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Mercedes ML450 Hybrid 4Matic Goes to the US

4K views 11 replies 9 participants last post by  drivbiwire 
#1 ·
Mercedes ML450 Hybrid 4Matic Goes to the US

The American arm of Mercedes-Benz has just debuted the first European full hybrid vehicle in the United States. The Mercedes-Benz ML450 Hybrid 4Matic joins the S400 Hybrid and the BlueTEC diesel models in the American lineup and will be offered as part of a special lease only option (no purchase) for a monthly lease price of $659 per month for 36 months and $549 per month for 60 months.

The car is fitted with ESP, ABS and BAS, as well as 4MATIC all-wheel drive, and it can be easily recognized thanks to the modified hood, the BlueEFFICIENCY logo on the fender and by the HYBRID badge on its tailgate.

The ML450 Hybrid 4Matic is equipped with a 275 horsepower 3.5-liter V6 gasoline engine, optimized via the Atkinson cycle, two magneto-electric motors that work together to provide 21 mpg in town and 24 mpg on the highway. Working with both electric motors when full power is needed, the ML450 HYBRID has a total system performance of 335 hp and 381 lb.-ft. of torque.

During parking and low-speed operation, the ML450 HYBRID runs on the electric drive only. The ML450 HYBRID can drive solely on electric power up to a maximum speed of 34 mph. The hybrid system includes a convenient start-stop function that turns off the gasoline engine and restarts it during acceleration.

During braking and coasting, the electric motor acts as a generator, slowing the SUV and recovering kinetic energy. Under heavy braking, the vehicle's conventional brakes are also used. Recovered energy is stored in the battery and re-used whenever the SUV runs only on the electric motors.
Source: Autoevolution.com

 
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#2 ·
Mercedes ML450 Hybrid 4Matic Goes to the US



Source: Autoevolution.com


I mean, WHY? WHY MERCEDES?

I have a ML320CDI and I get those gas mileage numbers with just diesel and no complicated (and heavy) batteries and motors and.....

Why are companies like Mercedes building 1) Hybrids with relatively thirsty gas engines and then 2) Fuel efficient modern diesels but no combining 1 with 2?

I would imagine a ML320CDI mild hybrid would get closer to 27-28 city and a combined fuel economy of 27-29mpg.

Sigh.
:surrender:
 
#4 ·
But it's a Hybrid, come on now!

Just think you can add $3,000 in Bull$HIT and get no improvement in fuel economy!

Maybe they are checking to see if Americans can do basic math and figure out that the Diesels are still 20-30% more efficient than an atkinson cycle gas guzzler?

FWIW the atkinson cycle is at best 28-30% thermally efficient where the Bluetec is around 47-49%. No amount of battery packs, electric motors or whatever can make a gasoline engine more efficient.
 
#5 ·
The preliminary spec I saw say it has no spare tire and the tires are conventional, not run flats. Hate to get stuck on a dark snowy night in the sticks in that one!! Interesting that they will only lease it and that tells me they are looking for "test pilots""
 
#8 ·
Claimed around town using the EPA method... The test track showed something completely different!

Quicker acceleration is the only benefit of the hybrid drive. It compensates for the lack of torque from the gasoline engine at low speeds ie off the line when racing stop light to stop light in town. The problem is the energy is not free and is derived from previous energy already spent in the form of fuel burn.
 
#9 ·
Whether the ML450 Hybrid is more economical than the ML320/ML350 CDI does not matter at all. Americans, especially, just want to see a 'Hybrid' badge slapped on the back of any model car. It makes them feel 'green', and they feel better about themselves driving their 6000lb SUV thru the Starbucks drive-thru. For those in CA, especially L.A., the Cadillac Escalade Hybrid is super popular, especially with the young Hollywood crowd. It's by no means economical, but since it has a Hybrid badge....then all is good!

Mercedes knows the ML450 is by no means a wunder-car...but it will sell, and make some face-lifted, boob enhanced house wife in Orange County fell better about herself (as she flicks her cigarette bud out the window driving 85 mph down the freeway)!!!
 
#10 ·
If I remember correctly, this is the same system that was co-developed with BMW and GM, and was, from the beginning, designed to ultimately use diesel power rather than gasoline. I believe it was the absence of a suitable diesel powerplant across all three companies that dictated the original version would be gas powered.

I tend to agree with those who think 'hybrid' is just a feel-good label for people who fancy themselves ecologically sensitive while parking their 5,000-lb vehicle in their four-car garage next to their 5,000-square-foot home.
 
#12 ·
Correct, this sytem was intended to work with a 4 cylinder twin turbo diesel. The bump in power would be used at high load to supplement the power, then the diesel would operate closer to optimum load for maximum efficiency in steady state driving conditions.

The problem is the 4 cylinder is not yet approved in the US for release and the existing bluetec models don't gain any appreciable advantage in fuel economy with the hybrid drive bolted on. The only engine that benefited was the entry level engine (gasser V6).
 
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