[Yenn]

The review of the C350e revealed that Mercedes still has a bit of work to put into their regenerative braking system, its clumsy and lacks feel says Automobile Magazine

Meanwhile, the brake pedal feels wooden, and the transition between regenerative braking and mechanical braking feels clumsy. This Benz is plenty fast, but it still weighs 3,924 pounds in European trim (the configuration in which we drove it), and you can feel its suspension reach its tipping point and sag if you get too aggressive with the run-flat tires

 

[CRNCYX]

That's not good at all, especially with this being a key volume product for them. But although this is what one publication has to say, it would bring into question... what do consumers have to say?

 

[Pavel]

That doesn't sound good. It's hard to fully imagine what the brakes would feel like from their description, but it is clear that it isn't great. I'll have to be on the look out during the eventual test drive.

 

[Yenn]

I wouldn't consider the Hybrid C class to be a volume model for Mercedes. The C class as a whole is, but that one derivative is not. The wooden coment likely comes from the fact that the regen is doing the braking and not the pedal, its not directly linked to to your foot anymore...

 

[Pavel]

I wouldn't consider the Hybrid C class to be a volume model for Mercedes. The C class as a whole is, but that one derivative is not. The wooden coment likely comes from the fact that the regen is doing the braking and not the pedal, its not directly linked to to your foot anymore...

So is this something specific to the GLC, or is this a common thing to all regenerative braking systems?

 

[CRNCYX]

So is this something specific to the GLC, or is this a common thing to all regenerative braking systems?

it could be just limited to the system Mercedes has for all we know

 

[Pavel]

I don't think I've ever driven a regenerative braking system car. Perhaps if I tried out a few I would have some basis for comparison.

Has anyone had experience with these systems?

 

[CRNCYX]

I don't think I've ever driven a regenerative braking system car. Perhaps if I tried out a few I would have some basis for comparison.

Has anyone had experience with these systems?

never.
best thing to do at this point is get a sense of what its like from reviews and owner feedback.

 

[2112]

We had a Mitsubishi Ion all electric vehicle on long term trial at work a while ago which I was 'fortunate' to have driven a few times. It was available for anyone to use and all you had to do was fill in a 'blog' after each use. It had a terrible range, only 88 mile maximum and that would plummet very quickly on a wet, cold day with heating and wipers on but it was an early generation vehicle and they are better now (and it looked like an egg on wheels). The brakes used to form part of the 'regeneration' system, recouping kinetic energy on down hill sections and braking. The brakes were numb, giving little feel and little sense of stopping power in the event of an emergency. There was a transient point where the braking effort overcame the electrical 'drag' and the hydraulic effect came in, very odd and I never got used to it. It was the same when you released the brakes too and the car would lurch slightly. The car had exceptional engine braking however (using the regen') and could sense when it was going down hill, maximizing electrical recovery. This was about three years ago and technology has moved on a lot since then and that wasn't a particularly cutting edge vehicle either. Electric vehicles are surprisingly nippy, although you did have to watch out for pedestrians just walking out in front of you as it was so quiet.