I’ll leave my opinion on electric cars and the current infrastructure for another time, because this piece is about my experience with the made in- South Africa Mercedes-Benz C-class hybrid.
Unpacking the C350e
There’s no denying that hybrid vehicles (a car that is powered by two forms of propulsion, usually a petrol and electric motor working in tandem) have improved dramatically over the past decade. My question while driving the C350e recently was centred on whether South Africans are ready to adopt hybrid vehicles in their droves?
On the face of it, hybrid vehicles are a great mobility solution; many feature all-electric modes to reduce inner-city pollution while also having a trusty internal combustion engine to reduce range anxiety, which plagues current electric vehicles on long journeys.
The other benefit of having two motors working together, is improved performance and in the case of adding an electric motor, instantaneous torque delivery. The C-class hybrid works on the same principles listed above, but how does that translate in the real world?
Driving hybrid
Under its traditional C-class skin, beats a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine which has been combined with a 6.2 kWh electric motor to produce a healthy 205kW/600Nm. The battery pack and systems used to control the complex powertrain have added 200kg to the car’s kerb weight though. The battery is mounted below the rear axle in the event of an accident. This means that boot space decreases from 480-litres to 335-litres.
When we have a look at the figures, on paper at least, it looks almost unbelievably promising with a claimed fuel consumption of 2.8-litres/100km and a CO2 emissions figure of 65g/km while providing enough shove to get from 0-100km/h in 5.9 seconds. This sounds like the solution, right? Something South Africans could learn to live with?
Real-world
Well, it certainly sounds like a solution and with the car’s setup being customisable via a dial that forms part of the infotainment system, the driver has the option of using the petrol engine, the electric motor or both simultaneously. The problem I encountered was that I needed to charge the car daily to make use of its potential fuel saving.
The thing is though, between travelling and having a parking space at home and at work that’s nowhere near a plug point, meant I only charged the car once. The problem with that is that I only spent two days driving in all-electric mode, while hybrid mode was also limited. That means that for the majority of the week, I was using just the petrol motor, which meant my average fuel consumption was 10.1-litres/100km.
While I understand that this is most certainly my own doing and not a fault of the car, I don’t think I’m alone when it comes to struggling to charge vehicles due to where I live and because my lifestyle lends itself to having relatively long intervals between re-fuelling.
Aside from my personal fuelling problems, I found the hybrid version of the C-class a very pleasant product to live with; the additional weight can be felt in the handling department, however the addition of air suspension as standard has ensured that the ride quality remains supple in most conditions.
In all-electric mode, the torque delivery makes for effortless progress while the transition between electric and hybrid power is relatively seamless, with the smooth four-cylinder motor coming on song when the electric motor can no longer provide the necessary propulsion.
Verdict
The C350e is no longer alone in the small, hybrid executive sedan section of the market, with the BMW 330e being introduced to the local market recently. However, despite my problems with charging the vehicle, I do feel that if someone lives in an urban environment and negotiates large volumes of traffic, a hybrid such as this makes sense and is certainly a potential solution for inner-city pollution.
Pricing
Mercedes-Benz C350e AMG Line - R823 400
