The company say it is 'a declaration of Mercedes-Benz philosophy to design the technology to suit the cars we build'. So this car represents an important milestone in their history.
My test car was the first luxury production hybrid available in both saloon and estate body shapes and was first shown last December. It's pure E-Class except for the hybrid badge on the boot. Mercedes-Benz people say it offers luxury, super efficiency, practical technology and all at realistic prices.
While the car is based on the standard E-Class 2.2 diesel automatic, the transmission in this hybrid model has been specially adapted for hybrid use. It's one of the most efficient cars in the luxury segment.
A big point with this hybrid is that there is no restriction in luggage space as the battery is located in the engine compartment, and not below the boot floor.
This special car uses a 20kw electric motor positioned between the 2.2 litre diesel engine and the 7-speed automatic transmission. It can be driven using electric power alone under suitable conditions, and when accelerating, the electric motor boosts the engine.
You can see the current status of energy flow from the electric motor or the engine on the small screen to the right of the panel. The upper white area shows the power demand on the electric motor. If the needle goes to the MAX range during electric use, the combustion engine then kicks in. The green CHARGE area shows how much energy is being recuperated during braking. This is stored in the battery and can be used later on such as during electric use.
This hybrid E-Class is a lovely car to drive especially cruising the motorways, but it's equally nice along ordinary roads. The powertrain set-up allows for a really good boost of power when you need it; it can accelerate from 0-100km/h in 7.5 seconds. Well, there are 204 horses onboard and a whopping 500 Nm of torque.
So what are the main benefits of buying hybrid? For starters, you get around 67mpg equivalent or so. The car was in tax band A3 of €190 a year in annual road tax putting it in the same frugality of supermini cars! Buyers also benefit from the current hybrid VRT rebate of €1,500. And you have all the luxury and high technology features to enjoy.
The price of the car under review was €58,000. That said, it had a lot of extra items like metallic paint, heated front seats, climate control, leather upholstery and big 17-inch alloy wheels, not to mention a big array of high tech safety features, included in that price. The latest version of the E300 BlueTec Hybrid Automatic launched in March is priced at €53,020 with annual road tax of €190. That's for the Classic version. This model is only available in automatic.
Mercedes-Benz people say it actually makes a lot of sense to take a close look at the E-Class hybrid which offers more than 50 percent better fuel and emissions performance than its ordinary diesel equivalent; they claim the premium in price should easily be offset by the savings in fuel costs.
The price of the new E300 models now on sale here start from €44,540 ex works.
