The new E300de
 

Hello forum!
I have tried the new E300de, and i have to say - Wow, what a car. So silent, so quick, so well built. And as a loaner from the retailer, loaded with expencive extras.

But should i go for one? That the big Q.

Of what i can see, it seems like the electric motor is placed inside the gearbox. For me that sound expencive to fix if it break down.

My next issue is this: I drive less than 20 km most of the days, and therefor i can go on el most of the time. But, since this is a diesel, and the dieselmotor rarely will be warm, what about soot?

I also have to add that i live in Norway where all-electric cars are very common, because of the intencives from the goverment. Therefor its probably wise to go for an EV. But than again, im an old petrolhead, and i love the flexibility that petrol give me. Beeing on a long trip i will hate to use an our to charge up.

So people, what do you say - will an E300de be a wise buy?

I hadn't heard of the E300de, I imagined a 'Deutsch' version of the E300 - skinned in the German Flag and other stereotypical German adornments. :hammer:

There's only been hundreds of articles about it. Google it.
https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/merced...sale-in-the-uk

To the original OP thread starter: Depends on your cost of Gas where you live. EV is definitely the wave of the future and the 166 mpg is terrific. I would lean to the gasoline powered version myself.

Isnt it incentivized to buy hybrids in norway? Normal gas/diesel cars have an increased tax on purchase making the tax exempt hybrids often cheaper/same price. So given that fact I would say yes, best of both worlds where you can commute quietly on ekecrric snd road trip on diesel.

Norway is a very special country in many ways, and the country in Europe with most all-electric cars. Petrol and diesel have hard times around here. There are some incentives if i go for a hybrid, but far as good as if i go for an EV. But for my use the E300de probably will bring me around on only electric 300 - 320 days pr year.

What happens when the charge goes down and you cant use the electric motor, does it become really slow or does it charge the batteries and still use the electric motor?

Its a plug in, in hybridmode it will start in Electric mode, and will stay there till you Reach 130 km/h, or you push the trottle. When its out of Electric the engine will charge the batteries. I did not experience that it run completely out of charge, so i think the car save a little reserve. Otherwise you can choose Eco-mode, Save-mode and Charge-mode. That said, the dieselmotor seems rather quick alone, 194 bhp.

I get mine in May. Since the 300de is the cheapest version here in Norway, it was a no brainer for me. I never drive on pure electric tho.

Did you buy or lease it?

Lease

It's good on paper and has exceptional performance WHEN it charged, I think the electric charge only lasts around 40-50 miles max, then you're left lugging around 200 kg worth of motor and battery. This means your ride handling and braking will be affected noticeably ( as noted on other plug in hybrids such as the Panamera) , and the diesel motor will be working harder & use more fuel when not assisted as a result.
Then you loose about 100L of boot space as well.
Those factors mean I will not be considering one until they make a self charging hybrid.
Also as you mentioned, a cold diesel is noisy, dirtier and less efficient, I wonder if they have thought of using the electric power go help heat the oil whilst the engine is not running.

Also given

As far as I know the car is a self charging hybrid. When the car is empty on electrsity the hybrid system automaticly will charge the batteries with help from the dieselengine and the brakes. You can also choose chargemode while driving. And as I mention above, it seems like the car save a little el for extra power. But maybe i didnt succeed to empty the batteries entierly??

I agree on the batterypack in the boot, thats not a perfect solution.

Finally, I think it all comes down to your drivingpattern. If you most of the days drive less than 40 km, the use of diesel is hardly an issue.

If available in the US, i'd seriously consider buying that car........

Regarding power, this is not correct. Maybe in theory, but in real life, you newer loose the electrical engine entirely. I have tried.

No they're not self charging hybrids , they are purely plug in hybrids.
Any 'charging ' during coasting is purely to return energy to the under bonnet vehicle battery via the transmission, not the electric battery which powers the integrated electric motor.
This is the same as in a non-hybrid model when in green coast mode.
It's purely a plug in and must be re-charged via the mains.
Mercedes does not currently have any full hybrid road car for sale at the moment. A full hybrid is something like a Prius , where the engine can be used to fully re-charge the battery, the E300de/e cannot do that.

https://www.mercedes-benz-media.co.u.../releases/1250

Thanks for that update, i was not aware of that. So that mean that even if you choose charge-mode the main battery wont be fully charged?

As stated before, this is not correct. I have never plugged in my GLC350e, ONLY charged it with the engine. The same goes for the 300de. I do this every day with the 350e and tried it when i test drove the 300de.