What's the news?
Mercedes-Benz has confirmed that the new plug-in hybrid version of the S-Class, the S 500 Hybrid, will score CO2 emissions and fuel economy figures that make a Toyota Prius look like a Hummer H3 running on pulped baby seals...
In spite of packing a 333hp V6 bi-turbo engine, being able to sprint from 0-62mph in just 5.2 seconds and reaching a limited top speed of 155mph, the S 500 Hybrid comes with a 65g/km CO2 emissions rating and combined fuel economy of 100.9mpg. All of which will cost £87,965 when it goes on sale in November.
The S 500 Hybrid can pull off that little magic trick thanks to a 116hp electric motor powered by an 8.7kWh stack of lithium ion batteries, which can be topped up (in about two hours) from a three-phase power outlet and which can, when fully charged, power the S-Class without awakening the petrol engine, for around 20 miles. When the petrol and electric motors are working together, the S 500 Hybrid has a scarcely credible combined output of 442hp and 650Nm of torque.
This being an S-Class though, it's all a bit more clever than just whacking in the motor from a Moulinex and plugging it into an extension cord. The technology on offer here is beyond baffling and into the realm of the truly Captain Kirk-ian. For a start, the radar that scans the road ahead, usually to detect any potential danger, is now also tied into the gearbox so that the shift patterns aren't just based on the driver's style, they're based on the terrain and traffic ahead, allowing the car to maintain maximum efficiency.
Likewise, the navigation and GPS systems know where the car is and where it's heading so they can tell when, for instance, a downhill section is coming up and will send a little vibration through the throttle pedal to remind the driver to lift off and let the car 'sail' so that it can recoup some extra energy. It'll redouble its efforts when it knows it's getting near a major urban area, so that as much energy as possible is transferred to the batteries for silent, clean running in town.
As with any S-Class, the S 500 Plug-In Hybrid aims to set the benchmark in technology - both functional and comfort-orientated. For example, the new variant uses a tablet or smartphone-based system to allow you to pre-heat or pre-cool the car ahead of your arrival, through the Connect me system. This can also remotely relay information to the driver when away from the car on the charge status, the predicted range and when the next service is due.
Anything else?
Comfort features available on the car include the choice of seven different ambient colours in which the interior is bathed, front and rear seats that can replicate a hot stone massage as well as either heating or cooling you, the ability of the left rear seat to recline to 43.5 degrees, seatbelt-mounted airbags, a perfume diffuser system called Air Balance that also cleans the air entering the cabin, gently heated armrests and Magic Body Control - which uses stereo cameras to read the road ahead and iron out any imperfections through making tiny alterations to the suspension system.
Neil Briscoe - 10 Sep 2014