Time to say good-bye to my C350 CDI :(

Jeddy

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I guess it's time to say good-bye to my 2012 C350 CDI, I'm still not convinced I'm doing the right thing, it's a stonking car, but I've put down a deposit on a used C350e now.
I'm p/xing it but in case anyone here wants a bargain I've also put it on the Classifieds forum, I'm not advertising it anywhere else, but it needs to go by Weds (or at least I need a deposit by then).

I guess only time will tell if I've done the right thing...
Jeddy
 

Craiglxviii

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Just curious why you’re changing?
 
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Jeddy

Jeddy

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This is where I dread that someone is going to point out I've made an expensive mistake!
Since we're here, can we take the wanting a C class as given? Also newish, i.e. 2017 or later.
I'm no longer working / commuting, most of my driving is now local and I'm not regularly doing any distance to regen the DPF. Sometimes I may drive 30+ miles a day many times a week, other times I may go for weeks without going far on any journey. However, I do still want similar performance for when I do travel (for A road overtaking).
As best I could work out it's the natural choice and the hybrid bit should nicely fit in with my driving.

To check I did trawl through autotrader and MB Used cars in ascending price for 2017 cars and the vast majority are C200s (not interested), the next was a 2017 C350e and nice spec..
I also get the £0 VED and travel for peanuts when I don't go far.
When I do go further it probably won't cost any more than a petrol only C class.

Did I miss another obvious choice?

I suspect a few hybrids are being bought for the wrong reason (sort of), company car buyers are buying them for the BIK even though they may travel significant distances and don't bother plugging them in (they're not paying for the fuel). Just because they are good for BIK doesn't mean that's why people should buy them. Surely I'm the right customer, someone who is going to plug it in and not travel great distances often without plugging it in? I wonder who is buying them in other countries who don't have the same BIK regime.
 

Wighty

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There have been a few hybrid horror stories cropping up , I think the key may be extended warranties to protect you , or go fully petrol .
 

Craiglxviii

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I’d have stuck with the C350 CDI. The 350e is a C250 CDI with a quarter ton of batteries along for the ride, and a whole load of complications to boot. Or rather IN the boot!
 

John Laidlaw

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I can see the logic, but the range is limited in theory and even more so in practice, which gives the real time mpg a real disadvantage over diesel or even full petrol (As Craig says there’s a huge weight in batteries)
I’d have thought the petrol may well be the way to go...
 

JBell

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I’d have stuck with the C350 CDi

Me too, it is an epic car and none of this hybrid nonsense to go wrong.

Just to really twist the knife a guy at my sons footy club has one and says the mpg is terrible and only gets 8 miles to a charge
 

Craiglxviii

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Wighty

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Me too, it is an epic car and none of this hybrid nonsense to go wrong.

Just to really twist the knife a guy at my sons footy club has one and says the mpg is terrible and only gets 8 miles to a charge
8 miles ....Jesus Christ :eek:!
 

Craiglxviii

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15 miles is the claimed average electric- only range.
 
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Jeddy

Jeddy

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Re the warranty, the car is (just) less than a year old and MB say the battery and associated electric components have a 6 year warranty, so there is still 5 years left on that. I took one for a drive locally and I think in hybrid mode got 12 miles with a small amount of charge left, showed an average of 56mpg after a maybe 20mile drive. It very much depends how you drive it like all these things.

Also, it depends where you live. Does the mate getting 8 miles b.t.w. Mr Bell, I'm guessing your profile should read Torquay instead of Torquey - unless that's a pun :) does he live in a hilly area? I believe that can kill it, much like it hurts a car's mpg - you just don't notice so much with a car as a few longer journeys on a tank hides the short hills, but if you have hills at the start of your journey indeed you'll use up all the battery before you get anywhere.

Of course the theoretical range is at an ideal temperature with no wind on the flat and no stops / starts an empty tank of fuel etc. etc. According to Honest John for my C350 CDI the specified range is 42 - 48 mpg and real world is more like 38 (I'd agree with that), people occasionally moan about that, yet people seem to think that when it comes to batteries they should go as far as the theoretical range - odd. Mind, if I don't regularly get into double figures I will be miffed.

However, this is somewhat academic, did I buy an expensive car to spend as little on fuel as possible? No, if that was my motive I'd be driving something small and economical. It's about the ride, the comfort and the performance, isn't that all why we drive MBs? Even at 8 miles on a full charge, I'd certainly still hope to get the same performance out of the car for overtakes etc. as I do my current one (actually marginally better). I guess I could have gone for the C43, but that's getting a bit silly (including on insurance etc.). I'd rather not go down on performance from what I currently have.

You see what you've all done? You've all made me go defensive now! ;)
 
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Craiglxviii

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8 miles. Not 8mpg. 8 miles range on electric only is not uncommon for these cars.

Keep the 350 CDI... please!
 

Yugguy

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To be fair they are not meant to be electric cars. Even a Pious can't go too far on electric only.
 

GlosRichCLK

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That model doesn't make much sense really, it's a company car tax saver model.
Save yourself around £8k and have the petrol one, same engine without the electric motor and batteries.
 
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Jeddy

Jeddy

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That model doesn't make much sense really, it's a company car tax saver model.
Save yourself around £8k and have the petrol one, same engine without the electric motor and batteries.
I don't really want to go back to a car with 7.4s 0-60 etc. acceleration, I rather like a 0-60 of sub 6 secs. I'd want to avoid a diesel for DPF reasons as above and MB don't really seem to have any other options. If there was a C350 petrol than I'd be considering that for sure.
 

Craiglxviii

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I don't really want to go back to a car with 7.4s 0-60 etc. acceleration, I rather like a 0-60 of sub 6 secs. I'd want to avoid a diesel for DPF reasons as above and MB don't really seem to have any other options. If there was a C350 petrol than I'd be considering that for sure.
Keep the existing car and just give it a good blast down the motorway once a month to clear out the DPF. That makes more sense!
 

LostKiwi

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If I wanted to pootle about on battery power I'd look for a used Tesla.

Given the relative rarity of MB hybrids and the horror stories we hear of them I'd personally steer well clear warranty or not.
 

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