I saw on Reddit someone dyno’d a new C43 with the hybrid 4 Cylinder it came out at 459 HP at wheels. That’s pretty good, https://www.reddit.com/r/AMG/s/i8lM8l03by

Would Mercedes have the audacity to retire the V8 and use only hybridized versions of the 6 and 4 cylinders in future versions? How would people feel about driving an S class with a 459 HP 4 Cylinder and maybe a 560 HP I-6?

I would drive it IF and only IF the engine is smooth and doesn’t sound like a lawnmower.

 

It's a 4 cylinder. Might as well go electric at that point if you're looking for efficiency and large power numbers. A 4 cylinder would probably ruin the experience of the car and doesn't belong in an S-Class or any flagship luxury sedan.

 

I don’t know much of anything about hybrids, but if one could be built, so that it drove like an EV 99% of the time and that the tiny ICE engine was there only for emergencies, when one ran out of battery power, that might interest me. I was impressed when I test drove the new BMW I7, but I still hate the idea of being at the mercy of charging stations on longer drives, say 500 miles or so. If I knew that there was a simple alternative to going dead on the highway, almost like a compact spare tire, that might do it for me. Maybe.

 

On a longer drive around 500 miles, you'd be leaving at home with a full charge and would only have to stop once and would probably only need 60-70% of a charge to make it to your destination and have plenty of range to spare. In a Mercedes EV, this would take only 15 minutes or so. Not bad at all if you ask me.

 

4 Cylinder engines are nothing new in a S-Class.
The W221 and W222 both had the 4 cylinder Diesel engines outside the US and the W222 also came with a 4 cyclinder gas engine for the Chinese market.
The US typically only offered a few of the available models but I believe very few buyers will care what kind of engine is in a hybrid setup. More important what label shows on the back.
There is a reason why the W223 hybrid shows as a 580 even though there is only a lowly i6 in there…

 

Not going to jump the bar needed to open my wallet.

 

No, "not bad," IF there are convenient, safely located, operating, charging stations without massive lines of others waiting.

 

No way lol. Give me an EV.

@Streamliner what you describe is an S580e. 60 miles of EV range and then its an S500. I have 35 miles of EV range in our new 2023 Chrysler Pacifica plug in hybrid and its great. I drove it today because I needed to haul something and I drove to work, back from work, to home depot and back and never used a drop of gas.

Only issue with the S580e is the car is not powerful in EV mode, its adequate, and getting into the gas engine brings the less refined experience of the 6 cyl over the V8.

 

No, I guess I wasn't clear: Think BMW I7, but with a "spare" or "emergency use only" small ICE to make sure I don't get stranded.

 

I don't think you're likely to see that just because you would need both powertrains...wont be room for something with enough batteries to have high power and good range and also an ICE drivetrain.

I will say that in EV mode the S580e feels pretty much just as great as the i7, just doesn't have that level of power. It has about 150 hp in EV mode, which is plenty to move it around even to highway speeds but it never feels powerful.

 

I cannot see enough low end off the line torque from a 4cyl engine to be smooth & comfortable.
Car will struggle to get going until engine gets over3-4k rpm.
then you will hear the 4cyl winding up and engine vibrations

then when accelerating from say 35 to 70mph on an on ramp you would be at high revs again which is hard to hide the noise and feel of engine blowing up at high rpm.

Big heavy car like S class needs low end torq to get going smoothly and cruise around.

4 cyl just are not a well balanced smooth gas engine when you need low end torq
now maybe an inline 6cyl those can be smooth... and have low end torq.

 

BMW tried that with the i3 with Range Extender. The general consensus was not positive however

 

I found the I6 in the S500 surprisingly coarse

 

Here is what C&D says about S580e:

Just LOVE this line: “The touch controls on the steering wheel are finicky, but mercifully, the EQS's giant Hyperscreen isn't here; its absence leaves space for upscale dash trim commensurate with the sedan's price.”

And also: “The $3800 Warmth & Comfort package heats and ventilates the rear seats yet weirdly leaves riders back there without climate controls. Rear-seat rheostats require the $16,100 Executive Line package.”

AND: “Its lone dynamic flaw is a nonlinear brake pedal that is a plague in stop-and-go traffic, an issue in the EQS as well. Given that the plug-in S-class is considerably more prestigious and stylish, with enough real-world electric range to handle daily commutes, it essentially renders Mercedes's equivalent EV irrelevant.” Don’t you just love it???

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews...d%20Last%2030D

 

To be fair, the S580e EV mode isn't meant to be powerful or similar to what a BEV would provide. That car wouldn't be for me as I am heavy on the pedal but I think its an excellent option for commuting to/from work in traffic.
Coincidently Carwow had recently released a drag race video to show how the MB, BMW, Audi hybrids compare. Interestingly, the S-Class easily beat the others in EV only mode...

 

Exactly the function of our BMW 5-series PHEV. It has a 4-cylinder engine, but nearly 90% of it's lifetime clock was on EV mode... if it wasn't an in-town drive vehicle, we would certainly have hated the 4-cylinder engine... despite a 4-cylinder BMW engine being superior to any Mbenz engine in my view, still, not an engine I'd want to drive for a weekend drive or highway trip. The W223 PHEV is different. the 6-cylidner engine is powerful enough but fund to drive. I can't think of any other PHEV car on the market now that has better range that W223.

 

Like the I3 range extender