A luxury car that was once synonymous with high consumption and is now looking “greener” than ever. Meet the new Mercedes Class S500 Plug-In Hybrid.
The saving order reached the upper class, an idea was modeled and a new concept of “low juice” was created: the new Mercedes Classe S500 Plug-In Hybrid. With just 69 g of CO2 per km and an average of just 3 litres/100 km, the S-Class sets a new benchmark in the luxury car market. Equipped with the new 3.0-liter V6 turbo engine aided by a 107hp electric unit, where the rechargeable battery allows emission-free driving for about 30 km. Mercedes-Benz forecasts its launch on the market this year.
After the S400 Hybrid, S300 BlueTEC Hybrid, this is the third version of the S-Class to have a more environmentally friendly version. But while the batteries of the S400 Hybrid and S300 BlueTEC Hybrid depended on energy regeneration by braking, this new high-voltage lithium-ion battery in the new S500 Plug-In Hybrid has ten times the capacity and has the option of being recharged from any outlet located on the right side of the rear bumper. This small 107hp electric motor is capable of generating 340Nm of torque.
Four driving modes are available at the touch of a button, they are the HYBRID mode, the exclusively electric E -MODE mode, the E-SAVE mode which uses the combustion engine exclusively leaving the charged battery untouchable and the CHARGE mode which allows charging the battery while driving.
The new S-Class is the first to use a second generation braking system (RBS). When depressing the brake, deceleration is initially carried out exclusively by the electric motor and not by the brakes generating energy. This ensures an imperceptible overlap of conventional mechanical brakes and the electrical braking performance of the electric motor acting as an alternator.
The braking power desired by the driver is registered by a sensor on the pedal and depending on the chosen driving mode, the system manages the braking power. In addition, the combustion engine is turned off whenever the vehicle is under inertia, using the electric motor to overcome the rolling resistance whenever necessary. However, unlike fully electric vehicles, if you lift your foot off the accelerator and let the car roll, the vehicle will not slow down.
The S500 Plug-In Hybrid is joined by two more hybrid proposals: the S400 Hybrid and the S300 BlueTec Hybrid. The first uses a gasoline engine with 306 hp, while its electric motor adds another 27 hp.
At the base of the range is the S300 BlueTEC Hybrid. Mercedes-Benz combined the 204hp 2.2-liter four-cylinder diesel engine with the same 27hp hybrid module as the S400 Hybrid. The S300 BlueTEC Hybrid consumes just 4.4 liters per 100 km in combined cycle emitting 115 g / km.
Hybrid offers as you can see are not lacking, now it remains to be seen which model wins your eye the most. Who said that to save you had to give up luxury?
Gallery:
