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Plug-in Variant Possible For Mercedes-Benz M-Class W166 Facelift

Rumors surrounding the new engine choices to be found in the upcoming Mercedes-Benz M-Class W166 facelift have started to heat up in recent days, with more reports saying that a plug-in hybrid variant is indeed in the cards.
Mercedes-Benz M-Class W166 Facelift 1 photo
Photo: SB-Medien
Naturally, the information hasn't been officially confirmed yet, but if Mercedes-Benz wants to stand up against the soon-to-be-introduced BMW X5 plug-in hybrid or the second generation of the Audi Q7 with a similar type of powerplant.

As the mid-cycle facelift for the M-Class W166 is about a year away, the plug-in-hybrid variant will most likely be a 2016 model year, and should arrive almost at the same time as a similar version for the not-yet-unveiled MLC (C292).

If such a fuel-sipping model does get made, it will most likely use a similar engineering approach as the BMW X5 eDrive or the upcoming C 350 Plug-in Hybrid instead of going the S 500 Plug-in Hybrid route, in which the internal combustion engine is represented by a three-liter twin-turbocharged V6.

In other words, a possible Mercedes-Benz ML 400 Plug-in Hybrid would most likely use a turbocharged two-liter four-cylinder with around 240 hp and 370 Nm (273 lb ft) of torque, paired with an electric motor that gives it another 109 hp and 340 Nm (251 lb ft) of torque.

With an extra-large lithium-ion battery, the model should get an all-electric range of around 40 km (25 miles), while the combined fuel consumption should be just a whiff over three liters per 100 km (78.4 mpg).

Pretty much all of the above is pure speculation based on both rumors and common sense, so we should wait a few months until some information at least remotely officially-sounding pops out.
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About the author: Alex Oagana
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Alex handled his first real steering wheel at the age of five (on a field) and started practicing "Scandinavian Flicks" at 14 (on non-public gravel roads). Following his time at the University of Journalism, he landed his first real job at the local franchise of Top Gear magazine a few years before Mircea (Panait). Not long after, Alex entered the New Media realm with the autoevolution.com project.
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