Mercedes Benz e300de Hybrid Estate as a towcar
Hello.
Has anyone any experience of this model as a tow car even if you considered it and dismissed it? MB has a 1.2% interest rate on hence bringing monthly payments down considerably. The MB website technical details shows a 2,100kg braked towing limit.
Thank you.
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I suspect it is too new, too rare and given the price not exactly a big seller with caravanners. However it is on my radar as a ‘used’ buy in a year or three. I currently have a Volvo diesel PHEV and it is a great towcar. I take it the Merc is a PHEV? Is it 4wd though? You might fare better on a Merc forum.
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Hi.
The Mercedes is an e class estate powered by a 2 litre diesel engine plus battery capable of 29 miles or so hence its a plug in rechargeable.
I know that a there few Mild hybrid diesels out there at this time such as the Volvo XC90 B5 but these cars use regenerative energy as a supplement. The Volvo, in particular, does not use battery energy to drive the car, rather the regenerative energy is used for things such as the turbo.
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on a MB forum I use, one bloke had nothing but problems with his. As for being a tow car, as you say, it can only just get to the end of the street on battery and then the diseasal is lugging around a weighty battery. IMHO a token hybrid car to allow you to drive it in central London without charge 🤷♂️
And you'd have to check it's actually type approved for towing .....
THIS might be useful
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Hi.
The deal is only visible after you have configured a 300de. I then clicked onto PCP however I believe HP is no different. The interest rate on hybrids is shown as 1.2 or 1.3.
I started off by using google to search for "Configure my Mercedes Benz". The MB website, when approached from a different direction, can be very frustrating particularly when trying to build
a car. Hope this helps.
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Correct about the weight however most of my journeys are below 29 miles each day. Then there is the saving on the Road Fund Licence. If you drive much further on a daily basis then this model isn't for you.Clearly, you wouldn't use the battery with the caravan hitched up.
As for the tow bar, I'm checking with MB on two models including this one. In both cases the technical date shows a braked towing capacity of 2100kg. i.e both the e200d diesel and the hybrid e300de.
At present the challenge on the e200d is whether or not the plate on the car backs up the 2100kg as shown in the data.
The option for a tow bar on the AMG Night edition gives you trailer control plus the tow bar/electrics. I assume trailer control is available possibly because the car has air suspension whereas the other versions do not. My caravan has trailer control so I wouldn't think I needed it.
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Certainly is an interesting artice. Leaving towing aside there is no doubt that financially the e300de is a non starter.
However if you factor in the savings in interest at 1.2/1.3% on a PCP or hire purchase over 4 years the the MB offer brings the e300de back into 200d territory re' cost of ownership.
The other factor is the boot space. I have yet to see photographs and I wouldn't place an order without knowing exacyly what the impact is.
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Mitusubishi made that announcement months ago, i posted it on here. Nothing to do with environment issues, their Outlander has been the best selling PHEV in the UK for most of the past 9 years. It is to do with market share and profitability since they merged with Renault-Nissan a couple of years ago. What car do you drive JVB?
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Thank you all.
An update on the MB E class e220d Estate. (not the e300de hybrid). This information comes from a MB Head Office response. The 2021 estate i.e the facelifted model from 2020. is plated with the following figures. 1845. 2225. 750.2100. it follows that it is type approved for towing a caravan within the 2100. ( Yes, I'm aware of the 80 per cent guidance)
.The previous model wasn't because of an issue with tyres (I don't know why). My dealer tells me he can have the towbar and electrics retrofitted on the facelift i.e 2021 model. Their confidence level is such that If I place an order and for some reason it cannot then they will cancel the order.
I was told at one stage via a third party that the issue on the previous model was related to the siting of the adblue tank. It seems it wasn't and isn't on the new facelift 2021 model.
It's clarified the situation for me and hopefully for one or two more.
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and a roof box too.
David, - Whilst I can fully appreciate that a roof box creates drag and consequently increases fuel consumption, does the roof box have any appreciable difference compared to the big white box you are already towing?
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I'm am new to caravaning, but I have an E300de. I hardly notice I am pulling anything. It even pulls nicely on electric only mode. Plus you can charge it up on site.
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I've got a C350e; I would expect the e300de to be better.
Theoretical solo range on mine is only 18 miles - in practice can be as little as half that but can get close on a good day.
It tows fine, but the battery is fairly pointless in this situation. It does mean you can sometimes cruise along in roadworks just on electric for example, but don't expect much benefit in mpg.
In terms of driving, I really like mine. The extra shove of the electric motor in addition to the ICE is very nice.
Overall, you can treat it like a normal ICE car when towing and use it as an EV for local. So if your normal daily driving range is doable on electric (noting you never get quoted figures on anything), I'd recommend it.
Nick.
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On the contrary - even when the battery is down to zero range the car still utilises a percentage of battery giving over 300bhp and excess of 500nm of torque making it an exceptionally capable tow car or ridiculously quick estate car when not towing, it will do over 25 miles in real world miles. Please don’t comment without knowledge, it dilutes true advice. Just because range is zero DOES NOT. Mean the hybrid battery is flat 👍
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