2010 Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid Review

Now that the hybrid vehicle market is maturing, some previously unreadable trends are coming slowly into focus. Barring the Toyota Prius – the vehicle credited with starting the current hybrid fever – no other offering has been a commercial success. The line of hybrids that now litter history’s garage or linger for months on dealer lots – the Saturn Aura/Chevrolet Malibu, Dodge Durango/Chrysler Aspen, Honda Accord, Honda Insight, Chevrolet Tahoe/GMC Yukon, Nissan Altima – gets longer each year. Even Toyota’s other hybrid offerings – like the Camry and Highlander, and Lexus HS, RX, GS and LS – strain to match even one tenth of the sales of the gasoline-powered models.

FAST FACTS
1. The S400 Hybrid is the new entry-level S-Class and is priced from $87,950.

2. Power is rated at 295-hp and 284 ft-lbs of torque, with a 0-60 mph time of 7.3 seconds.

3. Fuel economy is 14/21 mpg (city/hwy) vs. the S550’s 19/26 mpg rating.

4. The S400 Hybrid is a mild hybrid so it can’t run on electric power alone, but it is the first production car to use a lithium-ion battery.

5. In Europe an S350 model makes almost as much power and gets roughly the same fuel economy as the S400 Hybrid.

Now that the large German manufacturers’ investments in hybrid technology are hitting the market, there’s a real sense of lost opportunities. The ActiveHybrid X6 is simply BMW’s public write-off of that expensive partnership with GM and Chrysler, while Audi, Volkswagen and Porsche... (more...)

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