Hey guess what, Driven is back powered by Petronas Primax!My name is Hafriz Shah and then there’s this guy. We’ve kept you waiting but for 2017Driven is going to be bigger, better and much more critical than ever beforeSo no more fooling around. This time it’s about finding the absolute best cars youcan buy right here in Malaysia. For the season opener we’re going to comparetwo new plug-in hybrid sedans. The Mercedes-Benz C350e and the BMW 330e. The Es mean electric and these plug-in hybrid electric vehicles or PHEVs aresupposed to do, well, pretty much everything. Fast, exciting to drive,comfortable and efficient. Problem is, there’s only two of these around and whilethe natural third option would be the Audi A4, that car still a CBU unitwithout the EEV tax exemptions that these two enjoy. So it’s just toounderpowered and under-specced to really compete. So instead of bringing the Audihere just to come in last, we have something a little left-field. Introducing Adian! Hey everybody, so let’s welcome the Volkswagen Passat 2. 0 TSII know it’s not a hybrid and it’s not a premium car like these two, but Ibelieve it has a whole lot to offer for a lot less money. And face it, everyoneloves a great deal! In this episode we will compare the cars’ styling, interiorpracticality and quality before taking them out to see how they drive. We will alsohave a drag race to see which one’s the fastest as well as find out if the plug-inhybrid is indeed quicker than a conventional petrol version of the samecar. We have all that and more, so sit back, turn up the volume and enjoy theshow. Welcome to Driven 2017!The Mercedes-Benz C350e is the most powerful, most advanced PHEV in this classIts 2. 0 litre hybrid offers a total system output of 279 hpand a staggering 600 Nm of torque. Mercs aren’t supposed to becheap and this one certainly isn’t at close to RM300k. While the F30 BMW3 3eries may be showing its age now, this 330e version is far from outdated. It hasa similar 2. 0 litre plug-in hybrid setup as the Mercedes, but with a lower output of252 hp and 420 Nm. Still, at under RM250k, it’s far moreaffordable than the C-Class. The Volkswagen Passat makes do with anormal 2. 0 litre turbo engine with 217 hp and 350 Nm. With its quick shifting dual-clutch DSG, it’s just as quick as a rest and whateversavings you can get with the help of electrification the Passat is nearly RM100kcheaper to buy in the first place, so clearly the smart money’son the VW. First things first, looks. The C-Class is a great combinationof sporty and classy, but personally I don’t quite like all these blue bits onthe e version. What I do love are the large 19-inch AMG wheels and this whole miniS-Class look. It’s got to be the prettiest one here right? Well, that depends on whoyou ask. I’ve always been a 3 Series guy and thisF30 LCI really does it for me. It’s not as showy as the Merc but it’s alright. And upfront it’s low and wide, it has all the right proportions. There’s a reasonwhy this class is called the 3 Series class. This is the real deal. The Passat may be just a Volkswagen but in the design department it’s all kinds ofpremium. You could cover up the badges, call in an Audi and I’m sure that no onewould bat an eyelid. It’s the same back here. Smooth, suave. It’s like wearing a tailored designer suit against the Merc’s more ostentatious"hey, look at me, I’m here!" See what I mean? And while the Passat is technically froma class below, it’s the most practical car here. It doesn’t have to carry largebattery packs so it’s boot is absolutely massiveClose to 600 litres. That’s almost twice as big as the Mercedes, which has a steppedfloor to fit in the batteries. For carrying large items, this one is severelycompromised. BMW had to raise its luggage bay too, but at least the floor is flat andthe cargo room is slightly larger than the C-Class at 370 litres. Butunfortunately it’s the only one here without foldable rear seats, making it theleast practical overall. But all that changes when you look at rear seat space. The C-Class may lookspacious but that’s just because they made the seat base so short. Overall it’sthe tightest car here in the back and because this car has a panoramic sunroof,headroom is also quite limited. But on the plus side it’s the only car here with rearsunshades. Many people don’t realise this, but the 3 Series has better rear seatscompared to the C-Class. For example the seat bottom over here, it’s in properlength so it’s more supportive and more comfortable. Overall the legroom andheadroom back here is better than the Mercedes. The BMW may be bigger thanMercedes but compared to the Volkswagen, they pale in comparison. I mean check itout, look at this place. It’s a vast amount of space – it’s huge! You could verycomfortably fit three adults in this car and they would not complain. The othertwo cars? I don’t think so. They’d be out of it in minutes. Up here the BMW isstarting to show its age. After all it’s over five years oldalready. With the recent facelift it has added additional piano black trim andchrome trim but at the end of the day the other two cars still look better interms of dashboard design. And yes I’m also talking about the Volkswagen. Well see for yourself. The Passat has proper premium carcredentials, especially in here. It has features that are missing from evenso-called true blue premium cars such as this full LCD active info display. I think it’s really really cool and the build quality, check this out, nice andsoft. If that isn’t premium, I don’t know what is. This. This is proper premium. The Passat may use good quality materialsbut the Mercedes-Benz is in a different class. Everything you can touch feels expensiveLike this metal trim, real wood and of course, high quality leather. Just a fewyears ago you’d need an S-Class for an interior that’s anywhere near as special asthis. As far as interiors, go there’s absolutely no contest. The Mercedes isthe best. If you think that I have been a little bit too harsh on the 3 Series, well that’sabout to end now because this is what driving this car is all about. It’s thereason why a lot of people have bought this car and the reason why I bought oneas well. It’s just the way it drives. It’s beautiful. The steering feels meatyin your hand and the way it takes corners, it’s way more alive than theother two. In this you feel as part of the driving experience rather than beingbrought along for a ride. Yes, you can feel the weight from thehybrid system compared to say the 330i, especially around fastercorners. This car weighs about 200 kg more but having said that itis still at the top of its class when it comes to handling. By a long shot. Trust me. Now no one’s really going to argue with thatthe 3 Series has always handled well and the 330e is no different. so this Mercedes-Benz C350e is a bit of a revelation. Why? Well becauseit’s not very good to drive. Don’t get me wrong, though. The C-Class has gottencloser and closer to the 3 Series in terms of handling, and this latestW205 model is the closest one yet. But this particular version doesn’tquite do it justice. See, this C350e needs to carry alongthe entire load of batteries and electric motors, so it weighs a full 300 kgheavier than the C300. And that of course affects the car’s steeringresponse, body control, everything. Everything becomes worse! On top of allthat is the Airmatic system that comes with this car as standard. Now, this makesthe car feel a lot more comfortable than my own C300 which, by the way, is reallyreally stiff. But at the same time it makes this car feel very very loose sooverall in handling terms it’s a long way off the 3 Series. While the other two German cars are rear-wheel drive, the Passat is a frontwheel drive machine so there’s a fundamental difference in the way itdrives. It is a bit less involving, a bit less natural in the way it takes corners. But that’s not to say its handling is bad because no, this is a lot of fun. It practically has the full Golf GTI Mk7 mechanicals, even down to the XDSelectronic diff, so it can really pull itself into and out of corners wayquicker than any other D-segment sedans can. And of course it’s over 300 kglighter than the fat Merc and BMW so that means it’s a lot more agile. It’s as close as you can get, I would say, to a VW sedan GTI. I wouldn’t say it’s betterthan the BMW though. That one has a little bit extra but it is close. And as for comfort, one of the things that got carried over from the Golf GTIis the DCC adaptive suspension system, and that really is a game changer forthe Passat. It corners as sharp as can be and it is pretty much verycomfortable when you want it to. For 50 grand more in the BMW, you don’t get this. Sadly, yes this 330e Sport or even the more expensive M Sport versiondoesn’t come with adaptive suspension, something which is offered as standardwith the 330i. So what you get is something that’s fixed. You cannot make itharder or you cannot make it softer. Fortunately though it is already wellrounded so you get a very good balance between good handling and a good ridecomfortAs for the Mercedes, the very thing that made this car such an underwhelmingexperience to drive makes it a lovely car to cruise in. It rides beautifullywith this Airmatic air suspension. It’s way better than any other W205 I’ve been inand it’s easily the best riding vehicle here. Just don’t ask me how much it’s gonnacost to replace! This newfound ride comfort fits really well with theC-Class character. It’s very refined, it’s very relaxing to drive. I mean it’sreally quiet in here. You don’t hear any wind noise, you don’t hear any road noiseand most of the time you’re not even sure whether the engine is on or off. It’s that quiet. Mercedes-Benz has always done premium really really well and withthis one, it gets all the small things just right. The BMW, well this has longbeen a weak point for the F30. The wind noise is worse than the Mercedes and interms of road or tyre noise it’s borderline unacceptable for this class. The Passat as you know is measured by different standards to that of the twopremium cars, but in terms of refinement it comes closer to the Mercedes thanit does the BMW and in my eyes, as far as I’m concerned, that is pretty amazing. On to the engine, the C350e isn’t all that different to a petrol-onlyC-Class. I mean it’s not especially powerful or torquey in any special wayand that’s really disappointing because I expected a lot more. I mean, this car is supposed to have 600 Nm! It’s the same with the BMWyou don’t really get that big kick in the back from something that’ssupposedly this powerful, so instead of a big shove, what you get is a slight pushto move you along. I’m not saying that it is slow but it’s definitely not as quickas the 330i. What’s obvious though is this 8-speed ZFtransmission. It feels better than the 7-speeder on the Merc. The gear shifts aresmoother and they’re quicker as well. It’s almost like a dual-clutchtransmission. The BMW’s plug-in hybrid system has asmall advantage too. The 330e has a slightly longer EV range of around 25 kmin the real world and the engine kicks in in a more seamlessmanner compared to the Mercedes. I’m less aware that this is a hybrid, which to meis a good thing. To its credit, the Mercedes does have a haptic throttle pedalthat’s missing in the BMW. It’s tell you how much performance you can ask fromthe electric motors without calling up the engine. This is a really handy feature ifyou want to maximise Drive in full EV mode. For the Volkswagenit’s not a PHEV, so it feels exactly as powerful as the spec sheet says itshould be. No more, no less. And that means it’s not short on speed. This combinationof a high torque turbo engine and quick shifting DSG will be familiar to hothatch owners, and in this car it almost feels unnaturally quick. The dual-clutchbox is still a bit hesitant and jerky in traffic but once you get movingit’s brilliant. And before you say anything this car comes with thesix-speed wet clutch DSG so there should be no worries. Not satisfied with how theplug-in hybrids felt on the road, we arranged a drag race to see just howfast the cars are in the real world against each other. They may not feel asfast, but are they actually quicker than the Passat? Time to find outRight from the start, the Merc’s extra power and torque took immediate effectand it won the race by a comfortable margin. The Passat came in last but it was veryclose to the BMW at the end. Closer than its official figures wouldsuggest. Well okay so the Mercedes-Benz won that race after all, so the spec sheetsare not lying to us. But still, it did not feel like I had anywhere near as much as280 hp or 600 Nm of torque, and in fact my own C300 feelsjust as fast and this one only has 245 hp and 370 Nm of torque. Well since we have both cars here right now let’s settle this once and for all. Petrol versus PHEV – let’s get it on!As it turns out the C350e has a small advantage on takeoff thanks to its instanttorque of its electric motor. Beyond that though, the C300 was just as quickdespite the significant powerful output claims. And if we had run the race withinsufficient battery charge, both the Mercedes C350e and BMW 330e would have laggedbehind because their engines are down tuned to C250 and 320i levels, with alot more weight to carry. So if performance really isn’t a strong advantage of PHEVs, that only leavesone thing, fuel economy. We tested the cars’ efficiency with Petronas Primax 95over everyday driving conditions. As the winning formula for the Mercedes-AMGPetronas Motorsport Team, this fuel cleans the engine, creates finer fuel spray andreduces friction, ideal for modern direct injection turbocharged engines such as these. As expected, the petrol-only Passat use the most fuel here, returning 11. 2kilometers per litre. Between the two plug-in hybrids, the BMW 330ecame second best with 14. 1 km/litre, while the Mercedes-Benz C350eaveraged 15. 6 km/litre. For comparison, the C300 averaged just10. 8 km/litre in our hands, so the PHEV is over 40% more efficient than a standard model. Near in mind though that we charged the PHEVs’ batteries to full for this fuel test. Without charging, numbers will be much lower. Okay before we wrap up we’re going to do something new. We’re going to point outthe five things that we like or don’t like about our cars. Starting off withthe Merc, it’s the only car here with autonomous emergency braking so that’sreally good. It also has a 360-degree surround view cameras, the others onlyhave a simple reverse camera. Inside you get a nice premium audio system andelectronic steering adjustment – really nice. What’s bad is a tight driver foot well – that is bad conversion to right handright there. Eorse still is the COMAND system that may look like an iPad butit’s not a touchscreen and the BMW iDrive is way more intuitive to use. As for the BMW its 5 year unlimited mileage warranty and free service isstill the best in the business. There’s also the BMW Concierge Servicethat you can call – again an industry first here in Malaysia. Bad points – this old-school handbrake. It’s 2017, move all already. Back here there’sno power boot. Even the Passat, which is RM60k cheaper has one. Lastly the fuel tank is tiny at 41 liters, so the cruising range is very limited. The Merc has a 50 litre tank, and the VW, 66. The Passat,the exhaust tips are both fake! The real pipes point downward. Lame. There’s no sunroof either. Yes, completely useless in our weather, but still nice to have. Next it’s the only one here without run-flat tyres. But that’s a good thing because it gives you a proper spare tyre. And youknow how much the tyres on the Mercedes cost? Double the price of this. The driver’sseat has a massage function as you drive along – that’s awesome. and this active info display – that’s just so damn coolAll right, decision time. Is it going to be the BMW, Mercedes-Benz or Volkswagen?Well it really depends on how you value brand image. The Volkswagen Passat hereis solid proof that if you’re looking for something premium it does not haveto have a premium badge. It does about 90 95 percent of what the Mercedes and BMWcan do at 50 or even 100 thousand ringgit less. It is also the mostspacious car here and while it might not be quite as quick as the other two it’smore than fast enough for most people. If you’re looking at the logical choice ofsaving money up front rather than the long-term benefits of the PHEVs thenthe Passat is the car for you. Now that makes a lot of sense Adian, but thething is to many of us, it’s very hard to look past the badge. Yup, and while the both of us agree that logically, objectively the Passat is thebest buy here, it won’t even register to most people as a viable option in thisclass, so for the rest of us, it’s still between the BMW and the Mercedes. And choosing between these two is a bit tricky. The BMW it is more affordable andit is more of a driver’s car. The Mercedes on the other hand, it is quicker and itis more economical. And coming back to the BMW it is definitely showing its ageso that’s a negative point. And the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, it looks greatfrom the outside, it is even better on the inside. It’s not going to be anoption for driving enthusiasts, but that’s fine because that’s what the BMW3 Series is for. The C-Class however has a much wider range of talents and forthat it has to be the winner here. Well fair enough then. I guess it’s settled. If you’re going to think with your head rather than your heart, then the VolkswagenPassat is the car for you. If you’re going to go for the badge, then it has tobe the Mercedes. And for those of you who put driving above all else, there’s alwaysthe BMW. Now thank you so much for watching Driven, we will see you nexttime!
source https://cardetailingphoenix.com/index.php/2018/08/08/driven-2017-1-bmw-330e-vs-mercedes-benz-c350e-vs-volkswagen-passat-2-0-tsi/
No comments:
Post a Comment