The Mercedes-Benz S400 BlueHybrid -- for those with cash and consciences

The Prius and the Smart Fortwo are all very well, but what about those people who need a bigger, more upscale car yet would still love to reduce their carbon footprint? Granted, there is the Lexus LS 600h hybrid luxury sedan -- which gets 22 mpg on the highway -- and, um, that’s about it. Soon, however, Mercedes-Benz will offer another option. The 2009 S400 BlueHybrid.

This is a version of the S-Class, a venerable institution in the premium sector. The S350, to be exact. There is a reworked version of that model’s 279-horsepower, 3.5-liter gasoline-powered V-6. Yes, gasoline. The Blue part of the name might suggest to regular readers that diesel was involved. Perhaps M-B just wants to stand apart from everyone else purporting to be green.

Sharing the engine bay is a hybrid system with a 20-hp electric motor. And here’s the big news... the battery is lithium-ion. M-B is claiming that this makes the S400 BlueHybrid the world’s first production car to employ lithium-ion technology. What’s more, it’s compact enough to fit under the hood -- no sacrificing cabin or cargo space for battery storage.

Like other hybrid systems, this one has a start/stop function -- useful when standing at traffic lights -- and employs braking energy to help recharge the battery pack. A seven-speed automatic transmission has been configured especially for this drivetrain. Compared with a standard S350, carbon dioxide emissions are lower by 21%.

The S400 BlueHybrid should be here by next summer, and expect fuel consumption figures to be impressive for a car of this size. Estimates put it at 29 mpg.

-- Colin Ryan

Photos: Mercedes-Benz

Comments

[Rick]

Jeepers, 29 MPG. Wowie. My Honda Fit does better than that around town on a conventional engine.

Color me unimpressed.

[Giulianni]

Honda Fit!! oh the uninformed are everywhere !! Dont you realize that the Honda Fit is like 1/5th the size of a S Class

[David]

Wow! a 20 hp electric motor coupled with a 280 hp gas engine. That certainly make is so much more environmentally friendly. Can a 20 hp motor even move a S Class around a parking lot? Definitely hype, the electric motor is only a fig leaf, probably just runs the A/C.

[Robert]

"Jeepers, 29 MPG. Wowie. My Honda Fit does better than that around town on a conventional engine.

Color me unimpressed."

Yes, a gas powered golf cart gets better mileage than an S-class. Thanks for this stunning upset.

[João Prates]

You got to be kidding me! This so-called hybrid has a 20hp electric motor? Was it borrowed from a power tool or what? This is shameful. This is pure marketing. Mercedes had to have a hybrid, no matter what, so they just put an electric motor that has 7% of the ICE power, what a joke. Put this into perspective: The Prius electric motor gives 67hp, and the Lexus mentioned in the text has 221hp electric motor. I say it again: this Mercedes is a hybrid joke.

[paul. A]

29 mpg. we can do better. bigger batteries. volt technology. plug ins. we need to be serious about our energy problems quick. I want to hear 100 mpg whatever it takes to get there.

[Mike]

Let's see Honda Fit . . . Mercedes S class. C'mon dude. If you're looking for a sub compact you go Honda Fit. If you want a green luxury car here it is.

[Gas 4u]

This car is just a stop gap measure. The next S Class will feature a DiesOtto engine that will get 40+ mpg real world mileage (not the pie-in-the-sky highway mileage SUV ads these days claim) while going 0 - 60 in under eight seconds (good for a gas sipper). The prototype they've shown so far was actually larger than the current S Class, with a limousine-like interior.

Oh, and the Honda Fit is one of the best cars ever made, period.

[George]

I think hybrid is an improvement but not the solution. Factories should come up with an electric motor (no gas involved) solution

[nirad]

29mpg is pretty impressive for a car of that size and weight. if such technology was deployed across the automaker's entire fleet, MB would have no problem meeting the 35mpg CAFE standards even with today's technology.

[lynn]

For a car of its size, the MPG is impressive. However, I wonder how underpowered the car will feel with a 3.5l engine.

[TDI woops fit's butt]

my Jetta TDI gives me 48 MPG, plus i can run it on biodiese or vegetable oil...

C'mon comparing a Fit to an S-Class!!!! really !!!!

[Jason]

The mileage is impressive given the size of the vehicle. It does better than the Lexus Hybrid and other much smaller vehicles.

The true solution for our energy woes is to increase density. This would address energy, pollution, obesity, infrastructure, etc in one fell swoop by making mass transit, bicycles, and the good old shoe viable forms of transportation again.

[tonye]

The Honda Fit seats four adults in reasonable comfort. The S class does so too -but in a more sybaritic environment. The Fit has an easier to reach back for cargo. So, the comparison between the Fit and the S class is not so preposterous. If you want to carry four adults and stuff around, the Fit doesn't feel like an entry level car and does get you excellent mileage. What you get in the S class is wants not needs. And for that, you get... hmmm... a 20hp electric motor?

[skeptic]

Clearly, the morons comparing the Fit (approx. 16k) and the S class (approx 75k+) don't have two synapses to rub together for a thought. You clearly don't know your rear side from a hole in the ground to think, "Yeah, these 2 cars are definitely comparable".

Pull your heads out and call me when the shuttle lands.

[Time Bomb]

my civic gets 35+ mpg highway... and it's not a hybrid... what the hell is Mercedes thinking? do their cars usually get less than 10 mpg? is 22 mpg some big accomplishment?

[NV]

the S350 sold in Europe gets about 10 liters /100km, which translates to about 23 mpg. I would not compare the S350 power delivery with the AMG version, but gets the job done, and cab drivers love it for its miserly gas consumption

[HeartFixr]

Is that 29mpg combined or highway? I have a Lexus LS460 that gets 27mpg highway already.

[Leo Vergel de Dios]

A 29 mpg hybrid from the world renowned auto maker? With the other Japanese hybrids doing more than 40 mpg, who in his/her right mind would buy such a vehicle? There is no fuel cost savings that would even justify the replacement of the battery. Is there a typo somewhere here?

[Doug]

Guess that's why they called it blue - didn't have the guts to call it Green, because it sure ain't... It barely gets better mileage than the hybrid Chevy Tahoe!