Mercedes plug-in hybrids arrive in Oz

Capable of accelerating up to 130km/h on pure electricity, and travelling for 30km before a petrol engine kicks in, Mercedes' new high-tech plug-in hybrids are rolling into dealerships nationally this week.

Three models will be offered – the C-Class sedan and wagon, the GLE-Class large SUV, and S-Class flagship limo – each of which adds an electric motor and a Lithium-ion battery to their drivetrain, reducing combined fuel consumption to as low as a claimed 2.4L/100km.

Prices start at $75,300 for the hybrid C-Class sedan. The GLE 500 e and S 500 e models cost over $100,000 and $300,000 respectively. See below for the full price list.

Each of the hybrids has a similar petrol-electric setup with four running modes, changeable at the touch of a button:

E-mode – pure electric or EV running
Hybrid – automatically switches between petrol and EV modes
E-Save – saves battery power for later use
Charge – uses fuel to generate electricity and recharge the battery

Despite having a zero emission mode and clever technology to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, such as initiating regenerative braking automatically if the radar systems detect a car in front slowing, the three hybrids can be hustled along at sports car levels.

The Mercedes-Benz C 350 e sedan has a top speed of 210km/h and at full throttle – using the petrol and electric motors in tandem – can accelerate to 100km/h in 5.9 seconds. It's powered by a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine (155kW/350Nm) and a small electric motor (60kW) that, when combined, belt out 205kW and 600Nm.

The GLE 500 e and S 500 e have the same top speed as the C 350 e but reach 100km/h in 5.3 and 5.2 seconds respectively. That's because they have larger 3.0-litre V6 turbo-petrol engines (245kW/480Nm) paired with beefier 85kW electric motors – located in the bell housing replacing the torque convertor – for a combined output of 325kW and 650Nm.

All plug-in hybrid models will be feature packed says Benz, fitted as standard with air suspension and smartphone-operated pre-entry climate control.
Fuel consumption and CO2 emissions for the C 350 E are 2.4L/100km and 2.6L/100km for the sedan and wagon, and 56 and 59g/km respectively. The GLE 500 e uses 3.3L/100km and emits CO2 of 78g/km, the S 500 e rated at 2.8L/100km and 65g/km.

All vehicles take advantage of the same 8.7kWh Li-Ion battery pack. Although paltry compared to the smallest battery pack available in a Tesla Model S (60kWh), Mercedes-Benz says it still offers around 30km of all-electric cruising.

All models come with a domestic three-prong plug and charging cable and the C-Class plug-in hybrid takes 3.1 hours to fully charge its battery. This drops to 1.5 hours with a Mercedes wallbox charger, which retail for $2000.

The bigger GLE 500 e and S 500 e take 4.1 hours from a regular wall socket and 1.9 hours with a wallbox.

The only drawback to the plug-in hybrid vehicles appears to be smaller fuel tanks and less boot space, the latter because the batteries are located out back. Mercedes-Benz says in the future it'll relocate battery packs under the car floor.

All models miss out on spare tyres too, using runflat tyres instead.

Mercedes-Benz will also introduce a plug-in hybrid version of the new E-Class later in December, the E 350 e, although pricing is yet to be locked in.

David McCarthy, Senior Public Relations Manager at Mercedes-Benz Australia, told motoring.com.au the plug-in hybrid models won't be volume sellers but they bring an efficient, high-tech offering to the brand's range.

"The GLE hybrid will sell well, the S-Class you're talking maybe a dozen sales a year, but the C 350 has sharp pricing. We do really well with C-Class Estate too, so [overall] 100 cars a year will be easily achievable. I think it'll be north of that," said McCarthy.

He explained the idea of a plug-in hybrid gives Benz customers the option of full EV travel for short distances with petrol power to resolve range anxiety. He also said they hybrids would be a stepping-stone to the first Mercedes EV, of which we'll get a sneak peek during the 2016 Paris motor show in October.

"And again, when we have the supply situation under control and our vendor for the batteries and the solar panels locked in, that'll add interest as well," McCarthy said.

Mercedes-Benz plug-in hybrid pricing:
C 350 e: $75,300
C 350 e Estate: $77,800
GLE 500 e 4MATIC: $124,900
S 500 e: 319,715
E 350 e: $TBA