G31: 530e oder 530i?

[Peter_Nik]

Dear All,

I apologize for writing in English, as my German is limited. Below is a German translation. Please feel free to respond in German if you prefer.

My Mercedes E200 S212 is now 10 years old. As technical issues are becoming more frequent, I am in the market for a new car, specifically a jahreswagen, which I plan to purchase in the next 1-2 months. The subject of this topic is the main candidates.

I have read many useful stories here about G30/31 user experience, but I would like to clarify a few questions related to my driver profile. I drive about 10k km per year, mostly for daily commutes to work and shops (up to 20-30km), which is about 30% of my yearly mileage. The remaining mileage is spent on weekend and holiday trips, which are typically around 100-3000km per trip.

I checked my driver profile's fuel economy and the tax savings for the 530e in the Netherlands. However, the overall profit is negligible when considering the higher price of the 530e, so it is not a differentiator for me. Therefore, I have a few questions:

- What would I lose if I buy the 530i instead of the 530e? According to my test drive experience, the 530e has smoother acceleration and start/stop system behavior, but am I missing anything?

- Do you anticipate any differences in reliability between the 530i and 530e? If you primarily drive in electric mode and charge the car at your workplace, the gasoline engine is expected to be used infrequently, primarily on weekends and holidays. Is this significant?

- Are there any expected long-term (7-10 years) reliability issues with the big battery for the 530e or any other models?

Any additional ideas to help me choose between these two or other models are welcome.

Vielen Dank!

****************

Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren,

Dies ist die AI-Übersetzung ins Deutsche.

Ich entschuldige mich dafür, dass ich auf Englisch schreibe, da mein Deutsch begrenzt ist. Bitte antworten Sie auf Deutsch, wenn Sie es bevorzugen.

Mein Mercedes E200 S212 ist jetzt 10 Jahre alt. Da sich die technischen Probleme häufen, bin ich auf dem Markt für ein neues Auto, insbesondere einen Jahreswagen, den ich in den nächsten 1-2 Monaten kaufen möchte. Das Thema dieses Textes sind die Hauptkandidaten.

Es wurden viele nützliche Berichte über G30/31-Nutzererfahrungen veröffentlicht. Ich möchte jedoch gerne ein paar Fragen zu meinem Fahrerprofil klären. Ich fahre etwa 10.000 km pro Jahr, hauptsächlich für den täglichen Weg zur Arbeit und zum Einkaufen (20-30km). Das entspricht etwa 30% meiner jährlichen Fahrleistung. Die restlichen Kilometer entfallen auf Wochenend- und Urlaubsfahrten, die in der Regel zwischen 100 und 3000 km pro Fahrt betragen.

Ich habe den Kraftstoffverbrauch meines Fahrerprofils und die Steuerersparnis für den 530e in den Niederlanden überprüft. Allerdings ist der Gesamtgewinn aufgrund des höheren Preises des 530e vernachlässigbar. Daher stellt dies für mich kein Unterscheidungsmerkmal dar. Aus diesem Grund habe ich ein paar Fragen:

- Was würde ich verlieren, wenn ich den 530i anstelle des 530e kaufe? Der 530e hat eine sanftere Beschleunigung und ein besseres Start-Stopp-System. Gibt es weitere Unterschiede, die ich übersehen habe?

- Würden Sie erwarten, dass es Unterschiede in der Zuverlässigkeit zwischen dem 530i und dem 530e gibt? Wenn Sie den 530e hauptsächlich im Elektromodus fahren und das Auto im Büro aufladen, wird der Benzinmotor voraussichtlich nur selten arbeiten. Er wird hauptsächlich an Wochenenden und Feiertagen benötigt.

- Gibt es langfristige Zuverlässigkeitsprobleme mit der großen Batterie des 530e oder anderer Modelle?

Bitte teilen Sie mir alle zusätzlichen Ideen mit, die mir bei der Wahl zwischen diesen oder anderen Modellen helfen können.

Vielen Dank!

[Diesel_im_Tank]

So I try to answer in English. I have a 530e since 16 month and I'm satisfied with this car. But, the first topic if You're thinking about a G30/G31 is about the seats. Some people having issues with the sport seats, which are a way to small. I've had that issue, but a upholster could help me.

With Your daily driving profile between 20 and 30 km, in my opinion the 530e will make sense. At the short trips, You don't need the gasoline engine. During the longer trips, Your gasoline engine will get warm and Your fuel consumption between 4 to 7 liters per 100 km. But this depends on the distances You'll drive.

Currently, I can't tell You anything about the reliability. The 530e has more technics inside, which increases the risk of potential faults. But on the other side, I think (an hope) the 530e has less break wear, as the 530i or d, because of the possibility of recuperating. If your driving defensive You do not need the service brake so much, as in a normal car.

[Peter_Nik]

Hi Diesel_im_Tank, thank you very much for the reply and advices!

Indeed, the comfort seats are much better than the sport ones. They are the "must have" option for me. The massage function is also nice, but relatively rare, so it is "nice to have".

According my estimation based on the current fuel and electricity prices and my driving routing, I'd get total profit maximum 2k Euro during 10 years of driving 530e vs. 530i. This takes into account other parameters like higher price of 530e, lower taxes for PHEV here in NL, possibility to charge the car from home solar batteries (to be installed) etc.

The profit is visible, but... 150-200 Euro per year is not a deal-breaker for 530i.

The smoother acceleration and start/stop function of 530e is more important.

[Diesel_im_Tank]

I’ve created an Excel spreadsheet for myself and roughly estimated my daily and weekly tracks and how often in a year we’ll drive longer distances with the car to calculate a forecast of possible electrical driving. Also, the other cost like taxes and car insurance I’ve considered to become a cost overview. But I’ve compared it with a new car with Diesel engine (530d and A6 50 TDI), because we’re driving ~25.000 km annually.

Yes, I have a solar roof, which give cost efforts for driving during the sunny month to me. Also, I figured out a charging station close to my office, where I can charge for less, but don’t know how long this will work…

[Peter_Nik]

Zitat:

@Diesel_im_Tank schrieb am 13. Februar 2024 um 10:17:44 Uhr:

I’ve created an Excel spreadsheet for myself and roughly estimated my daily and weekly tracks and how often in a year we’ll drive longer distances with the car to calculate a forecast of possible electrical driving.

May I ask you to share the gain/profit estimation from 530e for your driver profile?

[Diesel_im_Tank]

Pleas find attached my comparison sheet. The fuel consumption from the A6 50 TDI, I’ve found at Spritmonitor.de. The A6 3.0 TDI was my old car and where replace by the 530e.

For the electricity price, I’ve calculated 0,355€. this is the price I have to pay for electricity from the grid. For information, I’m paying in average less as 0,355€ for electricity because of the solar roof and the possibility to charge for less close to my work place.

In summary, I’m driving 70% electrical and the other distances with gasoline. But when you look to this spreadsheet, cheapest cost per km, you‘ll have with an electrical car.

[Peter_Nik]

Zitat:

@Diesel_im_Tank schrieb am 13. Februar 2024 um 10:17:44 Uhr:

I’ve created an Excel spreadsheet for myself and roughly estimated my daily and weekly tracks and how often in a year we’ll drive longer distances with the car to calculate a forecast of possible electrical driving...

Many thanks for sharing your spreadsheet!

Your approach is quite similar to my one, I also added approximate price difference between 530i and 530e to the scope.

[Diesel_im_Tank]

You’re living in the Netherlands. So maybe You have less energy consumption as myself. 6 Years ago, we were for vacation ate the Müritz with the A6 I’ve had before. In this area, the car consumed 1 liter less Diesel as in the hilly region I live.

[Ice Flame]

Zitat:

@Diesel_im_Tank schrieb am 14. Februar 2024 um 17:46:59 Uhr:

You’re living in the Netherlands. So maybe You have less energy consumption as myself. 6 Years ago, we were for vacation ate the Müritz with the A6 I’ve had before. In this area, the car consumed 1 liter less Diesel as in the hilly region I live.

I would say much less in the Netherlands... with 120 km/h you can get a 530e around with 6 l/100km.

If your temperatures are above 5°C you can also be around 20 kWh/100km (17 - 25 I guess).

[Peter_Nik]

Zitat:

@Diesel_im_Tank schrieb am 14. Februar 2024 um 17:46:59 Uhr:

You’re living in the Netherlands. So maybe You have less energy consumption as myself.

Indeed, the fuel consumption of my current MB E200 is a 0.5l/100km lower than average in DE according https://www.spritmonitor.de/

I hope that this trend will stay for BWM too :)

Zitat:

@Ice Flame schrieb am 14. Februar 2024 um 23:33:00 Uhr:

I would say much less in the Netherlands... with 120 km/h you can get a 530e around with 6 l/100km.

If your temperatures are above 5°C you can also be around 20 kWh/100km (17 - 25 I guess).

120km/h, you wish :).

It's mostly 100km/h in the Noord Brabant during the day time. So better fuel economy, but less fun ;-)