Mercedes-Benz has announced that the S 350 BlueTEC will be offered from now on with a standard ECO start/stop function. As a result, average fuel economy is rated at 6.2 liters/100 km (37.93 mpg US), down 9 percent from an already impressive –for the size and type of car- 6.8 liters/100 km (34.59 mpg US).
The 3.0-liter V6 diesel engine develops 258 horsepower and 620 Nm of torque (457.3 lb-ft). This unit already complies with the Euro 6 emissions standard that goes into effect from 2014 onwards, thanks to BlueTEC technology with AdBlue exhaust treatment. The start/stop system helps improving the efficiency of the S-Class even further, with CO2 emissions dropping from 177 to 164 grams per kilometer.
The ECO start/stop technology switches the engine off when the vehicle comes to a halt and starts it again as soon as the driver takes his foot off the brake pedal. Even with the engine stopped, all of the car’s functions and comfort systems continue to operate thanks to the intelligent control system.
Mercedes has managed to make the V6 diesel engine more fuel-efficient through the use of TWAS (twin-wire-arc-sprayed) coating technology. Pioneered by AMG on the 6.3-liter V8 petrol engine, this solution has now been applied to the diesel engine in the S 350 BlueTEC, with interesting results: this technology alone contributes to a 3 percent lower fuel consumption, while also reducing the engine weight by 4.3 kilograms.
The price of the updated S 350 BlueTEC model remains unchanged at €76,517 or $110,445 at current exchange rates, including 19% VAT in Germany..
By Dan Mihalascu
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