Thank you to our existing personal leasing customer, from Walton-on-Thames (Surrey), for sending through pictures of their brand new car – the Mercedes C Class Estate.
Having previously enjoyed a Mercedes, in the form of a GLA, our customer needed something a little bigger and more comfortable.
While the GLA is definitely one of Merc’s best selling cars, this is a far smaller car than people actually think.
While it is an SUV, in that it offers a higher driving position, it is very much an A-Class in terms of size and capacity. This is not a large 4×4 as some people presume; it fits very much within the small crossover category – think Vauxhall Mokka, Audi Q3 etc.
For a customer needing a little bit more room and luggage capacity, they need to carefully think about the vehicle size and boot space; don’t be led by brands and pricing alone!
In this instance, the petrol C-Class estate was on a comparable deal to the likes of a Skoda Superb, VW Passat and Ford Mondeo. Therefore it was an easy decision for the customer to stay with the Mercedes brand.
One of the questions raised by our customer during the transaction was the issue of Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) – some people refer to this as “road tax” or “car tax”. Over the last couple of years, the UK Government has made considerable changes to the automotive industry. One of these changes has been the continued increase in VED, in particular for those vehicles which emit more CO2.
As part of the Governments’ endeavour to create a more “green” fleet and move away from combustion engines and into electric cars, vehicles which do not satisfy the right criteria are becoming more and more expensive to run.
The latest round of VED changes, which will come into effect for all cars and LCVs registered on or after 1 April 2019, are not entirely substantial However, as part of personal and business users monitoring costs, this is something which needs to be considered; in particular if they are to factory order a vehicle. For example, in 2018/19 a car emitting 76-90g of CO2 per km would pay £105 in year one and then £140 thereafter. The same car will be £110 followed by £145 in 2019/20. In the higher emissions category, a car emitting 255g/km or more would pay £2,070 in year one followed by £140 for 2018/19 – this is £2,135 and £145 for 2019/20. For LCVs, any non-Euro 4 or 5 vans will go from £250 to £260 (for any vehicle registered one of after 1 March 2001).
While not a massive increase, this is a relevant consideration for all UK drivers. Many customers are now exploring the idea of alternative fuels – is it better to lease a hybrid/electric car? This is very much about the needs and requirements of the individual customer and whether they are personal/business and their style of driving. However, you now have to take into account a number of factors which includes VED, company car tax, congestion charges, emission zones, maintenance and servicing costs and cost of insurance.
In terms of the car shown here, the Mercedes-Benz C Class Estate C200 AMG Line 5 Door 9G-Tronic (Petrol Auto), this is based on the following configuration:
· Polar White Solid Paint
· Black ash wood open pore trim with analogue clock
· Artico leather/Dinamica – Black
· 18″ AMG 5 twin spoke alloy wheels in tremolite grey
As standard the car includes green tinted glass, rain sensing wipers, adaptive brake system, hill start assist, AMG floormats, Bluetooth, active park assist with parktronic system, collision prevention assist plus, cruise control, DYNAMIC select, reversing camera, power opening/closing tailgate, 10.25” display screen, navigation, electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors, 2 USB ports in centre console, DAB radio, AMG body styling, twin exhaust pipes, LED headlights/indicators/running lights/tail lights, climate control, 3-spoke flat bottomed steering wheel, multifunction steering wheel, lighting pack, mirror pack, seat comfort pack, storage pack, warning triangle and first aid kit, alarm system/interior protection/immobiliser, heated front seats and 19” alloy wheels. In terms of additional factory options consider – privacy glass and the black ash wood trim OR upgrade to the Premium/Premium Plus editions for a more substantial car.
On the technical-side, company car and business users can note the P11d at £37,950.00 and CO2 at 142g/km. The 1497CC 9 speed auto petrol engine delivers 47.1 combined MPG (EC), 184ps and 0-62 times of 7.9 seconds. The service intervals on a petrol C Class are every 15,500 miles.
So would the C-Class be your select leasing option? Or would the new BMW 3 Series Tourer, the Audi A4 Avant or even the VW Passat get your vote?
Find the very best deals on the Mercedes C Class right here @CarLease UK – or – read more estate lease car reviews below…
