Anyone know if there is any extra incentive when ordering the plug in hybrid model. My wife keeps reminding me that we have a 240V 50W outlet in the garage. I just think I would rather have the V8 for the same price and you can't get MBC with S550e. Although the car might qualify for the carpool plate and that would be nice.

 

240V 50W is only 0.2 Amps
you mean::
240V 50A or 12KW = 17HP

 

Yes, you would be correct. Just pulled up the home build information.

Outlet - 220V 50A Dedicated 220v/50amp Interior (Garage)

 

My advice to you as a huge fan of electric propulsion is to not buy the 550e and instead buy the S550 with the V8 and enjoy the experience. I drove the previous Mercedes S Class hybrid and I was not impressed. It felt like a compliance car than anything built to please the customer without compromise.

The 550e is a mess of compromises. A hybrid car may have made senses 10 years ago but my opinion is that they are a compromised mess on wheels. You neither get the uncompromised acceleration of a V8 nor the uncompromised high performance acceleration you'd get in a premium electric car. Instead you are stuck with a gear box and all the complexities and compromises that come with lugging around two propulsion systems and two energy sources. The battery capacity of the S550e at 8.5 Kwh is a joke and it is not even 10% of the battery capacity of a Tesla. And unless Mercedes implemented robust thermal management for the battery, it is going to have a limited service life.

With only 8.5 Kwh of capacity, you will be out of charge in no time and if you have to drive assertively you will be constantly having the gasoline engine cut in and cut out. If you drive in pure electric mode, realize you will be cruising around in a very heavy vehicle with a measly 114hp electric motor. At that rate Nissan Leafs and Chevrolet Volts might be passing you

It is a fact that every single one of the compromised hybrid messes Mercedes has tried to sell so far has failed. Few people bought them and those who bought them were treated to more depreciation than the pure gasoline variant. The 550e will similarly most likely have horrible resale value as who wants to buy a slow S Class that is even more complex with even more things to go wrong?

If I were you, I'd test drive the V8 S550 and if you would like an electric car test drive a Model S 90D or P90D and buy the car that best meets your needs and driving preferences. I'd either go all electric or all gasoline.

Given the choice between the V8 S550 and the hybrid 550e I'd go for the V8.

 

Very thoughtful and wise advice. I have driven a P85D and it was a nice car. Lacked the interior build quality I would want in a 6 figure car and was a little too difficult for me to get in and out of. Not to mention lack of head room. I think your right to say stick to the V8. It's a bullet proof motor that has plenty of power for the same price.

I also can't do MBC on the S550e

 

The only thing I would add about the P85D is to ensure that you drive one with the Premium Interior Package and the Next Gen seats. They made a difference to me and the Pano Roof offers more headroom.

Also if you drive 100-200 miles at a stretch the Tesla Autopilot self driving feature on highways might make a difference to you as that greatly eases the driving load on long stretches of highway driving. Similarly if you drive 400-500 miles at a time you might be better off with a gasoline car.

Pluses and minuses with both and only you know which car is best for you. I think you are making the right call for your needs with the S550 V8 variant.

 

S550e does not qualify for a car pool plate in Arizona

 

You are correct. It does not qualify yet. But, if the porsche panamera hybrid qualifies I'm sure that S550e will be added soon. Just waiting on the EPA to update their list that the State of AZ goes off of.

 

that would be nice

however they are not accepting any new applications, the program is full at 10,000 participants, I know someone that purchased an old hybrid just to get the plate

 

VERY well put. My dealer would not order a hybrid E Class, without a substantial, non-refundable deposit. When I asked why, he said "because nobody wants those cars and we don't want to get stuck with it."

 

Yes, The plates have all been issued. As people turn them in though when they move out of state or get a car that does not qualify they get turned into the state. Then about every year they reissue them to get back to that 10,000 limit. So you would just keep your eye on the site and order when ready. Also if you change registration when buying the car from someone with the plate they can't transfer it to you. So your friends that bought the old hybird for the plates would of had to keep the registration in the name of the original plate owner.

 

interesting, I will ask him, not sure how he did that

 

It's staggering to me how Mercedes is wasting resources on Hybrid technology that might have made sense 10 years ago but not in 2015 when you can buy a 300 mile range EV with performance to leave Lamborghinis and Ferraris in the dust.

Hybrid technology makes no sense in the premium car segment Mercedes is competing in where customers expect uncompromised performance and hopefully Mercedes will get the message soon and build a no compromise EV and stop wasting resources on hybrid messes. The only place Hybrids made any sense was saving a few MPGs and I'm not sure of too many S Class buyers who would want to gain a few MPGs at the expense of poor performance and vastly greater complexity. Those at Mercedes pushing this technology are in serious denial.

I just saw a recall notice for the S Class Hybrid and this is what I was talking about when I was referring to hybrid cars being an overcomplicated engineering mess on wheels.

http://www.edmunds.com/car-news/2015...ling-risk.html

 

Also there was only 4 cars recalled. Says something too.

 

Yes, probably because that's all they managed to sell

Seriously I don't think too many people are rushing out to buy hybrid S Class cars that are slower, heavier, and are vastly more complicated with more things to go wrong than a purely electric or gasoline car. I really feel sorry for people who end up with these hybrid Mercedes cars out of warranty.