It's fair to say that Mercedes is going big with electric cars, and plug-in hybrids right now. There are the electric A-Class, the GLA and the GLC too. And they show no signs of slowing down either. What you are looking at here is the Mercedes C-Class C300e, a plug-in hybrid estate car that helpfully, Top Gear has reviewed on their website. The car has a 208 HP 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, and that is supplemented by the 120 HP electric motor.
Plug-In Charging
Mercedes has been knocking it out of the park with cars recently, and is this the same? Let's go straight to its plug-in aspect. Yes, you have to plug this car in to charge that electric side up. How long does it take? Well, when it comes to fast charging, about 90 minutes. If you don’t need to go anywhere for a while it will take about five hours in a regular plug socket. That will get you about 32 miles of carbon free operation or a rather handy handy 316 combined hp and eye-popping 516 lb-ft of torque, making this quite a punchy estate car.
The car has a nine-speed automatic transmission and Top Gear states that it is very nice and smooth, and responds very well to manual intervention. It is also quite configurable with algorithms changing with each of the driving modes, which include Eco, Comfort, Sport, and amazingly Sport +, and Individual. No shortage of choices, then.
A Smooth And Quiet Ride
As you would probably expect from a Mercedes estate, it is quite relaxing to drive and ride in . This is in part because it is eerily quiet, despite it still having a gasoline engine. There are issues, though. The rear seatbacks do not fold flat, and the cargo area is significantly compromised due to the battery placement behind the back seats. So, unlike the E63, this is perhaps not their finest wagon. But this is, overall, a pretty decent hybrid wagon, and it is a shame we probably won't see it in the states.
Source: Top Gear