Totally agree the car makes a ton of sense, it really is a smart choice for me because I get the smooth EV powertrain I like and no issues with range. BUT, a car like this to me is way beyond something that makes sense, I need something that really delights me every time I drive it. The EV powertrain in the i7 does that, and the V8 in the 560 and 580 does that, I don't know that the PHEV drivetrain in the 580e will do that. If it was just an ordinary car then yeah, that powertrain is an incredibly smart choice...but I want it to wow me.

 

As long as we are discussing the attributes of the S580e, it is on my short list to replace my 2020 Audi A8Le whose lease is up in a few months. My question is...can anyone explain to me how the hybrid system operates? My Audi has three settings for electric mode, i.e. pure electric mode (which provides about 20 miles of range); hybrid mode (which lets the car decide when to blend electric and ICE operation); and hybrid hold mode (which ATTEMPTS to hold the energy in the battery as long as possible until the battery is depleted. This last mode is where I have a problem. The Audi does NOT fully recharge the battery during extended periods of highway operation. My hope was that while traveling to a distant city, the battery would hold a full charge, which I can then switch to when arriving in the destination city for pure operation in the city. Or, stated another way, I want the car to hold a 100% fully charged battery until I'm ready to use it. Alas, the car does not.

Does the S580e actually HOLD a 100% charge until I decide to use it, rather than the car deciding it is necessary to use it. Also, can the S560e actually re-charge a depleted battery during extended highway driving, so that I arrive in my destination city with a fully charged battery?

Many thanks for any insight the collective here might be able to provide.

Buck

 

SW20S: you are right. At this price point the car needs to wow the driver. That’s where preference comes into play. The Plaid was super fun to drive, and I looked forward to driving it, till about 3-4 months into ownership when the novelty wore off. Mine was multicoat white and I got stealth PPF on it with dark tail lights. Looked super nice until it started collecting dirt at the edges and a poor PPF job revealed. Then the window started creaking. Burning smells started entering the car. The back glass on the trunk made sounds on turns. I’ll tell you my favorite thing on the car will surprise you: it was the suspension. Very adjustable and kept the car flat. It was also instant in its response. Dare I say it was better than the mercedes in responsiveness. The ride is still more luxurious in the S class. Again, preference and use case come into play. Wow factor is different.

Buck, with respect to modes etc sure, here’s a summary:

Car can be charged with a Tesla wall charger with the correct cable (takes 5 minutes to convert), or you can use a small end adaptor. Takes about 2.5 hours on a 60 Amp setup to get to 100% which is 55-60 miles. Fan kicks on mid charge to keep temp efficient. Interestingly there are three radiator foils in the front but I don’t know which is which.

There seem to be two electric systems in the car, a Battery and a secondary system that does auto start stop, in car electronics etc. Dieselbenz has better knowledge that I do regarding construction. They seem to work independently and the smaller system doesn’t steal power from the bigger system.

For the engine/mechanical system that is engaged separately than vehicle mode, the transmission can be placed into D-Auto which lets the car decide regen vs coasting, D minus which biases the car to regen charge, D plus which favors the car into coasting with engine auto shutoff.

Modes:

Battery Hold - just keeps the battery at whatever charge it started with. I have driven on the highway numerous times and the battery stays exactly the same range/charge. When the battery is discharged, the engine does NOT appreciably charge the big battery. However it is able to store some small amount of energy which allows the engine to shut off periodically during light acceleration.

EL - this is the default mode the car starts in. It stays in this mode until the battery is depleted. Regenerative braking does slow down charge depletion but not a huge amount. If you aggressively accelerate, the car does have instant torque but flattens quickly, and seems not fast, but you can certainly notice an electric “gear change” which leads me to believe the motor might have two gears (don’t quote me because I’m not 100% sure, it just feels that’s way)…until you push even harder like in an emergency and the engine aggressively comes on and you have significant thrust. You really have to floor it hard for this to happen in EL mode like engaging kick down in a standard car.

Hybrid- in this mode you change the sensitivity to allowing the engine to fire up sooner with an accelerator jab. But if you are smoothly accelerating and depressing the pedal, the shift from electric to gas happens but the power delivery has a smooth transition (like an electric rev match). Doesn’t seem like this mode is for power.

Sport - Engine turns on, paddle shifters allow you to select gears (versus other modes you can only pick level of regen, unless you separately engage manual mode). Here you get both electric and gas power at the same time. This is my default mode for getting out of a jam or when crazy speeders are around on the highway, or curvy back roads. Don’t have any hope on a nice sounding exhaust. It’s just normal.

and finally you should know that the car has a camera based braking system. The car will monitor its surroundings and traffic and automatically slow down if a car is slowing in front. You can disable this setting but I’m very used to it. Makes for s relaxed drive.

So summary, there are tons of configurations you can make with the drive train to suit your preferences. The car is versatile, kind of like a jack of all trades, master of none, but still freaking amazing, which is why more than 6000 miles later I really love and enjoy driving this car. It’s a perfect bridge to an EV without compromising on what makes and S class awesome. My family loved the Tesla for its video games etc, but they love the S580e for its comfort. No such thing as a perfect car, just the perfect one for me at this time in life.

 

I'm not comparing the Tesla and the S580e, I drove a Tesla Model S Long Range and while it was very cool, its not for me. I just don't think after driving the 580e though that it would be for me either, I would rather have a full EV or a V8. What I like the EV for is the smoothness and effortless acceleration, not gas savings or anything like that. You have the smoothness in the 580e but not the effortless acceleration. I think its a great bridge to an EV if your priorities for going EV are different than mine.

 

The price of gas needs to include the cost of removing the carbon that the burning of gas adds to the air.

 

Motoman does the 580e: You have to pay attention with Motoman; notice how he describes the car as coming on 20's but he makes a point of saying you can get 19s? That wasn't a throwaway comment. It's how he operates...