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US Market 2012 S500 Blue Efficiency badged as S550?
Came across one of these for sale. Blue Efficiency badges on the front fenders, S550 on the trunk. VIN decoder calls it an S500. What is this and is there any performance difference from a non Blue Efficiency S550?
Came across one of these for sale. Blue Efficiency badges on the front fenders, S550 on the trunk. VIN decoder calls it an S500. What is this and is there any performance difference from a non Blue Efficiency S550?
In US market these are called S550. It should be same car as S500 that it is called elsewhere.
should have made it clearer so you know what you are buying, woke up this morning and realised the right way to tell - the chassis decode tools will give you the engine code - see BOLD below
2005 to 2009 def a 5.5 litre NA V8 M273
2011 to 2012 4.7 litre twin turbo V8 with direct injection and more go M278
should have made it clearer so you know what you are buying, woke up this morning and realised the right way to tell - the chassis decode tools will give you the engine code - see BOLD below
2005 to 2009 def a 5.5 litre NA V8 M273
2011 to 2012 4.7 litre twin turbo V8 with direct injection and more go M278
I think in the US market the 278 engines came in 2012 so 2011 should still be 273.
In Europe this change was probably a year earlier, like I think the E-series W212 was on the roads in Europe already in 2009 when here in US it started 2010.
It is a U.S. spec car according to the VIN decoder, and for sale in the U.S.
If you decode the VIN for any other U.S. spec W221 S550 that is not also labeled as "Blue Efficiency", it shows it as an S550 and that includes other 2012s. Decoding the VIN for this particular 2012 it shows as an S500. This is the most confusing part. I know they are called S500 in other parts of the world, but why would the Blue Efficiency tagged model decode as an S500 and the non Blue Efficiency one as S550. Was there an actual difference between the 2?
Sure, here are several. I will add that I dug into this further and this is what I've found. Just about every 2012 S550 has the Blue Efficiency badge on the front fenders. Not sure how I never noticed that before. And every 2012 and 2013 S550 comes up as an S500 on the VIN decoder, including 2012s that do not have Blue Efficiency badges for whatever reason. But, all pre-2012 W221 S550s come us as S550. A little weird, but kinda solves the mystery for me that the badges don't mean anything as far as engine performance/power output. Likely just some sort of marketing hoopla Merc was trying that didn't live beyond the 1 model year. WDDNG7DB5CA438071 WDDNG7DB4CA422010 WDDNG7DB1CA437807 WDDNG7DB2CA437816
It is a U.S. spec car according to the VIN decoder, and for sale in the U.S.
If you decode the VIN for any other U.S. spec W221 S550 that is not also labeled as "Blue Efficiency", it shows it as an S550 and that includes other 2012s. Decoding the VIN for this particular 2012 it shows as an S500. This is the most confusing part. I know they are called S500 in other parts of the world, but why would the Blue Efficiency tagged model decode as an S500 and the non Blue Efficiency one as S550. Was there an actual difference between the 2?
I have 2012 model too and it decodes S500 CGI but is a S550 as it is in US. And it is blue Efficiency model.
Earlier I had 2013 model and it also decodes S500 CGI. That car did not have Blue Efficiency badges like my current 2012 model, but I think earlier owner had de-badged it as it had been made look sportier with a nice trunk lid spoiled.
I have 2012 model too and it decodes S500 CGI but is a S550 as it is in US. And it is blue Efficiency model.
Earlier I had 2013 model and it also decodes S500 CGI. That car did not have Blue Efficiency badges like my current 2012 model, but I think earlier owner had de-badged it as it had been made look sportier with a nice trunk lid spoiled.
That's pretty much what I've figured out if you take a look at post #11. All 2012 and 2013 appear to decode as S500, although I have not seen any labeled as S500 CGI. 2001-2011 S550s decode as S550. Most 2012s I see online have the Blue Efficiency badge on the front fenders, makes me think they all should have had them and maybe previous owners chose to remove them. I have not seen the Blue Efficiency badges on any other year S550.
That's pretty much what I've figured out if you take a look at post #11. All 2012 and 2013 appear to decode as S500, although I have not seen any labeled as S500 CGI. 2001-2011 S550s decode as S550. Most 2012s I see online have the Blue Efficiency badge on the front fenders, makes me think they all should have had them and maybe previous owners chose to remove them. I have not seen the Blue Efficiency badges on any other year S550.
I don't remember what all the Blue Efficiency includes but one thing is the smart charging system that use low charging voltage during steady driving but increases the voltage when decelerating either by applying brakes or just taking your foot of the gas pedal. My 2010 E550 has this function, like the 2012 S550, but it does not have Blue Efficiency mentioned in anything.
I think the Blue Efficiency was a marketing gimmick for a couple years they had, that's all.
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