C350e owners club

[Deleted member 126969]

Looks like a decent facelift. Hopefully the new ICE won’t sound like a bag of spanner’s like the M274 does. An extra 41bhp of electric power would be nice too.

 

[Dodgy]

See Autocar today for details on the C400 PHEV due post-July. An extra 41bhp from the electric motor AND a purported 31 mile all-electric range. If that is as reliable as the claim of 19 for the 350e it would = perhaps 15 miles, but I'd almost settle for that.

Sounds like 32A charging might be included - “new charging systems”. 63% increase in range is worth having as well


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[Deleted member 126969]

Quite agree on the extra range. Presumably just a 63% increase in battery capacity. Be nice if that was available as a retrofit....yeah, right.

A bigger battery would probably benefit from faster charging. If it was a 10kWh pack it makes a bit more sense. Would certainly make using public charge points a bit more sensible than it is at the moment where they charge by the hour.

As always, makes one regret buying the previous model.....

 

[CaptainChaos]

See Autocar today for details on the C400 PHEV due post-July. An extra 41bhp from the electric motor AND a purported 31 mile all-electric range. If that is as reliable as the claim of 19 for the 350e it would = perhaps 15 miles, but I'd almost settle for that.

9 speed box as well. Sounds a decent upgrade. They just need to get the estate CO2 below 50, and the list price below £40,000 and it will be a winner!

 

[Deleted member 126969]

Just thinking about the new ICE actually. Given that the M274 appeared in 2012 and the new M264 line first appeared in 2016 (according to DB), only 4 years life for an entire engine line sounds short. So, do we think it is just a sign of ever tightening emissions regulations and constant development, or did they mess up with the M274 and we all have problems waiting for us in the future? I’m thinking now about the headbolt and camchain type issues that seem worryingly common and just how poor MB are in dealing with them.

So, paranoid or prophetic?

 

[CaptainChaos]

So, paranoid or prophetic?

Can we tell you in a couple of years?

 

[Dodgy]

The thing is, Mercedes are telling people that the EQC will be out in 2019, with “up to 500km” range and looking like something out of Tron. I suppose if they’re hoping it will compete with the Jaguar I-PACE, it’s going to be way over £40k...


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[TheCorm]

See Autocar today for details on the C400 PHEV due post-July. An extra 41bhp from the electric motor AND a purported 31 mile all-electric range. If that is as reliable as the claim of 19 for the 350e it would = perhaps 15 miles, but I'd almost settle for that.

This sounds very interesting, some comments.

- 31 miles means it would match the Outlander and Golf/Passat GTE models
- 7kw charging would be great, better than a lot of PHEV rivals
- Increased battery density or are we looking at more boot space loss I wonder?
- I wonder if the 0-60 will go down or will the extra battery weight mean little difference
- Total system output around 320bhp then?
- From 2020 if new company car tax rates come in c350e's will be 14% VED for company car owners (down from 16% in 2019) but this new c400e would be 12%.

Big downside for me is that while me and a colleague have the c350e on a 3 year lease, two colleagues after us looked at it too and the prices had gone up too much so they had to go for the Golf and Passat GTE respectively and even these were bending beyond the usual maximum budget.

 

[Nick Harper]

Update on delivery today. It’s arriving at the dealer on the 26th Jan. A week earlier than originally suggested. Excited!

 

[Joseg]

My C350e estate has recently been given a build date in February and is due to arrive in March. Ordered end of June . My wife is expecting our first child and we have taken her Vw polo to Mothercare to ensure her favourite prams will fit in the boot. Success!! It then dawned on me that the boot in the C350e might not be too great. A google search suggests I will be fine for width and depth but the raised floor may cause me issues getting both the Pram chassis and carry cot or buggy
Seat in the boot and under the sliding cover at the same time. Even though I have specified privacy glass I would still prefer to keep the contents of the boot out of sight. I know it will all go in with the cover pushed back but I’m hopeful one of you guys has managed to conceal it all.

Has anyone got any experience?

Thanks in advance

Joe

 

[Dodgy]

My C350e estate has recently been given a build date in February and is due to arrive in March. Ordered end of June . My wife is expecting our first child and we have taken her Vw polo to Mothercare to ensure her favourite prams will fit in the boot. Success!! It then dawned on me that the boot in the C350e might not be too great. A google search suggests I will be fine for width and depth but the raised floor may cause me issues getting both the Pram chassis and carry cot or buggy
Seat in the boot and under the sliding cover at the same time. Even though I have specified privacy glass I would still prefer to keep the contents of the boot out of sight. I know it will all go in with the cover pushed back but I’m hopeful one of you guys has managed to conceal it all.

Has anyone got any experience?

Thanks in advance

Joe

We’ve not needed a pram for a while. I don’t have the measurements to hand, but the supermarket “fabric effect” bags are pretty much as high as the gap from floor to cover.


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[Dodgy]

How has everyone managed with winter conditions? I’ve been in Norway for the last week on winter tyres in a fwd golf estate. On the compacted snow roads, there was amazing grip, but we still had trouble getting it off the slightly sloping drive on the day I parked it the wrong way around.

I’ve not even needed winter tyres on the C350e - there has only been a light dusting of snow in my part of the world.


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[Joseg]

We’ve not needed a pram for a while. I don’t have the measurements to hand, but the supermarket “fabric effect” bags are pretty much as high as the gap from floor to cover.

Thats useful.

Thanks Dodgy.


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[wrighty senior]

Suppose I don't like the 350e as much as my XF !
Please reassure me that this is just a phase that those waiting for a 350e go through

I fear it may be a matter of personal taste. I had to drive an XF between returning my 3Litre Audi A4 Quattro to the lease company and picking up my C350e. I ended up hating the XF. For me, it was too slow (2litre diesel); too big; too soft and too unreliable. I instantly loved the C350e but I like the firm 'Germanic' ride and tight suspension. I could understand the argument that it isn't as 'comfortable' as the Jag. All of the cars listed are really good cars, but different people like different features.

 

[wrighty senior]

I think everyone knows that the claimed MPG from MB relates to an unrealistic testing cycle and not to real world performance.

I drive about 30K miles P.A. and I almost feel guilty that my company will almost certainly be paying a lot more in fuel costs than they do now for my A4 2.0 diesel which will achieve well 55 MPG on the motorway.

Of course I chose it partly because of the BiK, (hope this isn't changed if testing procedures alter), and partly because of the design and quality of the vehicle itself.

Of course the 5K grant means I can have a much better equipped vehicle as well.

It's a quandary really, I know that the C350e isn't really meant for high mileage users as that is where it is less efficient but selfishly I chose one because I'm going to be £200+ a month better off.

I'm just hoping that MPG will be at least reasonable, probably will encourage me to drive it much more frugally than my current A4 if nothing else

I also do about 30k miles per year. I had previously run 'big' diesels. After almost 60k miles the C350e is matching them with an average of about 41mpg.

 

[Deleted member 126969]

At the absolute opposite end of the miles spectrum, I do barely a 1/10th of that 30k annual mileage. Average mpg is closer to 100mpg. Just shows how sensitive they are to the type of driving I suppose. If it had a bit better battery only range, my usage pattern would probably see the average up to 200mpg.

Last tank of fuel was over 1000miles, this one looks like it'll probably be closer to 700 or so. Not bad on 10 gallons. I do confess to having no clue how much electricity I have put in it though, so it isn't a true picture of actual running costs. Either way, I'm happy with it as it is way better than my old Alfa which typically gave mid 20s, or the Jeep, which is about as bad.

 

[jarborra]

Navigation keeps rebooting itself when driving and cancels the route. Great fun when trying to navigate around London

I have this problem too and somehow it got worse after my MB dealer updated the COMAND firmware. In my experience, it gets worse if I am streaming Bluetooth media at the same time as having the navigation guidance on. It certainly only ever reboots while navigation is active. On one 90 minute drive it rebooted almost 20 times (always at junctions or in roundabouts of course). My dealer was going to contact MB Germany but I never heard back of course.

I think it’s a shame there is not a Monday-Friday option on the pre-heat.

Yes this is very strange. Our 2013 Tiguan had a Mon-Fri schedule option and having to use the web app (not the app app mind you) to set the start time every evening feels a bit unnecessary. Also strange that it can’t draw power for the preheat from the 230V power instead of running down the battery. Regular cabin and engine block heaters use wall power...

At the weekend I had trouble closing the recharging outer flap.

I had this in the cold too. Finally managed to close it with a bit of violence. Your solution sounds better. I also had the inner flap freeze shut. Had to force it open with my house keys.

 

[simon326]

I am about to take the plunge and buy a used 350e. Before I empty my wallet I have a few questions for owners...
What sort of range can i expect on electric only?
What charging cable(s) should come with the car?
What happens if i try to drive off without disconnecting the charge cable?
How long does it take to charge?
Any specific issues I should check on a used car?
cheers
Simon.

 

[Jontybutts]

I am about to take the plunge and buy a used 350e. Before I empty my wallet I have a few questions for owners...
What sort of range can i expect on electric only?
Between 9 and 14, weather, road dependent.

What charging cable(s) should come with the car?
Depends what it was specced with

What happens if i try to drive off without disconnecting the charge cable?
You can't.

How long does it take to charge?
A full charge takes between 2 and 4 hours depending on charge settings used.

Any specific issues I should check on a used car?


cheers
Simon.

 

[wrighty senior]

I am about to take the plunge and buy a used 350e. Before I empty my wallet I have a few questions for owners...
What sort of range can i expect on electric only?
What charging cable(s) should come with the car?
What happens if i try to drive off without disconnecting the charge cable?
How long does it take to charge?
Any specific issues I should check on a used car?
cheers
Simon.

Around 10-14 miles cold conditions; 14-20 miles hot conditions
Household 13Amp plug-in box cable & 'industrial' HV cable
The car tells you the charging cable is still connected and will not move
The household cable has two settings; high = about 4 hours; low = overnight
The engine is quite noisy with the bonnet open - nothing to worry about; they eat rear tyres in 10 to 15k miles; mine has done 60k miles in 2 years with no problems but I would recommend looking for lowest possible mileage.