Mercedes S 580 e
Detailed measures
Mercedes S 580 e
© press-inform – the press office
The Mercedes S 580 e promises to travel appropriately and at the same time be ecologically sound. We were on the road with the long version of the plug-in hybrid S-Class and found that the Swabians keep their word.
With the current nomenclature of its current models, Mercedes is putting its fans to the test. While an eight-cylinder had previously been used in the name of a star vehicle with the 500, a six-cylinder with electric assistance now does its work in the S 500. No matter how often and emphatically the marketing experts refer to the data sheet and the sufficient performance, the mouse does not bite off a thread for traditionalists: an eight-cylinder belongs in a 500 cc. Period. So if you want eight pots, you have to go for the S 580.
We grabbed an S 580 e. So an eight-cylinder with an electric motor or a starter generator, right? Well, almost. It is a six-cylinder with 270 kW / 367 PS, which, together with a 110 kW / 150 PS electric motor, has a system output of 375 kW / 510 PS. Thanks to the energy from the 28.6 kilowatt hour battery, this S-Class should ideally drive more than 100 kilometers purely electrically as a plug-in hybrid with a top speed of a good 140 km / h. As soon as the combustion engine takes part in propulsion, the top speed increases to 250 km / h and this S-Class reaches the 100 km / h mark after 5.2 seconds.
In the case of the S-Class, the customer’s tolerance threshold is comparatively low. That’s why the engineers have cleared up some annoyances that made the spoiled clientele grumble at the predecessor. The annoying step in the trunk has disappeared, instead there is now a through-loading option, which is quite helpful with a trunk volume of 350 liters, which is clear in view of the size of the car. The level loading floor is mainly a result of improved technology. The battery cells have become smaller, the rear axle is installed 2.7 centimeters lower than in the other S-Classes and the flat 67-liter tank is now under the rear seat. This has the advantage that the rear seats can be adjusted to the usual extent, which is extremely important for a chauffeur limousine like the S-Class. Nobody spends at least 127,425.20 euros to compromise on the far right.
You can truly travel royally on the executive chair. The luxury space is thickly padded and can be converted into a reclining seat with a backrest angle of 37 degrees and offers a number of massage programs. A first-class control panel with a tablet screen and two thermo cupholders that warm or cool the drinks are also available on request. So that the noble head is also comfortably bedded, the Mercedes luxury sedan offers a heated additional pillow on the headrests. The long version has a height of 5.29 meters and thus exceeds the regular S-Class by eleven centimeters. This length advantage is reflected one-to-one on the wheelbase (3.22 meters).
With these dimensions, it is more than helpful that the Mercedes engineers have placed the rear-axle steering in the rear despite the battery. This reduces the turning circle by two meters and thus the 2,310 kilogram e-cruiser can be maneuvered neatly even in narrow cities. The combination of electric motor and combustion engine proves to be suitable on long journeys. At least as long as the batteries have juice. Then the interaction of the individual components works splendidly and the Mercedes S 580 e glides confidently over the asphalt thanks to the torque of 750 Newton meters. This is also due to the air suspension, which due to the more than 300 kilograms of additional weight compared to the S 500 4Matic is a bit tighter, but is still very comfortable. The precious PHEV can easily handle even stubborn potholes. Only when you want to turn the gentleman into an athlete does the in-line six-cylinder growl.
Mercedes specifies the average consumption as 1.3 l / 100 km, we left the system in charge of the use of the drive components and required 5.6 l / 100 km. However, there were fast motorway journeys and mountain stages. To refill the empty batteries, you need around half an hour on the optional 60 kW charger. In addition, the plug-in hybrid offers all the infotainment luxury that characterizes the other S-Classes in the W223 series: the tablet in the middle is a maximum of 12.8 inches and has an OLED resolution of 1,888 x 1,728 pixels. The improved and easier to use controls fit in with this. Voice commands are reliably recognized and, for example, the volume can be regulated very well and precisely in the steering wheel using touch-intensive surfaces. The driver looks at a 12.3-inch virtual cockpit or a huge head-up display with augmented reality, so flying arrows show the way here too. Incidentally, this will soon also be possible with an all-wheel drive.