Birmingham Clean Air Zone - forcing to look at new car(s)

Gazwould

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 28, 2018
Messages
2,583
Reaction score
1,770
Your Mercedes
C250 CDI
Something must be wrong like an aging thermostat .

Here's a short journey in a 250 CDI .

20200711_085401.jpg

From cold too .
 
OP
Vx-Man-G

Vx-Man-G

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 23, 2017
Messages
407
Reaction score
70
Your Mercedes
C-Class CDI
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #42
Might start a separate post calling B-C;ass owners...
 

MBDevotee

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2009
Messages
2,242
Reaction score
623
Location
Bristol
Your Mercedes
Dreaming of a CL55k - one day maybe....
He could lease a Nissan Leaf for c£250 a month, no road tax, nothing to pay Birmingham council, free parking (with the green plate), will suit his commute well with 160 miles+ range, c2p a mile. Plenty nippy motor, not low down (My wife moved from an XC90 and hasn't missed it)...just a thought from another angle
+1
 
OP
Vx-Man-G

Vx-Man-G

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 23, 2017
Messages
407
Reaction score
70
Your Mercedes
C-Class CDI
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #45
He still wants something that would give him range, instead of all electric and having to charge if on a long trip.

I guess hybrid is the way to go but tought <£10k.
 

MBDevotee

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2009
Messages
2,242
Reaction score
623
Location
Bristol
Your Mercedes
Dreaming of a CL55k - one day maybe....
What range does he need? How many trips does he do over 250m one way?

Personally I never drive more than 200m without a half hour break, so there is simply no trip I can’t do. Scotland? No problem..... done it once, was a doddle, cost me £8 in “fuel”
 

MBDevotee

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2009
Messages
2,242
Reaction score
623
Location
Bristol
Your Mercedes
Dreaming of a CL55k - one day maybe....
How far is his daily commute, and what’s a typical “long trip” for him?
 
OP
Vx-Man-G

Vx-Man-G

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 23, 2017
Messages
407
Reaction score
70
Your Mercedes
C-Class CDI
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #49
What range does he need? How many trips does he do over 250m one way?

Personally I never drive more than 200m without a half hour break, so there is simply no trip I can’t do. Scotland? No problem..... done it once, was a doddle, cost me £8 in “fuel”
Probably never, but one way to say Leeds/London would be circa 120-140 miles. Then where would he charge for the return journey on the same day?
 
OP
Vx-Man-G

Vx-Man-G

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 23, 2017
Messages
407
Reaction score
70
Your Mercedes
C-Class CDI
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #50
How far is his daily commute, and what’s a typical “long trip” for him?
Typical day is max 20 miles.
Typical long trip is anything between 120 mile to 250 miles round trip.
 

MBDevotee

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2009
Messages
2,242
Reaction score
623
Location
Bristol
Your Mercedes
Dreaming of a CL55k - one day maybe....
Wow, he’s got no worries then!

Download Zap-Map to your phone and just take a look! Purple blobs are rapid chargers - hundreds of them.

So, to take your “Leeds to London example using my Kia - if I pre-heat and am then sensible and keep my heated seats on low, I could get 250m range happily. In the summer I could do it without charging, but in winter.....

So - Leeds to London is about 190m, so it will depend WHERE in London he was going, but let’s say it was sort of Central. He could get to London without stopping if he wanted (but I’d want a stop on a drive like that, so I’d stop around Toddington (Moto services Southbound) where there is a 43kw charger. At this point there would be 90m range left (34%).... quick splash and dash (coffe, pee, eat a muffin perhaps) take on board about 30kw of energy which will take about 40 min and cost £9.

He would leave there at 80% battery and a range of 200m

He parks up in London, with 160m of range left, and parks in one of the car parks with charging facilities (around 1000 now - but as an example, Well Hall Road Car Park, Holloway Road (free on-street parking for ev’s, Moxon Street Car Park, Barnet, etc etc. These all have rapid chargers, so even if he was only staying an hour, he would leave fully charged......)

Drive home... all on one charge, stopping for a splash and dash if he wants but he wouldn’t need to.......
 

MBDevotee

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2009
Messages
2,242
Reaction score
623
Location
Bristol
Your Mercedes
Dreaming of a CL55k - one day maybe....
In the above scenarios his fuel cost would be about £12. No congestion charge, and priority parking in many places.
 
OP
Vx-Man-G

Vx-Man-G

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 23, 2017
Messages
407
Reaction score
70
Your Mercedes
C-Class CDI
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #53
Interesting. I think Hybrid would be a good shout. Only thing is with visiting other cities, it would only be to visit family, and they are in residential areas and he wouldnt want park 2-3 miles away to then have to walk to their home. Genuinely, I can see the advantage, but I dont think he is ready for full electric.
 

MBDevotee

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2009
Messages
2,242
Reaction score
623
Location
Bristol
Your Mercedes
Dreaming of a CL55k - one day maybe....
For the kind of use you describe I promise you EV will be perfectly good - I worried before I had one, but having run one for almost a year now, I’d jump in one and drive to Scotland quite happily now. My car will even suggest chargers en-route if I put a destination in the Sat Nav, I then check zap-map to see if there are any better options or networks I prefer (pod point rather than no pulse for example)
 

MBDevotee

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2009
Messages
2,242
Reaction score
623
Location
Bristol
Your Mercedes
Dreaming of a CL55k - one day maybe....
Interesting. I think Hybrid would be a good shout. Only thing is with visiting other cities, it would only be to visit family, and they are in residential areas and he wouldnt want park 2-3 miles away to then have to walk to their home. Genuinely, I can see the advantage, but I dont think he is ready for full electric.
Why would he park 2-3 miles away?

In that case, splash and dash at Toddington for example, park at families house, back up towards Leeds and a short (20 min) stop on way back up to get you home.

I promise you, 400 mile trips are easy. PM me the two postcodes and I’ll show you how easy it would be....
 

Blobcat

Moderator
Joined
Feb 8, 2006
Messages
38,787
Reaction score
27,420
Location
Grange Moor
Your Mercedes
R171 SLK280, Smart R451, Land Rover 110 County SW, 997 C2S, R1250 GSA TE 40th, CBR600FP
Wow, he’s got no worries then!

Download Zap-Map to your phone and just take a look! Purple blobs are rapid chargers - hundreds of them.

So, to take your “Leeds to London example using my Kia - if I pre-heat and am then sensible and keep my heated seats on low, I could get 250m range happily. In the summer I could do it without charging, but in winter.....

So - Leeds to London is about 190m, so it will depend WHERE in London he was going, but let’s say it was sort of Central. He could get to London without stopping if he wanted (but I’d want a stop on a drive like that, so I’d stop around Toddington (Moto services Southbound) where there is a 43kw charger. At this point there would be 90m range left (34%).... quick splash and dash (coffe, pee, eat a muffin perhaps) take on board about 30kw of energy which will take about 40 min and cost £9.

He would leave there at 80% battery and a range of 200m

He parks up in London, with 160m of range left, and parks in one of the car parks with charging facilities (around 1000 now - but as an example, Well Hall Road Car Park, Holloway Road (free on-street parking for ev’s, Moxon Street Car Park, Barnet, etc etc. These all have rapid chargers, so even if he was only staying an hour, he would leave fully charged......)

Drive home... all on one charge, stopping for a splash and dash if he wants but he wouldn’t need to.......
You forgot to factor in the £25 for the coffee and muffin... :rolleyes: ;)
 

MBDevotee

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2009
Messages
2,242
Reaction score
623
Location
Bristol
Your Mercedes
Dreaming of a CL55k - one day maybe....
Lol, not if you took a flask and the muffin with ya..... ;):oops:
 

sonic

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 21, 2009
Messages
3,578
Reaction score
2,382
Location
Staffordshire
Your Mercedes
E350CDI, SLC250d, FJR 1300
One of the biggest expenses for most fairly new cars is deprecation, have a look on Parkers Guide. I buy my cars between a year & three years old & keep them around 8 to 10 years. Its a real money saver in the long term.
For the short journeys he is doing then petrol is the way to go, but second hand they commend a very good price now. So you might get a fantastic deal with a diesel, as they are now unloved.
We bought a 3 year old SLC250d a year ago, £30 road tax before April 2017. 48 mpg overall, & 60 mpg on runs, so don't write of a C220CDI 2015/16 era. They are euro 6 so comply with CAZ.
 

MBDevotee

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2009
Messages
2,242
Reaction score
623
Location
Bristol
Your Mercedes
Dreaming of a CL55k - one day maybe....
I agree diesels are becoming very cheap as people fall out of love with them, especially small cars which are as welcome on a forecourt as a cup of cold sick.

If you can get pre-dpf all well and good - but the OP will have problems with these new ULEZ’s that are popping up everywhere....
 
Last edited:

John Laidlaw

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2013
Messages
26,373
Reaction score
9,163
Location
Wirral
Your Mercedes
Land Rover Discovery 4
Depreciation on EVs is stunningly low...
 


Welwyn Merx Limited is a family run business with genuine passion, dedication and 25 years of experience dealing with Mercedes-Benz and AMG passenger cars.
Tel: 01707 395999www.welwynmerx.uk
Top Bottom