Attention limousine drivers. How does a full-size Mercedes-Benz S Class with fuel consumption of 4.5l/100kms sound? We’d suggest it sounds like running costs about 50 per-cent lower than you’re used to.
It’s the just-launched Mercedes-Benz S 300 BlueTEC Hybrid – the superb S-Class sedan with Benz’ remarkable 2.2-litre, four-cylinder turbo-diesel-electric drivetrain. Part of the extended S-Class model range, the S 300 BlueTEC Hybrid is without doubt one of the world’s most interesting cars and in-the-metal proof of why Mercedes-Benz is currently the world’s number one automotive brand.
The Mercedes-Benz S-Class currently outsells its nearest rival by about two-to-one and accounts for a market share of 34 per-cent – that’s a dominant performance in anyone’s book. Now, the S 300 BlueTEC Hybrid has assumed the position of the most fuel-efficient S-Class…it’s also the first-ever four-cylinder S-Class sold in Australia and the first-ever hybrid S-Class.
Mercedes-Benz S 300 BlueTEC Hybrid Overview
It was actually former BMW and Volkswagen Group chief Dr Bernd Pischestrieder who once told your CarShowroom.com.au correspondent that petrol-electric hybrids were a waste of time and diesel-electric was the combination to pursue. Boom! Here’s the Mercedes-Benz S 300 BlueTEC Hybrid with a 20kW electric motor mounted in the transmission bell-housing and capable of driving this full-size prestige sedan on emissions-free pure electric power or providing boost under acceleration.
Priced at $195,500, the S 300 BlueTEC hybrid becomes the entry-level model for the S-Class range and joins some other newcomers. Also new is the V12-powered S 600 which is the leader of the pack (as it should be with 390kW/830Nm from that 6.0-litre engine), the long-wheelbase S 63 AMG and the long-wheelbase S 400.
The updated S-Class lineup looks like this:
Short Wheelbase
S 300 BlueTEC Hybrid $195,500
S 350 BlueTEC $215,000
S 500 $285,000
S 63 AMG $385,000
Long Wheelbase
S 350 BlueTEC $222,500
S 400 $230,000
S 500 $310,000
S 63 AMG $397,500
S 600 $415,000
Mercedes-Benz S 300 BlueTEC Hybrid Engine
Lift the bonnet of the Mercedes-Benz S 300 BlueTEC Hybrid and you’ll see…well not much really. That’s because in the pursuit of enhanced thermal efficiency ‘Benz has introduced a remarkable ‘ECO Thermo Cover’ which, in combination with active grille shutters, retains heat in the engine bay for better cold starts and easier auto start/stop functionality.
Underneath is a 150kW/500Nm 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine supplemented by a 20kW electric motor which is cleverly mounted in the bell-housing of the 7G-Tronic Plus seven-speed automatic transmission.
Combined-cycle fuel consumption is ridiculously impressive at 4.5l/100kms and exhaust CO2 emissions score 118g/km. Perspective? Well the fully-loaded, full-size Mercedes-Benz S 300 BlueTEC Hybrid is more economical than the much smaller Mazda6 diesel (5.4l/100kms) and almost matches the 1.8-litre compact Lexus CT200 (4.1l/100kms).
Or looking at it another way, with a 70-litre fuel tank, the Mercedes-Benz S 300 BlueTEC Hybrid has a range between refills of more than 1,500kms. So, limousine drivers, as we said at the outset you’ll be off the road stopped at a fuel pump a whopping 50 per-cent less than you probably are now.
Mercedes-Benz S 300 BlueTEC Hybrid The Interior
We haven’t had the microscopes out but the only change we can pick inside the S 300 BlueTEC Hybrid to differentiate it from the regular S-Class models is the ECO display within the MFD – and it’s a brilliant colourful multi bar-graph arrangement which – with the usual Mercedes-Benz thoroughness – includes a rolling 15-minute readout of electrical use/charging.
So that means the hybrid version shares with the S-Class range the absolute best interior of the current era. The opulence rivals the best in first-class aviation with sumptuous seats in beautiful leathers, surrounded by glorious timber highlights and all the electronic gee-wizardry you can dream of multiplied by 10.
There’s the new-design steering wheel in timber, blackscreen LCD instrumentation, sensational ambient lighting and – in the case of the two S 300 BlueTEC Hybrids we drove – the glorious Burmester audio system.
And for those in the rear, the comfort, convenience and electronic systems are again better than any first-class airline arrangement.
Mercedes-Benz S 300 BlueTEC Hybrid Exterior & Styling
Same on the outside where the current S-Class continues the trends of the 10 generations before it. This time the hallmark long bonnet is accompanied by a look which while undeniably elegant is a bit more muscular and purposeful.
The domed roof and slanting rear end is a beautiful look and the whole thing is accentuated by the strong ‘Dropping Line’ which descends from front to rear.
Mercedes-Benz S 300 BlueTEC Hybrid On The Road
The Mercedes-Benz S 300 BlueTEC Hybrid drives just like a Mercedes-Benz S-Class. There it is, it’s as simple as that.
No, really, if we blindfolded you and put you inside until we started accelerating and you picked no noise from the diesel engine while the electric motor was providing the propulsion this thing is…well it’s another S-Class.
We only had a few hours with a couple of S 300 BlueTEC Hybrids so we didn’t get a chance at our high-speed loop but we did cover our familiar freeway/suburban route out to Sanctuary Lakes in Melbourne’s west and back to the city. The latest S-Class was responsive, quiet, steered as you’d expect and the ride and handling was all S-Class.
All the while returning fuel consumption better than 5.0l/100kms.
Mercedes-Benz S 300 BlueTEC Hybrid Issues
Based on our one day behind the wheel, we’re not deducting point from this fuel-efficient big boy for anything.
Mercedes-Benz S 300 BlueTEC Hybrid Verdict
The Mercedes-Benz S 300 BlueTEC Hybrid is the result of millions of hours of work by thousands of talented engineers back in Germany – focused on delivering all the best of the company’s range-topping S-Class prestige sedan with miniscule fuel consumption and exhaust emissions. This is as good as it gets currently in the automotive world.
So whether you’re a limousine driver with an eye on reduced running costs, a corporate type with an eye on green credibility or a private buyer…why would you not buy a Mercedes-Benz S 300 BlueTEC Hybrid? When you have the astonishingly good S-Class with fuel consumption of 4.5l/100kms there is no down side.
And here’s the thing: at $195,500, ‘Benz actually has the S 300 BlueTEC Hybrid very, very sharply priced (we could say it’s a bargain).
With this car, by any measure Mercedes-Benz has raised the bar – once again.
And all things weighed-up the Mercedes-Benz S 300 BlueTEC Hybrid was a cinch to score CarShowroom.com.au’s maximum five-star rating (just as the S 500 did a few months back).
Mercedes-Benz S 300 BlueTEC Hybrid The Competition
BMW’s ActiveHybrid 7 is really a different kind of car with its twin-turbocharged six-cylinder petrol-electric engine delivering 235kW/450Nm and “only” 6.8l/100kms fuel consumption (4.5l/100kms for the Mercedes-Benz S 300 BlueTEC Hybrid. And it’s considerably more expensive at $222,000.
Same for the Lexus 600h (starting price $217,900) with its 5.0-litre V8 petrol hybrid and fuel consumption of 8.6l/100kms-9.3l/100kms.