irieblue

I test drove an S400 today. It had the P2 package with drive dynamic seats and 18" Wheels.. (Stickered at 93K) One word summary. Disappointed. The S400 felt really anemic.

(1) On the HWY at 70 MPH, it doesn't have much pickup for passing/lane changes. The V6 seems like it is straining at this speed, and the electric motor doesn't give the feel that it is contributing very much...

(2) It really is a start/stop hybrid , by 10 MPH the ICE is fired up to move the car, just taking your foot off the brake seemed to fire up the ICE. The Battery charge was at 55%.

(3) There is a noticeable transition when the ICE kicks in, I had read the transition wasn't noticeable, but I felt the car shake a bit when the ICE kicked in.

The 4 MPG savings over the S550's V8 seems like a non starter to me, I don't see this vehicle selling very well at all.

At least the new head rests are nice ;-)

MichaelB.

Well, I think that several will be sold to buyers who want to make the impression that they are contributing to the Hybrid movement. Which is completely fine, but "several" will not make it a sales leader obviously. However, with that said it is still very important that MB has this offering on the showroom floor. Even if it is found disappointing by us I am certain that MB needs to offer something like this in their line up. You have to give them credit for getting started. I was personally impressed that MB did this with an S-Class. I just assumed they would offer a low priced version of a hybrid 1st. Maybe if you drove this set up in a C-class or R-class you would like it?

WSH

Thx for review irieblue

Sounds like a POS from both an engineering and business (sales) standpoint, esp in US mkt where cars and fuel are both cheap

I know of a couple of senior tech execs who clearly aren't car guys and choose to commute daily via Lexus LS Hybrid with a driver from their SF home to office in SiliconValley (40mis each way, so eco-sensible)...but these same hypocritical clowns also fly via private G550s which slurp far more fuel than any 65....

Thankfully, know far more top engineers and financiers in SiliconValley who seem to prefer to drive selves to office in a new 65, avoiding time as a passenger in some girlie underpowered limo that lacks brakes; can visit EU or Asia to experience that crap

cjf_moraga

That is disappointing... but not really surprising. Ultimately it is just a V6 powering everything - both via battery and direct. And a heavy car at that.

I still like the idea of hydrogen power as the power-train engineering is essentially the same as gasoline power. (Its your standard combustion engine - you can even switch back and forth between gas and hydrogen) I drove the BMW hydrogen powered V12 7-series a few years ago, and while no rocket definitely was acceptable... At the same time the storage, logistical, and infrastructure issues of hydrogen are obviously an issue.

Chris

trumpet1

Yes it is disappointing even though I'm not a hybrid fan to start with.

Vik888

If you've ever driven a S350 this won't surprise you in the least. This is why the S350 is no longer offered in the U.S.

MBNUT1

Yeah the lack of substantial mileage difference combined with the noticeable ICE transition will make it a nonstarter.

K-A

Seriously are you 8? "Girlie"? I haven't heard that since I was.... Well 8.

Vik888

Maybe he's just a fan of the classic SNL skits w/ Dana Carvey about buff Austrians making fun of "girlie men" ..

Its funny how its almost trendy to pick on WSH.

hawk25

MB should of used the DIESEL engine in this car. I think the fuel ecomony would of been much better. I would hate to see repair cost when this vehicle is out of warranty coverage. Yes the S350 was a joke using the 3.7L V6 engine from ML slowwwwww.

Bollywood

thanks for the write up, this will help me stop my dad from purchasing one.

hawk25

The whole point of this hybrid is not to save the consumer gas mileage but as a fleet of vehicle save X amount of gallons together as a whole nationwide. The way they think is get more of these vehicles out on the road and together we will use X less amount of gas a year together.

mbnj

You've really lost me here. If a single buyer/consumer is not saving gas how can a large number of buyers/consumers of the same product save gas. This reminds me of one of the oldest jokes in marketplace pricing, "sure we'll lose money on each sale but we'll make it up in volume!"

hawk25

Sorry if that didnt come out right. Some of the hybrids out really dont yield big gas savings to the consumer. If you compared lets say chevy tahoe gas to chevy tahoe hybrid its only 6 mpg gain city...nothing to hoot and holler about... esp with hefty price tag on the hybrid. The way that its viewed is...if we replaced X amount of regular chevy tahoe gas with hybrids then as a fleet/whole we would save X amount of gas combined yearly nationwide or globally.

irieblue

What makes more sense is for Mercedes to hurry up and get the S500 Plugin hybrid version out. From the sounds of it, for the S500, Mercedes has taken the S400, swapped the battery for a larger Lithium Ion battery that sits behind the rear seats, (0.9 kWh vs 10 kWH) and when all said and done can drive for 30 Km on electricity alone before the ICE kicks in. Averaged out, it equates to 72 MPG. The S400 with 295 HP at 6000 RPM is never going to feel like a very strong engine. 87 fewer HP than the S550 does not go un noticed.

mbnj

I would guess that the S400h is just there to get MB's feet wet. Also, it's a way to introduce the smaller engined S class into the US market at a much higher price point with the "green" spin. I think the next gen mb hybrids will be much more marketable combined with diesels and better batteries. IMHO plugins, with their total reliance on storage battery capacity, will lag diesel hybrids for years barring a breakthrough in battery technology. Storge battery advancements have generally lagged all other relevent technologies for years, even light bulbs have finally moved forward.

Bollywood

they need to get working on creating a Diesel-Hybrid setup.

MB_Owner

Isn't that what mbnj's post right above yours was all about? So you concur?

Bollywood

yeah, i just didnt read his post.

silberrosa

I have to say I agree with Hawk25. Also, the point of the car is a much a "social acceptance" as it is fuel mileage. However, the car gets nearly 30% better mileage in the city which will also translate into a similar savings in emissions. It is a SULEV vehicle and will likely be elegible for an alternative vehicle credit in the neighborhood of $1.000 or so. From those who I have seen test drive the car, most did not even notice the engine coming on or shutting down. Finally, the point is not that this car can perform on a level of the S550. It is a much different animal. Much in the same way an S63 is different from an S550, there is a buyer who is looking for an alternative and is willing to sacrifice a certain level of performance to get it. I applaud MB for being the first hybrid to use lithium ion technology and doing it a a price point which is actually lower than the S550 - even moreso once the gov't credit is factored in. Top get another perspective, take a look at what the press are saying about it:
http://www.automobilemag.com/green/r...0hl/index.html

The S400 is clearly not a replacement for a volume S-Class. However, I feel it is an excellent choice for someone looking for an alternative powertrain. Just me 2 cents. If it's up to me, I drive a 63

Vik888

The only problem is that if you want a stripped down S400 it might be worth the savings but after I loaded a S400 w/ options, it was < $3k diff from a similarly loaded S550.

ABC is not avail on the S400