The G500 4x4 undoubtedly stole the show in Geneva this year, as did the Pullman version of the S-Class. However, there's also a debut for sensible businessman who want a simple, efficient saloon. Say hello the brand new C350e, a plug-in hybrid that uses a familiar gasoline engine and promises class-leading economy.
The sedan will cost about €51,000 (saloon version touring costs €52,627) and lands in European showrooms in a few months. It packs a 2-liter turbo borrowed from the C250 and producing 211 hp at 5,500 rpm. Also included is a electric motor provides an additional 80 horsepower (60 kW). Altogether, the combined system output is set at 279 hp.
The power is delivered though the familiar 7G-Tronic seven-speed automatic gearbox to the rear wheels. Is it fast? Yes, very much so. In the case of the saloon, 0 to 100 km/h sprints take only 5.9 seconds, while the touring requires 6.2 seconds. Top speed is rated at 250 km/h (155mph) and 245 km/h (153mph) respectively.
As for the green stuff, energy for the electric motor is provided by a 6.2kWh lithium ion battery mounted within the floor of the boot. You trade off 15 liters of about 30 liters of capacity and get 31 kilometers of pure electric driving range (19.3 miles). To fully charge, you can use a regular 240V/13A household mains and wait a little under 2 hours.
What does it compete with? The IS 300h, which we tested a while back in F Sport guise. That car only has 223 PS because it's not turbocharged and can't be plugged into the mains to juice the batteries. However, it's significantly cheaper at €37,750 in Germany today. Our tester did, however, retail for a very substantial 60,000-something euros.
The power is delivered though the familiar 7G-Tronic seven-speed automatic gearbox to the rear wheels. Is it fast? Yes, very much so. In the case of the saloon, 0 to 100 km/h sprints take only 5.9 seconds, while the touring requires 6.2 seconds. Top speed is rated at 250 km/h (155mph) and 245 km/h (153mph) respectively.
As for the green stuff, energy for the electric motor is provided by a 6.2kWh lithium ion battery mounted within the floor of the boot. You trade off 15 liters of about 30 liters of capacity and get 31 kilometers of pure electric driving range (19.3 miles). To fully charge, you can use a regular 240V/13A household mains and wait a little under 2 hours.
What does it compete with? The IS 300h, which we tested a while back in F Sport guise. That car only has 223 PS because it's not turbocharged and can't be plugged into the mains to juice the batteries. However, it's significantly cheaper at €37,750 in Germany today. Our tester did, however, retail for a very substantial 60,000-something euros.