Mercedes-Benz C350 E vs Volkswagen Multivan

What's the difference?

Plug-in hybrids will probably not appeal to all buyers, but in the premium space they make sense.

Smooth electric driving paired with the potential for weekend trips outside the 100km-or-so range make the C350e a decent thing, let alone its price parity with the C300.

It still doesn’t top the charts for value or practicality, but even aside from the PHEV tech, the C350e remains a fun-to-drive sedan that holds its own in the executive space.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with meals provided.

The Australian launch of the new generation Multivan was confined to the Life grade with the 2.0-litre diesel engine. Later in 2025 the Style grade will arrive bringing a hybrid powertrain and even more features. We’ll be able to test both more thoroughly once we have them in the CarsGuide garage.

From this first drive, however, it's clear that while slightly pricier than its Kia Carnival rival the new generation Multivan is more practical than ever, and now that it rides on a car platform, far better to drive.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with meals provided.

The C350e doesn’t depart massively from the familiar visual formula that is the current ‘206’ generation C-Class and that’s no bad thing.

Call it conservative if you like, but having seen what’s possible when Mercedes takes risks (hello EQ models), the traditional Mercedes design language is put into healthy perspective. 

Handsome proportions and lines without any fuss - there are no unnecessary creases or panels or materials.

The plug-in C350e comes, as mentioned, with the AMG Line pack, adding 18-inch five-spoke AMG wheels, an AMG front apron, grille insert, and of course EQ Hybrid badging.

The pack also includes AMG Line styling inside, where you’d have to be a Mercedes regular to spot the specifics. The AMG-style steering wheel and seats are the biggest giveaways.

As with all Volkswagens the redesign of the new-gen Multivan is more about refining than redefining. Just like the Golf hatch which has kept its look through eight generations the Multivan is recognisable and familiar but new and modern looking, too.

Smoother lines, a more heavily raked windscreen and a flatter bonnet make for a cuter snub nose. The new Multivan is less boxy than before even though it is still a box on wheels, just a sleeker, more adorable one. 

As mentioned, the Multivan comes in two lengths: the short wheelbase, which is 4973mm from the front bumper to the rear bumper, and the long wheelbase which is 5173mm long. Height for both is 1900mm.

Inside, the cabin is modern with large screens for media and driver instruments with a minimalist design to the dash, while the lack of a centre console frees up space. The sense of roominess is enhanced by daylight flooding in through oversized windows which can be taken a step further when combined with the optional panoramic (split panel) glass roof. 

There are nine body colours to pick from including 'Candy White', 'Pure Grey', 'Reflex Silver Metallic', 'Copper Bronze Metallic', 'Deep Black Pearlescent', 'Energetic Orange Metallic', 'Medium Blue Metallic', 'Mono Silver Metallic' and 'Starlight Blue Metallic'.

The space inside the C-Class remains straight-forward as ever. The layout and features don’t stray from convention, meaning there’s a sizable central screen, digital driver display, central cupholders, and places to put things like a phone, with wireless charging included.

The electrically adjustable seat and steering column make getting into a comfortable position easy, and the memory settings keep it that way.

While physical buttons are scarce, the key controls are easy to access via the central multimedia touchscreen and there’s a lack of complicated sub-menus. It's a refreshingly straightforward system compared to some from rivals, especially that of former category benchmark BMW.

There are fewer than a dozen main tile buttons on the menu, and they’re clear and easy to work out. The main screen also defaults to the navigation, and the climate controls are always visible on the touchscreen.

The central storage area is laid out so a phone sitting in the charging pad is slightly hidden, meaning it’s not a distraction, plus the cover means the cupholders and storage can be hidden away. Tidy!

The AMG-style steering wheel’s haptic controls can be used as regular buttons, but more than once on the test drive I nudged the volume and turned my music back on, just a minor annoyance.

In the second row, there’s generous space for a mid-size sedan, and the seats are comfortable for an adult to ride along for a lengthy trip.

There’s a centre armrest, hidden cupholders, and a generally light and open feeling thanks to the panoramic sunroof.

The battery for the hybrid system sits under the second row seats, which means there’s no uneven flooring in the 315L boot.

Practicality is the Multivan's greatest strength. Seven seats come standard and the rear five can be configured into numerous variations. If you like you could have those rear seats facing each other or you can just have a second row with a large boot area or you could have two in the middle row and two in the third row or whatever other variation you can think up. Yes, you can remove all five rear seats and now that they're 25 per cent lighter it’s easier to do so.

People space is excellent and at 189cm tall I found it possible to not only sit comfortably in the second row behind my driving position, but also behind that in the third row with plenty of leg and headroom.  

An optional multi-functional table is also available and this can slide on rails from the third row all the way up to between the driver and front passenger.

Second row cabin storage is outstanding. You’ll find drawers under the seats big enough for a pair of shoes, hidey holes and cupholders everywhere, seat-back tray tables and gigantic door pockets.

Up front is a double glove box, a dash-top storage bin, more cupholders as well as a multitude of pockets and small storage holes for bits and pieces.

For devices there’s a wireless phone charger and four USB ports.

You’ll also find three-zone climate control with air vents throughout the cabin and dark-tinted glass for the side windows. 

Finally, the power sliding rear side doors are huge and allow easy entry and exit to and from both rear rows.

Being able to leave the driver or front passenger’s seat and walk through to the second row is also handy and fun. Not while driving, of course, although it’s tempting.

Volkswagen has launched the new Multivan in one grade to begin with called Life and it comes exclusively with a diesel engine. A Style grade will come later in 2025 to sit above it with a higher price but more features and different powertrain - likely a petrol-electric hybrid.

For now, though, the Life is here and there are two versions - a long one and a short one. Volkswagen calls them short wheelbase and long wheelbase but the truth is their wheelbases (the distance between the front and rear wheels) are identical. It’s the back area of the car which differs in length and it’s only 20cm - the length of the boot, basically.

But let’s go with Volkswagen’s choice of words. The Life in short wheelbase form lists for $75,990 and the long wheelbase is $3000 more at $78,990, both before on-road costs.

Standard features on the Life include LED headlights, 17-inch alloy wheels, power sliding rear doors and power tailgate, a 10-inch media screen and 10.25-inch digital driver’s display, three-zone climate control, push-button start and eight-speaker audio plus wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Seven seats are standard, too.

The C350e’s plug-in hybrid drivetrain consists of a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine and an electric motor that drives the rear wheels via a nine-speed automatic transmission.

The combustion engine’s peak outputs are 150kW and 320Nm, while the 95kW/440Nm electric motor works with it to land on a total system output of 230kW and 550Nm.

While it’s not lightning quick, the C350e has a decent claimed 0-100km/h sprint of 6.1 seconds, and from the driver’s seat it certainly feels brisk enough to get out of its own way.

At the moment there’s just the one grade of Multivan, the Life, and it's powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel making 110kW and 360Nm. Transmission is a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic which sends drive to the front wheels.

Coming later in 2025 will be a petrol-electric variant but it will only be available in a more premium Style grade.

Mercedes officially claims the C350e has a driving range of 104km under NEDC testing, with a 25.4kWh battery supplying the juice.

Official fuel use is just 1.5L/100km, but Mercedes says that becomes 7.6L without any battery charge to help it out.

Under standard 11kW AC charging, it’s about two hours from flat to full, but with the optional 55kW DC fast-charging, it takes about 20 minutes from flat to 80 per cent.

Volkswagen says that after a combination of open and urban roads the Multivan Life should use 6.4L/100km. While on the launch the trip computer was recording an average of about 8.5L/100km, but we’ll assess fuel efficiency again when this VW comes into the CarsGuide road test garage. 

In theory, if you do use 6.4L/100km, the Multivan's 80-litre tank should give you 1250km of range.

The score for efficiency looks quite low here and that's because without having driven the Style grade and the hybrid powertrain all we have to go by currently is the diesel.

The C350e has a few drive modes that are mostly self-explanatory, those being Battery Hold, Electric, Hybrid, Sport and Individual.

You’ll likely find yourself using Electric and Hybrid most of the time, so we’ll focus on those. Sport is fine but somewhat defeats the purpose of the plug-in system for day-to-day driving.

In electric mode, the C350e doesn’t feel like it’s lacking any power without the engine helping it along. Acceleration is smooth, brisk enough, and a 130km/h top speed means you won’t need the engine on your commute.

Realistically, its 104km range is probably somewhere closer to 80km, but covers you for a decent daily distance.

Let the car use the engine to help out via Hybrid mode and, if you’ve got music playing, you might not notice the engine starting and cutting. The system is smooth and it means a much longer life out of the battery before needing to charge. That, and there’s the benefit of more brisk acceleration thanks to the hefty 230kW/550Nm total outputs.

Everything else about the C350e is classic C-Class - the ride is controlled and the suspension does a decent job of soaking up bumps and rough roads, the comfort and self-levelling suspension makes cornering smooth and inspires confidence.

The most noticeable shortcoming for the car is its transmission hesitation if you put your foot down quickly, though the ability to use the paddles to choose your own gears in Sport mode avoids this.

In Electric or Hybrid, the paddles decide how much braking regen to apply, a useful feature that lets you recuperate some power for the battery if your drive includes a lot of downhill slopes or if you’re avoiding relying on the brake pedal.

The C530e’s extra weight doesn’t dull its driving characteristics as you might expect from a car laden with PHEV tech, so it’s a welcome surprise that you could pick up a plush plug-in for the same price as a combustion C300.

The missing piece of the Multivan puzzle for me has been the way it drives. Past versions have been less 'car-like' than rivals like the Kia Carnival. It felt like a commercial van to drive, because essentially it was. But that's been fixed.

One of the biggest changes to this new-generation Multivan is the platform on which it's built. Volkswagen has decided to swap the truck-like platform from the past for the 'MQB' platform which underpins vehicles such as the Golf and Tiguan. 

Having spent a few hours driving this new generation Multivan around some great country roads during the launch I can testify that not only is the ride comfortable and composed but this van handles way better than you might imagine.

While the Multivan is in no way a sports car, good handling adds to the fun factor. It's easy to drive with light, accurate and direct steering, good acceleration and smooth gear changes from the transmission, great pedal feel under your feet and superb visibility from the high seating position and oversized windows all around.

That said, I enjoyed driving the previous generation Multivan. I loved its fun and easy piloting factor and the change in platform for this new-gen model makes the experience even more pleasurable.

Volkswagen's Multivan scored the maximum five-star ANCAP rating under 2022 criteria (tested by Euro NCAP). Safety tech includes AEB, lane keeping assistance, rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot warning, front and rear parking sensors and emergency assistance.

Importantly, side curtain airbags extend to cover all three rows; there's also a centre airbag between the driver and front passenger.

A pleasant surprise was finding how non-intrusive a lot of the safety tech onboard the Multivan is. While there's steering assistance there are no annoying alarms and bells as you'll find in other vehicles. In trying to focus your attention on the road they only distract you further.

Mercedes has a five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty which is decent for a premium brand.

Servicing is pricey, though. 

A three-year pack covering a service every 12 months (or 25,000km, whichever comes first) costs $3355, that being just three services.

Four years costs $4630, or five includes a more expensive service and brings the total to $6890. That’s an average of $1378 per service.

Finding somewhere to spend that money shouldn’t be hard as there are 100 dealers listed in Australia.

The Multivan is covered by Volkswagen’s five year/unlimited kilometre warranty.

Servicing is recommended every 15,000km or annually and will cost you between about $600-800 a year.