Mercedes-Benz has officially taken the wraps off its S400 BlueHYBRID. The S400 BlueHYBRID marks a major milestone for Mercedes as it is the marque’s first hybrid passenger vehicle (thanks to some supplier issues with the ML Hybrid). The S400 BlueHYBRID is largely based on the S350.
Using the S350 as a base, Mercedes engineers made a few tweaks to the driveline and, of course, added a hybrid drive system. The gasoline 3.5L V6 pumps out 279 horsepower with the electric motor adding 20 hp and 88 lb-ft or torque, bringing output to 299 hp and 285 lb-ft of torque. That power is routed through a seven-speed automatic transmission and is enough to scoot the S400 from 0-62 in a scant 7.2 seconds.
Being the company’s flagship vehicle, Mercedes execs demanded that the S hybrid give up nothing to its gasoline counterpart – including trunk and passenger space. With that goal in mind, Mercedes engineers were able to actually design a hybrid system that fits completely under the hood of the big sedan. Moreover, the new system even uses a lithium-ion battery pack.
The S400 Blue HYBRID has yet to be EPA certified, but it did return the equivalent of 29 mpg on the European cycle. As with most hybrids, the S400 will feature regenerative braking and engine start/stop.
The S400 BlueHYBRID is slated to hit the European market next year, with sales around the world expected to start shortly after.
09/18, 11:42 AM
posted by:
inspire
Everything fits under the hood? WOW … talk about a car being front heavy … and how about heat dissipation from the battery? Well, I figure the Germans have already figured that out … but I wouldn’t keep the car once the warranty runs out (if I was even thinking of buying an S-class).
09/18, 11:50 AM
posted by:
A4
wow that engine has no torque without the electricity behind it…
09/18, 2:15 PM
posted by:
El Aleman
This is the perfect Example for the difference between Mercedes (and BMW and to a lesser degree Audi) and Lexus.
Lexus is happy to put the model out when they perfected the drivetrain, but uses up trunk space in a major way because of its uneven floor, whereas Mercedes would never dream of letting something like that happen to its holy S-Class.
Mercedes really thinks of every single detail, because they have more engineers than factory workers, and since Germans are generally as suspicious of the hybrid as Americans are of the Diesel, so if a German company does build a hybird (which is kind of like them saying “we were not completely right with our Diesel-only strategy”), it can’t give any reasons for critics to claim the car is compromising something other than the price.
That’s probably why Mercedes didn’t build a full hybrid that can run the car purely electric, because the added weight would not contribute to more but less efficiency on the Autobahn, which is where these cars are mostly used.
09/18, 2:41 PM
posted by:
johnnycanuck
Actually pretty slick. That battery pack’s not much bigger than a regular car battery.
09/18, 9:03 PM
posted by:
Rafa LL
El Aleman, you read my mind.
Btw were are you from, why “El Aleman”?
09/18, 10:21 PM
posted by:
EEAlex
Really not that much of a feat considering they fit a 5.5 or 6 liter engine (or 6.5 on the S65 AMG) liter engines under that hood…thats 3 liters to fit in an electric system, probably wasn’t overly difficult. Battery size, yea, pretty small, but have you seen the size of the battery in the regular S? The first time I popped the hood on my S550 I thought it was just an auxiliary battery!
09/22, 11:24 AM
posted by:
Z06ified
Pure waste. There is no purpose to a hybrid luxury sedan other than to tell the world you’re a hypocrite.
09/22, 3:00 PM
posted by:
dorikin_86
Nice
when will someone try diesel-hybrid?