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- Strong acceleration
- Very luxurious
- Costs less than other S-Class models
- Most fuel-efficient S-Class model
- Low emissions
- Very expensive
- Numb-feeling brakes
- Low fuel economy for a hybrid
Decadent as it is, critics say the pricey 2010 Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid has its practical side. Unlike its main rival, the flagship 2010 Lexus LS 600h L hybrid (Base MSRP: $108,800), the Mercedes doesn't use hybrid technology to get heavier, pricier and more powerful. Instead, the Mercedes hybrid streamlines itself; it's lighter, more fuel-efficient and a few thousand dollars cheaper than its gas-powered counterpart, the 2010 Mercedes-Benz S550 (Base MSRP: $91,000), without sacrificing any of the expected S-Class glitz.
The rear-wheel-drive, five-passenger S400 sedan is a mild hybrid -- that is, the car can't drive on electricity alone. It pairs a 3.5-liter, V6 engine with an electric motor for a total 295 horsepower. Various testers get the S400 from 0 to 60 in about seven seconds. They say it's noticeably slower than the gas-only S550, but certainly not sluggish: "Plenty strong for the Autobahn," HybridCars.com reports after testing the S400 in Germany.
Fuel economy is paltry for a hybrid: a federally estimated 19 mpg city/26 mpg highway/21 mpg combined, with expert testers reporting 21 to 29 mpg. Still, reviews say that's better than the gas-powered S550's 15 mpg city/23 mpg highway/18 mpg combined. Meanwhile, hybrid buyers don't have to give up any of the usual S-Class amenities, including air suspension and adaptive damping, leather upholstery, a sunroof, automatic wipers and headlights, power rear sunshade, power-folding heated mirrors, power tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, heated 14-way power front seats with memory and a suite of cabin features that CNET calls "a high-tech marvel", including navigation, Bluetooth, a Harmon Kardon stereo with six-CD changer, iPod interface, auxiliary jack and HD and satellite radio. Also available are extra-cost options galore, including a split-view dashboard screen on which the driver sees navigation information and the like from his or her angle while the passenger's viewing angle can show a DVD movie on the same screen.
Standard safety equipment abounds, including Mercedes' PreSafe system that can sense an impending crash, then automatically tighten seatbelts and move the power seats into optimum airbag position, and close the windows and sunroof if a rollover seems likely. Also standard are rear side airbags, along with the more common front, front-side and curtain airbags, antilock brakes, traction and stability control. Safety options include a backup camera, blind-spot assist and night vision with pedestrian detection. The S400 Hybrid had not been crash tested by either the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or Insurance Institute for Highway Safety when we checked.
The 2010 Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid carries a four-year/50,000-mile warranty. It is eligible for a $1,150 federal tax credit until Dec. 31, 2010.
Several top sources test the Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid, comparing it not only with other luxury hybrids but also with gas-powered alternatives. Sources include Car and Driver, Automobile magazine, Motor Trend, Popular Mechanics, CNET, HybridCars.com and ConsumerGuide.com. Edmunds.com mentions the S400 as part of its overall Mercedes S-Class review. Critics at Esquire and the Washington Post comment on the S400's environmental credibility. FuelEconomy.gov posts official fuel-economy estimates.
Our Sources
1. Car and DriverDetails/Subscribe
Unlike most hybrids, the Mercedes-Benz S400 hybrid is not only more fuel-efficient than its gas-only counterpart, but it also costs less. That makes it a "surprisingly rational" choice, Car and Driver says. Testers like its quick acceleration, but they find the brakes absolutely numb.
Review: 2010 Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid -- Short Take Road Test, Dave Vanderwerp, December 2009
2. Automobile MagazineDetails/Subscribe
This review minutely details the differences between the Mercedes and Lexus flagship hybrid sedans' powertrains and performance. While the Lexus LS 600h L uses hybrid technology to get heavier, pricier and more powerful than the top gas-only Lexus, the Mercedes hybrid gets slimmer, less expensive and more efficient.
Review: Green: Review: 2010 Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid and Lexus LS 600h L, Georg Kacher, July 2009
3. Motor TrendDetails/Subscribe
Here's another review that goes into great detail about the Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid's powertrain. Reviewer Kim Reynolds says the engine switches on and off at stoplights "with silky smoothness." Reynolds also enumerates the S400's high-tech features, including the front-seat entertainment system now available in the U.S.
Review: First Drive: 2010 Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid, Kim Reynolds, May 2009
4. PopularMechanics.comDetails/Subscribe
Mercedes' first hybrid "feels a lot like a conventional S350," this review concludes, except it gets better fuel economy. It's "acceptably brisk" and surprisingly maneuverable.
Review: 2010 Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid Test Drive: Luxury Sedan Delivers 33 mpg Highway with Lithium-Ion Batteries, Barry Winfield, May 20, 2009
5. CNET
CNET's review concentrates on the Mercedes-Benz S400's cabin and powertrain tech, thoroughly critiquing them both. The mild-hybrid powertrain doesn't help fuel economy as much as a full-hybrid system would, but it does help, and cabin tech is judged first-rate.
Review: 2010 Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid, Wayne Cunningham, Feb. 18, 2010
On a 150-mile loop in southern Germany, the Mercedes-Benz S400 impresses testers at HybridCars.com, with plenty of power for the Autobahn, nimble cornering through the Black Forest and 29.3 mpg overall -- despite some 100 mph-plus speeds on the trip.
Review: Mercedes S400 BlueHybrid, Editors of HybridCars.com
ConsumerGuide.com tests the Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid alongside other S-Class models, rating each one in 11 categories (such as acceleration and fuel economy). However, editors say they had no opportunity to conduct a real-world fuel-economy test with the hybrid, and aside from some discussion about its acceleration, there is very little detail here about the S400.
Review: 2010 Mercedes-Benz S-Class: Road Test, Editors of ConsumerGuide.com
8. Edmunds.com
Edmunds.com mentions the Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid briefly in this overall review of the 2010 S-Class. Editors say its lithium-ion battery is lighter than a regular hybrid battery and doesn't have to be housed in the trunk. They say the S400 Hybrid is both more fuel-efficient and cheaper than other S-Class models, making it one of the few hybrids that make both environmental and financial sense.
Review: 2010 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Review, Editors of Edmunds.com
9. Esquire magazineDetails/Subscribe
This review of the Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid concludes that it's partly designed to "assuage rich-guy guilt" about the outsize carbon footprints of the conspicuously wealthy. But reviewer Dan Neil also says the car is "spectacular" -- big, fast and smooth.
Review: When Did Hybrid Cars Become High-Class?, Dan Neil, Dec. 9, 2009
This review mostly talks about whether -- at this price, using premium gas at 22 mpg -- the Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid is really efficient at all. Reviewer Warren Brown concludes that it is, considering the car's performance specs. However, Brown says nothing about what the car is like to drive.
Review: A Hybrid That's More About Style Than the Environment, Warren Brown, Nov. 15, 2009
11. FuelEconomy.gov
Because it uses premium gas, the Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid has one of the highest annual fuel costs of any hybrid. It exceeds even big hybrid trucks and SUVs, this Environmental Protection Agency/Department of Energy chart shows. The S400 hybrid rates an estimated 19 mpg city/26 mpg highway/21 mpg combined.
Review: 2010 Hybrid Vehicles, Editors of FuelEconomy.gov
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