There are some significant problems with how this car drives. Some of them are just badly executed plug-in hybrid foibles. Some of them, frankly, seem like Mercedes have launched the car before they've actually finished the software. Let me explain:

The brakes are horribly inconsistent. If you brake firmly, there is lag between when you press the pedal, and when you get the final "steady state" braking force that you want. Then, when you take your foot off the brake, the brakes stay on and don't release immediately. This makes the car very difficult to drive smoothly, and get the braking right. Really not nice at all, but I understand other hybrids are like this.

However - the awful pull away lag (makes turbo lag seem tiny) is bad. I thought electric motors were supposed to be "instant". Not on this car. Seems like Mercedes don't want the car to do anything sudden, lest the driver's flat cap may fly off. The whole thing feels dim witted and sluggish.

Sometimes the car gets the electric/engine combination wrong and even when driving very gently, the occasional jolt and thump just means I get alarmed and puzzled looks from the passengers....to which I have to try and say "it wasn't me who did that, it was the car....."

The Mulitmedia system is very laggy - like MB have used the slowest microprocessor they could get away with. Compared with my last car (5 series) the delays and lag between "clicks" is crazy, and frankly a distraction when you're trying to keep your eyes on the road - not one eye the display to see if it's caught up with my last instruction yet.

The Mercedes Me App is always crashing / not working. Kept telling me my car was 50 miles away (when I could see it out of the window), that the windows were open (I promise, they were not) and that the car was unlocked when it was locked. MB want screen grabs, software versions and my inside leg measurement (!) in order to go and investigate. I just can't be bothered. BMW Connected Drive is much better. MB - just go and fix it.

Those were the problems. Now what about the faults?

If you are sitting a set of red lights and put it in to "Park"...and then put it back into "Drive" a few seconds later when the lights change, prepare yourself for a fright. Push the throttle and nothing happens (and I mean nothing). For 2-3 seconds no drive at all.....Only if you push the throttle all the way down does the car wake up - but when it does, it fires the engine up and gives you all 200+ bhp in a rather ungraceful launch off the line. This is a repeatable fault - so back to the dealer soon for this one.

Once, I approached a roundabout, rolled to the junction, saw it was clear and applied the throttle. Just got a load of revs and no drive. As if I was in "Neutral". Managed to get off the roundabout (just) before I coasted to a halt. Tried Reverse/Drive/Reverse/Drive - nothing. Just loads of revs. Did the old "turn it off and back on again" trick and after a couple of goes, normality was restored.

This is a car with 3,000 miles on the clock.

Hey ,this is a company car - but if I had parted with my own cash for this car, I would be absolutely furious. As it is I'm just immensely frustrated that MB appear to have stuck this car on the market when it quite clearly isn't finished.