Driving the all-electric Mercedes-Benz EQE300 SUV today – a luxury SUV at
$134,900 drive-away. Utilising a 180kW/550Nm electric motor, rear mounted,
driving the rear wheels powered by an 89 kWh battery providing a claimed 539km.
Energy consumption is rated at 18.9kWh per 100km however over my week drive I
average around the 20kWh mark which lowered my total distance available to just
under 500km. With a large battery pack the Mercedes-Benz EQE300 is no
lightweight, a tare weight of 2546 kgs and with somewhat stiff 40-series run flat
tyres on 21-inch alloy rims it can ride hard on a rough surface – better on a
smooth road but ride quality on our generally poor road surfaces is not a high
point. As with most electric vehicles drive smoothness and performance is very
re-assuring, effortless with nice torque, 0 to 100km in 7.3 seconds, and you arrive
feeling relaxed even on a demanding drive. Seat comfort is about as good as it
gets in a cabin that’s high class with a large and impressive central touchscreen.
Great active and passive safety, Mercedes-Benz active safety elements well
sorted and not over-intrusive. Warranty: five-years/unlimited kilometre, battery
warranty: 10years/250,000km, service costs $2240 over three years. I’m David
Berthon

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today I’m behind the wheel of Mercedes-Benz relatively new all-electric luxury
EQE SUV – I drove the EQE300 single e-motor rear drive at $134,900 plus on road
costs. It has a deceptively roomy cabin in a body that’s wide and accommodating
with a stack of storage space. The EQE300 SUV is somewhat surprising it terms
of interior space and with exceptional seats is supremely comfortable, roomy
front and back with good luggage space. Power source, a rear mounted
180kW/550Nm electric motor driving the rear wheels with an 89kWh battery and a
claimed range of 539 km – charge time on my 22kW wall box charger with 3-phase
power took 1 hour 20 minutes to charge from 60 percent to full capacity. For the
money the Mercedes-Benz EQE300 is a value buy in luxury terms, highly
equipped, and stacked with features. The interior, dash, instrument cluster and
large centre touchscreen a standout and along with a driver’s head up display as
good as it gets. Biggest disappointment, and it’s the same on Benz sedan
models, the steering wheel touch pads and sliders, far too small for a male’s
fingers, frustrating to use and take your eyes off the road. Battery warranty –
peace of mind at 10-years/250,000km. I’m David Berthon

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a move designed to clear a number of 2022 and 2023 build models Peugeot
Citroen Australia has taken an axe to retail pricing on Peugeot and Citroen
models until the end of July. The biggest discounts apply to the Peugeot 508 GT
plug-in hybrid Fastback and Sportswagon, model year 2022 508 Fastbacks
currently available from $57,990 drive-away down from the original list price of
$81,610 plus on-road costs, representing a near $30,000 discount. Model year
2023 sedans start at $59,990 drive-away, five-door Sportswagons from $61,990
drive-away. The popular Peugeot 3008 compact SUV has discounts of between
$8,000 and $18,000 depending on model, while a mixture of aged Citroen stock
offers big savings – model year 2022 C5 X Shine SUV’s offer savings of up to
$16,000 at $45,990 drive-away. I’m David Berthon

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Driving the Mazda CX-3 SUV – the 2.0-litre six-speed automatic Evolve, the third-
tier model of the five-model Mazda CX-3 SUV range at $35,200 drive-away. As I
said earlier, our top-selling light SUV despite first arriving back in 2016. Mazda’s
smallest SUV still has very up to date looks and has progressively been upgraded
with the latest safety and convenience features. Satellite navigation, LED daytime
running lights, rear cross traffic alert, a reversing camera, front and rear parking
sensors, blind spot alert, lane departure warning, even reverse autonomous
emergency braking, a great feature when little ones are present. The CX-3 Evolve
gains larger 18-inch alloy wheels and a lighter interior with tan synthetic leather
inserts, a welcome break from boring grey on lower variants. So how does it drive
– at just 1300 kilos its light on its feet with nice mid-range torque and a slick
shifting six-speed auto delivering a better than average performance. It can get a
little buzzy and noisy when pushed but nevertheless delivers a very satisfying
performance aided by nice steering feel and a chassis tune that’s just right for the
average balance of surfaces and cornering. Economy, I managed 7.9L/100km with
mainly city driving. Servicing costs, $1,285 over three years. I’m David Berthon

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Reviewing the small Mazda CX-3 SUV today – our top- selling small SUV, in fact it
outsells its nearest rival by 2 to 1, despite arriving back in 2016. Part of the
reason is its appealing looks, youthful with a bobtail appearance and a high hip
point over the rear wheels. I’m driving the 2.0-litre six-speed automatic Mazda CX-
3 Evolve, the third-tier model of a five-model range at $35,200 drive-away which
comes with a few extra niceties like 18-inch alloy wheels, a lighter interior with
tan synthetic leather highlights and front parking sensors on top of a
comprehensive equipment list with some excellent passive and active safety
features. Updates have kept the Mazda CX-3 in-line with other later offerings, but
it shows its age in its small information screen and older software, but thankfully
retains dials for climate control and a console mounted rotary dial for radio,
sat/nav and phone connectivity. Good front interior room, tight in the rear with
the bob tail design limiting boot space but this aside it will be primarily used as a
two-seater or for a small family with young children. The Mazda CX-3 may have
been around awhile, but one can quickly see why its maintained its popularity.
Warranty, five years/unlimited km. I’m David Berthon

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a move that seems contrary to many other manufacturers Mercedes-Benz is
reportedly reducing its electric car development plans and developing a new
breed of petrol-powered models. According to a German publication
Wirtschaftswoche the company plans on spending AU$22.6 billion on internal
combustion engine cars, and as previously announced, will be dropping plans for
a new large electric car platform – a move that would save the German company
up to $AU9.6 billion. The change brought on by a slowing of the electric car
markets in U.S. and Europe especially at the luxury end of the market. The
company said to have a renewed focus on plug-in hybrids - it’s latest C63 AMG
combining a heavily boosted 2.0-litre engine and an electric motor to produce
500kW of power yet using far less fuel than the previous twin-turbo V8 generation
I’m David Berthon

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Official V-Facts car sales figures for June showed a market decline, the first time
new car sales have faltered in the last 14 months. The result is surprising given
June is historically our biggest month for new car sales and perhaps reflects the
rising cost of living pressures. Despite the June dip, sales in the first six months
of the year showed a year-to-date increase of 8.7 percent, tallying 632,412
vehicles and beating the previous six-month record set in 2018. Eight percent of
new vehicles sold in June were electric down slightly from 8.8 percent for the
same month last year. However, Tesla sales suffered a 33 per cent decline.
Despite the dip in electric vehicle sales there was strong demand for hybrid
models, up 71 percent compared to June last year and year-to-date up a healthy
113 percent. I’m David Berthon

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.