the all-important electric-only range remains an identical 31 miles from a full charge.

Model: VW Passat GTE 1.4 TSI Premium
Price: £38,000 (est)
Engine: 1.4 litre 4cyl petrol w/electric motor, six-speed automatic
Power/Torque: 215bhp/295lb ft
0-62mph: 7.4 seconds
Top speed: 140mph
Economy: 166mpg
CO2/BIK liability: 39g/km/5%
Boot space: 586 - 1,152 litres

 

[350e]

An email from head office today detailed the changes. Apparently another manufacturer has a wait of 11 months on their car and they've been told they are fine to offer the grant

Thanks for that JBD .
I hope your people are not just interpreting what appears to be the latest information in the most optimistic way.
In the latest press release from Go Ultra Low, copied below, the scheme is still being developed for the period up to 2020.

16/07/15 from Go Ultra Low


Plug-in Car Grant

At least £200 million has been made available to continue the Plug-in Car Grant from 2015-2020. Government is currently reviewing how the plug-in car grant is structured. Following this review, new levels of grant will be available based on each car’s CO2 emissions and the electric range of the vehicle.

Go Ultra Low exists to help motorists understand the benefits, cost savings and capabilities of the raft of new ultra-low emission vehicles on the market. The collaborative campaign is the first of its kind, bringing together a consortium of seven leading vehicle manufacturers (Audi, BMW, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Renault, Toyota and Volkswagen), Government and the SMMT. Further details are available at www.GoUltraLow.com.

-Ends-

 

[quonker]

Will just put this here as this thread is phev focused...


2015 Volkswagen Passat GTE first drive review | Auto Trader UK


The second VW to wear the ‘GTE’ badge after the Golf. It’s a signifier of the plug-in hybrid technology on board, which promises tax-dodging CO2 emissions, and strong performance, too.

The Passat uses a brawnier version of the 1.4-litre TSI petrol engine in the Golf GTE, has a slightly higher capacity lithium-ion battery pack, and a punchier electric motor to cope with the increased weight of the Passat’s larger body. The net result is that the saloon is a bit quicker than the Golf from 0-62mph (7.4 seconds versus 7.6) and has a higher top speed, but the all-important electric-only range remains an identical 31 miles from a full charge.

Model: VW Passat GTE 1.4 TSI Premium
Price: £38,000 (est)
Engine: 1.4 litre 4cyl petrol w/electric motor, six-speed automatic
Power/Torque: 215bhp/295lb ft
0-62mph: 7.4 seconds
Top speed: 140mph
Economy: 166mpg
CO2/BIK liability: 39g/km/5%
Boot space: 586 - 1,152 litres

Clearly there will be a myriad of choice over the next 18 months or so.

Doesn't stop me wanting my C350e now though

 

[gIzzE]

Have checked this out on their website and think that because of the terms and conditions it is not a deal that can be used to demonstrate the availability of discounts. Yes, when the initial demand for the car has been satisfied then I would expect deals to be available.

The thing with these brokers is they know all the dealerships across the UK, there will always be a dealer somewhere with a cancelled order that needs to move a car on.

When we got our F11 5 series touring there was zero discounts, a grand if you were lucky, brand new car with a long lead time, but in the end we got one in the right colour with the only option missing being Harman sound, it came with a healthy 16% off, and we got it in a under 3 weeks as it was already being built.

But this is what those brokers do, source cars from whomever may be offering the best discount.

Oh, and Inchape said on the 5 series no discount, who supplied the car with 16% off? Inchape!

 

[350e]

The thing with these brokers is they know all the dealerships across the UK, there will always be a dealer somewhere with a cancelled order that needs to move a car on.

When we got our F11 5 series touring there was zero discounts, a grand if you were lucky, brand new car with a long lead time, but in the end we got one in the right colour with the only option missing being Harman sound, it came with a healthy 16% off, and we got it in a under 3 weeks as it was already being built.

But this is what those brokers do, source cars from whomever may be offering the best discount.

Oh, and Inchape said on the 5 series no discount, who supplied the car with 16% off? Inchape!

Exactly so. Dealers will have cancelled orders from time to time but it is in my view fanciful to imagine that a 350e , of any spec' will be made available to a broker operation for quite a while. Indeed I can imagine that any dealer with a cancellation of a 350e would move it on within minutes, if not within the dealership certainly within the group, as many franchises are today in groups, with no loss of margin.

 

[Driver15]

Clearly there will be a myriad of choice over the next 18 months or so.

Doesn't stop me wanting my C350e now though

Yes- was posted for awareness / compare

 

[350e]

Yes- was posted for awareness / compare

Only thing is that anyone interested in this thread has to wade through over thirty pages, maybe another thread relating to hybrids could be started ?

 

[quonker]

I remember this thread when it was all just fields..

 

[hc350e]

for those that have already ordered - or are considering to order - the c350 estate; here are some pictures of the boot with the back seats down. I believe there were some requests for pictures earlier in this thread.

 

[Driver15]

Been having a look on the german Merc website at the C350e and the amount of custom choices is unreal compared to the uk..

Even to the point of getting the below rather than a full pano..