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Mercedes-Benz S 500 PLUG-IN HYBRID
The Mercedes-Benz S 500 PLUG-IN HYBRID returns 100.9 mpg, emits 65 g/km of CO2, is exempt from road tax, and has a 100 per cent discount on the London Congestion Charge.
In the UK the car will be offered in long wheelbase form and will cost from £87,965. It also has a BIK rate of just five per cent.
The S 500 PLUG-IN HYBRID equipment specifications are based on the conventional S 500 L AMG Line – fitted as standard are 19-inch AMG alloy wheels, AMG body styling for the front and rear bumpers, the LED intelligent light system, COMAND Online, noise insulating glass, leather upholstery and the front seat memory package.
Powered by a V6 biturbo petrol engine producing 333hp and an electric motor developing 116hp, the S 500 PLUG-IN HYBRID generates a total of 442hp and 650Nm of torque. It can also travel over 20-miles on purely electrical power.
Based on the steel and aluminium chassis structure of the conventional S-Class, the S 500 PLUG-IN HYBRID is the third Hybrid model in the line-up, following on from the S 300 BlueTEC Hybrid and S 400 Hybrid variants. Unlike its predecessors, the 8.7 kWh lithium-ion batteries in the S 500 PLUG-IN HYBRID can be topped up using external charging devices such as fast chargers. A full charge on a typical public three-phase power point takes around two hours.
The technology in the S 500 PLUG-IN HYBRID is integrated to ensure as little energy as possible is wasted – the COMAND system looks ahead to where the car is travelling to predict where energy can be recuperated, on downhill sections for example. The car will also look to regenerate as much power as possible in advance of entering urban areas where the electric-only driving mode can be deployed.
The car can also send a pulse through the accelerator to indicate when sailing mode can be engaged (shutting down the internal combustion engine) and the accelerator itself can be released, harvesting energy and boosting the range of the car. The predictive gearshift strategy uses the car’s radar system to sense if there’s a car in front and alters the gearshift accordingly based on the likelihood that the driver will wish to overtake – improving efficiency as well as the responsiveness of the car when required.
The S 500 PLUG-IN HYBRID uses a tablet or smartphone-based system to allow you to pre-heat or pre-cool the car ahead of your arrival through the Connect me system. The system can also remotely relay information to the driver when away from the car on the charge status, the predicted range and when the next service is due.
The car also has Magic Body Control – which uses stereo cameras to read the road ahead and iron out any imperfections through making tiny alterations to the suspension system.
First production of the car starts in October with deliveries in the UK due in late November.
