Test Drive: Mercedes Benz S400 Hybrid

A few months ago, my father pondered on his current Mercedes Benz E-Class, which turned 7 years old in 2017. Usually, 7 years is the time he would consider to change his car and also the time when a model change is due for all Mercedes models. That is when he started to consider getting the new W213 E-Class or the W221 S-Class for his replacement. I supported the idea of the S-Class because he already had two E-Class and he should get an upgrade. However, I do not think he should get the W221 as the newer W222 was already a 4 year model. One day, I managed to convince him to go down to the Mercedes dealer and look at the W222 and he was hooked. Then he came upon an ad on the newspaper and I made a few calls. In the end, it was love at first sight and he offered the owner a good price. That is how my father became the owner of a Mercedes Benz S-Class (W222). The car is a blue, 2015, S 400 Hybrid model with only 4XXX km mileage. This is his first buy of Mercedes' flagship model, his first hybrid car and also the first time he bought a used car. I was truly surprised by how fast the deal went through. In brief, this S400H has a 3.5 liter V6 engine, coupled with an electric motor that produces roughly 330 bhp and 390 Nm of torque. It has a 7 speed Automatic transmission with paddle shift, which would translate into good fuel consumption.

When my father first drove the S400H back, I was impressed by how high tech and comfortable this car is. There are a lot more gadgets and the seats are very comfortable, especially the back seats. A good way to describe the rear seats would be "Business Class on wheels". The rear seats is fully adjustable and there is even a button that folds the front passenger seat and reclines the left rear seat to a position similar to a massage chair. I noticed that the start button of this car is similar to the new C-Class, where it is just a plastic cover on the key hole, which is a let down. I started the car but it felt weird because there was no engine idling sound. Although it is normal for a hybrid car, it is new to me. After a few minutes of fiddling here and there, I have really forgotten whether did I start the car or not. Another thing that is unusual for me is the gear shifter. Due to space constraints, the A-Class and B-Class have its gear shifter at the steering wheel, where normally the turn signal stalk is for Japanese cars. Mercedes soon applied this design over all range including the C-Class, E-Class and S-Class. So, there wont be a gear lever on the center console and it is confusing for most owners. My father always mistaken it for the turn signal and had accidentally put the car into neutral and that is dangerous. He needs getting used to it.

3.5 liter V6 with 307 bhp and 370 Nm of torque

20 Inches

Finally, I was ready to drive after adjusting the seat and all mirrors. Before I drove the car, I expected the acceleration would be reluctant because of its size and weight but surprisingly, that was not the case. The suspension however, is as expected, very soft with body roll being obvious, even with slightest turn of the steering wheel. Then, I found the magic button, that changes the suspension setting from "Comfortable" to "Sports". Immediately the wobbliness was negated and I could feel in control of the car with minimal body roll. The power delivery is smooth and linear because of the NA V6 engine's characteristic and with the 7 speed gear box, gear ratios are short and shifts fast. The car built is sturdy and heavy, which makes it feels slower than the actual speed. I thought I was driving around at 100 km/h but when I looked at the speedometer, I was actually going around 140 km/h. The brakes are 4 pots in the front and I could understand the need of it when this car has so much horsepower and torque but it comes to me as too sensitive. One of the biggest hassle of driving the S400H is definitely the size of the car especially during parking. Parking spaces in Malaysia are small and at multi level carparks, the turning area to move between floors are tight. This makes it hard to maneuver and risk scratching the paint.

Gear Shifter by the Steering Wheel

Just a Cover

Electric Parking Brake

Overall, I prefer the NA engine because unlike the turbo models, the torque comes linearly and do not break your neck (if you know what I mean). The S400H's V6 provides a lot of power and torque. That is why even without turbo, the car can go fast. As of the car, this really is not my type of car. This is a case where too big is not a good thing. Having said that, I think it is a good buy for my father. It really is an upgrade for him. More luxurious, more high tech than the ordinary E-Class.    

Comparison with his E-Class

Bonus: During night drive, interior will glow.

Night Glow with multiple choice of color.

Test Drive: Honda CR-Z, the Chosen One.

Before we enter this post, I really have to say, I am very annoyed at the fact that both my father and my friend already retrieved their respective cars while I am still stuck waiting for paperwork to be done. Both viewed their cars after me but already driving their cars. When will I be able to get mine ?
Back to the story. So my friend who was looking for a Honda CR-Z finally decided and picked the one with very high mileage, the more expensive, the horrible violet unit with a sank clutch pedal. In a few days, he got his car and I asked him out on the same day for a round of testing. While driving me around, he did all kinds of tests that I could think of. He did a handling test, a zero to 100 test, circling around the same area for at least 6 times and a red line test. We even drove into the highway just to see how fast it feels like in reality, just to feel the maximum power of the CR-Z and see what it can do. He certainly was smiling every second of it and I thought he really love the CR-Z.

Mugen Front Skirt and Grill

Mugen Rear Skirt and Spoiler

After he was satisfied, he stop by the road side and swapped with me. I was excited for the test because the last one I drove was just a short distance and I could not sort-of thrash the car and I am glad that this unit is bone stock except for the spoiler and skirting around the car. Going in the car, the first thing I noticed that the clutch pedal wasn't lower than usual like he said it was. He told me after he got the car, he brought it to a garage and fix that and got new tires too. So, I started to move and  I had to adjust the seats a couple of time while driving, just to get the ideal seating position for my height, style and the car. My friends is shorter than I am and prefers to seat laid back while I like to seat straight and low. I was finally ready to test this CR-Z my way and even in the housing area, I was already all smiles. It finally came to me the reason why my friend was all smile when he was driving.

Notice the S+ button on Steering Wheel. Only on 2013 and above models.

As soon as I step on the accelerator, I can feel the car move eagerly. It feels quick, it feels nimble and it will keep zooming happily down the road. The engine is responsive even under 3,000 rpm and the 6-speed manual gearbox shifts easily and nicely with a solid feel to it. The CR-Z just drive as how you want it to go. After a few rounds of just driving in circles in the housing area, it was time to do some drag test. I tried with the normal mode first and then the sports mode. I found out that in normal mode, the redline is around 6,800 rpm and in sports mode, it is around 7,000 rpm. Throttle response seems to be quicker in the sports mode but the effects seems minor to me. Next, I drove it into the highway to test its capabilities. While I was on the highway, I move into the fast lane although a car coming down that lane fast. I downshifted and hit the pedal to the metal but the CR-Z felt tired and wouldn't speed up. I agreed with my friend that the CR-Z feels quick in town but lacking on the highway. Then on a hard curve, I felt some body roll and I couldn't get a smooth turn. I thought it was a shame for such a good car but an adjustable suspension kit will solve this easily.

Normal Mode

Eco Mode

Sports Mode

All this while driving it, cars like the Toyota MR-S and Mazda MX-5 (NC) came into my mind. These cars were popular for its agility and good handling. Many considered these cars, a driver's car, despite having small engines with low output because it requires a driver's full attention. I definitely think the CR-Z is a FWD version of these cars as it only have 130 bhp and 190 Nm of torque for the facelift model but it is also small and light. I have not had so much fun driving a car in a long time ever since the Celica was sold and the CR-Z is absolutely a fun car to drive and a good night for me. I had a good night sleep after that and I anticipate the arrival of my 350Z even more. I am going to enjoy it so much when it arrives.

Mercedes Loyalty

As mentioned in the previous post about the Honda CR-Z, my father just recently purchased a new car. Anyone who knows my dad already knows that he will always look at Mercedes Benz for his new car. I thought I would take this opportunity to list out the Mercedes that he has driven in his lifetime. This would be his third Mercedes Benz purchase and as a car enthusiast, I usually do not agree with his choices. I have driven his other two Mercedes Benz and it does not impressed me. I have heard people either telling me when I reach my 40s I would appreciate one or wait till you have driven one. I would say what I am looking for in a car is not comfort or the prestige of having one to the first one and would simply say it's actually those who have not driven one would dream about having one. As a person who have driven two different models before, I think someone should either buy an AMG or a higher spec model. So back to the topic, here is the list of Mercedes Benz models that my dad owns.

Mercedes Benz E-Class (W211)
He got his first Mercedes when I was 14 years old and I was not even old enough to drive yet. If I was not mistaken, it was a 2003 E 200 Kompressor imported from UK or Germany. Its rear wheels are powered by a 1.8 liter supercharged engine, producing 180 bhp and 250 Nm of torque. After I had finish my P (beginner) license 4 years later, my father let me had a try with his E200K and I experienced my first RWD and first force inducted engine. I remembered I drove very carefully at first and when I step on the accelerator on a long straight highway, the torque was overwhelming me. It is as if I had tasted a drug and I like it. It was never the same for me and I keep longing for the same torque but unfortunately I was just driving a Toyota Vios at that time. As I did not know much about cars back then, I only knew it as a fast car and did not look into other aspects of the car. I did not get much chance sitting behind the wheels of the E200K. Soon time flies by and the E-Class had a model change. This was when he had some thoughts about getting the new model. Eventually, he sold this one and bought the successor.

 

All photos above are not actual car. Just same model and same color.

Mercedes Benz E-Class (W212)
When the successor came in 2010, my father was considering to get one. This was mainly due to a 7 years ownership and so, it is time to change one but the E200K was still running well. Thanks to some persuasion, he bought a locally assembled E 200 CGI. This model is quite similar to his previous E200K having also a 1.8 liter engine that also produces 180 bhp. However, instead of a supercharger, this one got a turbo which increases the torque by 20 Nm to a total of 270 Nm. This was around the same time I started to drive the Toyota Celica and from my experience with the coupe, I started to test out the capabilities of the new E200 everytime I drive it. I did not like the soft suspension and overall heaviness of the car and this is due to the fact that it is a luxury sedan, I started to refer to this E200 as a boat/ship because of the body roll but I could not deny the overwhelming torque. My father's favorite thing to do was zooming up a slope with all the torque and even drove about 200 km/h. I on the other hand was more careful as I was not adept with RWD and the rear tends to snap at uneven road or rain. After I changed to the Mazda 6, it is fairer to compare both cars and I realized that all Mercedes models have wide turning radius given the size of the car. In my opinion, the turning radius and high torque is the winning point of the E200 but I am sorry to say that when it comes to other aspects I prefer my Mazda 6 instead. My father often points out that my Mazda lacks the E200's high torque.

All photos above are not actual car. Just same model and same color.

I constantly suggest my father to consider other brands such as Lexus after he had owned two Mercedes and I always receive the same answer from him. He would say the main reason he still would buy a Mercedes is because of the image it gives out. All great businessmen drive a Mercedes and it is easily recognized as prestigious. Furthermore, among other European brands, Mercedes has the better resale value. I would not think of it as prestigious as the two he owned are all entry level of the E-Class but it is still higher spec than a C-Class. I guess after some time there would be a loyalty towards the brand and I will respect that. I will talk about his next car in another post after he receives it. So, stay tune.

Test Drive: Honda CR-Z

I have a friend who had been looking for a Honda CR-Z for quite some time. He had been having a hard time finding a suitable one due to his requirement which is hard to to fulfill. He has to get a 2013 and above, facelift model, has to be a manual transmission, has to have low mileage and most importantly, cheap. Let me explain to those who might not understand why it is that difficult. The first reason is when the CR-Z was first launched in Malaysia, only the manual transmission variant was available and auto transmission came in months later. Second reason is back when it was launched, Malaysia had a tax exemption for all hybrid cars with engine lower than 2 liters. So the official selling price was RM 120,000 when first launched but selling at RM 180,000 after the exemption was over. Thus, automatic CR-Z grew in number and sales went down when tax exemption was removed. He shared with me how used manual units whether pre-facelift or facelift, is selling like hot cakes. Whenever one appear on the website for used cars, it would be sold within 1 week.

Previously, I went to view a 2013 manual unit with him. It had very high mileage, the clutch pedal sank, it was a horrible violet color and was on higher price range. Despite all that, he wanted to view the car and test drive. After viewing, he went back to proceed with car loan arrangement and I thought he had decided on this unit but last week he called me and asked me to view another unit with him. This time, it is a 2013 manual with lower mileage of 20000 km, a striking red color and cheaper than the violet one. Best of all, this unit is lightly modded. It has 17" rims, Adjustable High/Low Soft/Hard suspension kit and straight pipe all the way to the muffler by J's Racing. On the day of the test, I was surprised when the owner allowed me and my friend test drove the car without his presence. I, of course took the chance to drive it around the block just to get a feel of how a CR-Z drives. First 2 things that were on my mind before it was my turn to drive was the fact the car is lowered and straight pipes are noisy. I keep thinking, it has been a long time since I drove a car with stiff setting and lowered car.

Very low stance and big side skirts

When I sat on the driver seat, I realized that the seating position is similar to a regular car rather than a coupe. Usually the first thing I would try is the clutch pedal and I find the CR-Z's feels very light and comfortable and the engine does not stall easily. Getting the car to move was easy but the test ground has a lot of bumps, which is not so good for a car that is lowered and has stiff suspension. I ended up scratching the side skirts once and jumped at a bump. Guess I have to retrain myself for the 350Z. The other problem was the loud exhaust note. When the engine starts, you would hear a loud note but it goes down while idling. When driving, it gets loud around 3000 rpm and I know my friend would get rid of the straight pipes, the first thing if he gets this unit. Overall, I have to say the Honda CR-Z is a car suitable to be a daily drive that has a sporty look to it but to gain the sportiness, it has to be the 6 speed manual variant. I heard that the owner still has some original parts including the original exhaust system. So, my friend does not need to spend extra to get some quiet driving time.

2017 seems like a good year for buying cars. I bought one, my father bought one and now this friend too. I hope he settles for one soon. Not that I am complaining about the test drives but I hope he could get his ride soon.

My favorite angle. Love the rear skirt