Dynamic evaluation of Mercedes-Benz E 350 e L: The plug-in E-Class feels differe

tech | 2024-07-18

Last time, I experienced the Mercedes-Benz E 300 L, and this time, I got behind the wheel of the plug-in hybrid Mercedes-Benz E 350 e L. There are many similarities between the two vehicles, but of course, there are also many different sensations.

Compared to its previous E-Class sedan, the most significant change in the Mercedes-Benz E 350 e L is, of course, the use of a plug-in hybrid system, replacing the original 48V mild hybrid system.

The powertrain consists of a 2.0T engine and an electric motor, with a combined peak total power of 230 kilowatts and a peak torque of 550 Newton meters. The Mercedes-Benz E 300 L I tested last time had a total power of 190 kW and a peak torque of 400 Nm. Both have a 2.0T engine, but the mild hybrid version's engine with 258 horsepower is significantly more powerful than the plug-in hybrid engine's 204 horsepower. However, due to the electric motor's assistance, the plug-in hybrid definitely has a higher total power.

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Although the total power is greater, the curb weight of the Mercedes-Benz E 350 e L has reached 2255 kg, an increase of 335 kg compared to the E 300 L's 1920 kg, due to the impact of the power battery and other factors. The Mercedes-Benz E 350 e L is equipped with a 25.4 kWh battery pack, with a claimed pure electric range of 106 km, and supports both DC and AC charging. However, the DC fast charging port and the AC charging port are not in the same location; the DC port is located in front of the left rear taillight, while the AC port is positioned on the right rear bumper.

Because it is a plug-in hybrid model, I specifically tested the pure electric range this time. From the results, although the car's claimed 106 km of pure electric range may not seem high, the actual pure electric range is quite substantial and consistent with the claimed range.I began charging from the moment the dashboard indicated that the pure electric range was at 0, using a direct current fast charging method at a charging station operated by a third-party service provider. From the start of charging to when the vehicle automatically stopped charging, a total of 22.7 kWh of electricity was charged.

When charging, you can select from various charging modes, including Standard Charging Mode, Home Charging Mode, Workplace Charging Mode, and Fast Charging Mode, to control the charging speed, among other things, and you can choose according to your needs. After the battery was fully charged, I started the vehicle and turned on the air conditioning, with the pure electric range displaying 102 km, which did not reach the claimed 106 km—however, when it comes to Mercedes-Benz's range, don't rush to judgment.

During the pure electric range test, I chose a more typical section of the city, including urban expressways, suburban roads, and city streets, and kept the air conditioning at 20°C with fan speed at level 5 (the outdoor temperature was around 31°C), and also turned on the navigation system to simulate normal usage conditions.In the test, the city expressway has a speed limit of 70-80 km/h (due to two different sections of the expressway), and the total mileage of the city expressway sections adds up to approximately 40-50 km. The entire journey is driven at the speed limit, and overtaking is performed normally when necessary (on one occasion, due to aggressive acceleration, the engine intervention was reflected in the final energy consumption display, but the engine started for only a few seconds and can be considered negligible). Additionally, there are about 50 km of urban roads and less than 10 km of suburban roads in the route.

The total pure electric range achieved was 106-107 km, with a total time of 1 hour and 53 minutes, averaging a speed of 56 km/h, and the displayed electric consumption was 18.2 kWh/100 km.

During the test, the remaining pure electric range of the vehicle was calculated dynamically, with the displayed SOC range changing dynamically based on different usage conditions. It is important to emphasize that the accuracy of the remaining range estimation for this vehicle is relatively high and can be used as a reference for daily driving.

In terms of actual experience, there is still some reserve in the power battery. When there is approximately 3 kWh of electricity left, forced pure electric use is no longer allowed. This is because even when the instrument shows a pure electric range of 0 km, the vehicle will still travel a certain distance on pure electricity during conditions such as starting, to assist the entire vehicle, which can reduce fuel consumption slightly.

As for fuel consumption, we also filled up with 95-octane gasoline at the fuel inlet and turned on the 22-degree air conditioning, then drove 100 km along the Chengdu Middle Ring Road in hybrid mode.With an average speed of 29 km/h, the indicated fuel consumption of the Mercedes-Benz E 350 e L is 8.6L/100km. After refilling the fuel to the filler neck, the actual measured fueling volume is 8.65L/100km, which is quite honest.

In terms of interior, the E 350 e L is essentially the same as the fuel + mild hybrid version, with not much to say. However, the rear seats appear to have slightly thinner cushions than the mild hybrid version, the floor height does not look low, and the trunk volume and height also seem to be slightly smaller.

This is likely because Mercedes-Benz has arranged the power battery under the rear seats and in the trunk. From the undercarriage view, there is no battery pack arrangement, and the trunk lid is made in a fixed form, which cannot be opened—probably due to the arrangement of the battery pack.Similarly, due to the presence of the plug-in hybrid system, there will be more options in terms of driving modes. Press the "DYNAMIC" button below the central control screen to select the mode, which includes electric charge holding, pure electric, hybrid, sport, and custom modes, according to your needs. It should be noted that in pure electric mode, the engine will also intervene when high power output is required.

Apart from the above similarities and differences, although the overall driving experience or style is similar to that of the mild hybrid version, there are still some differences in certain aspects of the driving experience.

01

Power Performance

As mentioned above, although the Mercedes-Benz E 350 e L has better power system parameters with the support of the electric motor than the E 300 L, its curb weight is more than 300 kilograms heavier, which directly offsets the advantage of the power increase. This is also reflected in the official 0-100 km/h acceleration time, which is 0.6 seconds slower than the E 300 L's 6.6 seconds.Subjectively, one can slightly perceive the difference; the sensation of acceleration at full throttle is marginally less than that of the Mercedes-Benz E 300 L. Fortunately, tests have revealed that the subjective feeling of power at high and low battery levels is not significantly different, and objective testing with a V-Box also shows that the acceleration performance with depleted battery is close to the official data.

Additionally, the assistance of the electric motor indeed brings better power smoothness. Compared to the E 300 L, the gear shifts are smoother, with almost no perceptible shift actions, which is a noticeable improvement. At the same time, due to the electric motor's assistance during acceleration, the power response is more immediate, eliminating the previous sensation of delay during rapid acceleration.

02

Braking

There is also a slight difference in the feeling of braking. The Mercedes-Benz E 350 e L subjectively feels a bit less linear in braking compared to the E 300 L. When pressing the brake pedal, the initial braking force builds up gently, but as the pedal force is gradually increased, the braking force suddenly increases, which is somewhat unexpected. Moreover, when releasing the brake pedal, the rebound force feels slightly less, and the rebound sensation is not as natural as that of the E 300 L.During moderate braking, there is a sensation of fluctuation in deceleration in the latter part of the braking process, similar to the feeling I initially thought was caused by gear shifting in the E 300 L. Later, I specifically tried it in pure electric mode and found the same sensation. The feeling of braking pitch is similar to that of the E 300 L.

In terms of suppressing braking pitch, the comfort level is considered satisfactory.

03

Ride Smoothness

Compared to the E 300 L, the Mercedes-Benz E 350 e L also offers a different sensation in terms of ride smoothness. The E 300 L previously had a decent experience in primary smoothness, at least doing a good job in pitch suppression. However, the E 350 e L exhibits slightly larger pitch amplitudes on the same road, and when driving on uneven surfaces, the vehicle's lateral movements are more pronounced, especially at medium to low speeds.Regarding the impact on the road surface, the Mercedes-Benz E 350 e L feels softer in terms of touch. In terms of secondary ride comfort, I believe this plug-in hybrid model performs slightly better than the E 300 L, with better suppression of secondary vibrations in the steering wheel and seat on some rough road surfaces. On the same stretch of road with continuous small grooves, the E 300 L will have noticeable resonance when driving at the speed limit, while the E 350 e L, when driving at the same speed on this section, has significantly reduced resonance.

Overall, I feel that the Mercedes-Benz E 350 e L is best suited for urban or high-speed roads with good road conditions, offering a more comfortable driving experience. It can also handle slightly worse road surfaces, but there are details in comfort that can be optimized (of course, driving such a plug-in hybrid E-Class car is also unlikely to go on bad roads).

04

Steering/Handling Stability

In terms of steering and handling stability, the subjective feeling after this experience is similar to the E 300 L, with no significant changes. The steering remains relatively comfortable, making driving more relaxed and natural, and there is also a certain amount of steering feedback provided to the driver.Steering stability certainly doesn't provide the ultimate control sensation, but overall it is quite stable and can handle most situations without any issues.

05

Other Aspects

In the past, for hybrid models, whether it's user or engineer daily evaluations, one point that has received a lot of attention is the smoothness of the vehicle when the engine intervenes, with the hope to achieve a seamless intervention. I think the Mercedes-Benz E 350 e L engine feels quite good when it intervenes under various conditions; if it weren't for the sound of the engine, you would hardly notice the engine's engagement and disengagement.

Despite many criticisms that it is just a simple plug-in hybrid system with a single electric motor P2 architecture, it still reflects the meticulous craftsmanship of Mercedes-Benz.06

Jia Shi Summary

The Mercedes-Benz E 350 e L, from a sensory perspective, remains a large executive sedan that leans towards comfort. With the addition of the plug-in hybrid system, I believe the most significant changes are in the smoothness of gear shifts and the responsiveness of power. Although the absolute power in terms of data does not match the E 300 L model, the actual sensory difference is not very significant. The improvements in responsiveness and smoothness make the daily experience smoother and more agile than that of a mild hybrid model.

Additionally, it provides consumers with more options. After all, plug-in hybrids can obtain green license plates, and pure electric driving is also possible during commuting. For users of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, using pure electric may not be for saving money, but rather for enjoying the differentiated experience that pure electric brings, which is already worth the price of admission.