Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid - Petrol/Electric Hybrid

Mercedes S400 Hybrid

Think of the Mercedes S Class, a name synonymous with effortless luxury, and chances are you won't be thinking too much about how fuel efficient this car is, but Mercedes are making tentative steps towards making cars that are more frugal with our limited resources .

 

The 2012 Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid packs all the luxury features you could ever want into one fuel efficient package. Options include a massaging seat system, amongst others. Costing $91,850, the S class is powered by a 3.5 liter V-6 engine that produces 275 horsepower and 258 lb-ft. of torque. The smaller engine and mild-hybrid power plant help the S400 get up to 30 MPG Combined.

Now, car manufacturers like to be first, so the attention grabbing 'first' for this new S-Class hybrid, the S 400, is that it will be the first series production hybrid to use a lithium-ion battery pack. OK, we're impressed, but that isn't all!.  Daimler, are proud to let us know that there is more to the car than its battery. Take for example, the automatic stop/start system, the regenerative brakes, and plenty of reused and recycled materials used in the vehicle (including coconut and flax fibers). Daimler says that there are 45 components like wiring ducts and underbody panels that weigh a total of 21.2 kilograms that "are made from recycled, high-quality plastics."

Daimler even incorporated a recycling process for the li-ion battery into the design of the vehicle, so when the car reaches its end-of-life, that big and expensive pack won't die with it. All these features mean that Daimler calls the new S400 hybrid "the most economical luxury saloon with a petrol engine." The German TÜV Süd agency has recognized the "comprehensive environmental commitment" of the vehicle.

The S 400 hybrid gets 30 mpg (U.S.) on the European combined cycle and emits 186 grams of CO2 per kilometer. Not great, but this is a big heavy car after all. It's quite quick for a big car too: a 0-62 mph time of 7.2 seconds and a top speed of about 155 mph, but with a car like this who needs to rush?