Mercedes-Benz S560e debuts in Frankfurt – up to 50 km of electric driving range, 0-100 km/h in 5 seconds

Mercedes-Benz isn’t slowing down with its releases for this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show, and has now introduced the new S 560 e, the plug-in hybrid version of the latest S-Class sedan.

Visually, the car appears pretty much identical to a regular S-Class, save for the addition of ‘EQ Power’ badges located just behind the front wheels. There’s also a charging port on the right side of the vehicle’s rear end below the taillight, if you need help spotting one.

For the S 560 e, the plug-in hybrid powertrain is made up of a 3.0 litre V6 petrol engine (likely from the AMG 43 models), which serves up 362 hp and 500 Nm, and an electric motor housed within the nine-speed 9G-Tronic Plus automatic transmission. The motor itself has an output rated at 121 hp (90 kW) and 440 Nm of torque.

In terms of performance, the S 560 e will sprint to a top speed of 250 km/h, and will complete the 0-100 km/h sprint in just five seconds. Meanwhile, fuel consumption is claimed to be 2.1 l/100 km and CO2 emissions is 49 g/km.

The new setup is not only more powerful than the one found in the previous S 500 e plug-in hybrid, it also offers a further all-electric range of around 50 km (from the S 500 e’s quoted 33 km). This is largely thanks to the increased capacity of the lithium-ion battery that is now rated at 13.5 kWh, with the adoption of lithium-nickel-manganese-cobalt (Li-NMC) cells.

Developed by the wholly-owned Daimler subsidiary, Deutsche ACCUMOTIVE, the Li-NMC cell capacity is rated at 37 Ah, which is more than the 22 Ah from using lithium-iron-phosphate (LiFePo) cells.

Despite the increased battery capacity, the whole unit itself is actually smaller than those used in its predecesor, allowing for a larger boot capacity from 395 to 410 litres.

Along with the larger battery, the S 560 e is equipped with an onboard charger rated at 7.2 kW, twice the amount normally associated with other plug-in hybrid chargers. In conjunction with the Mercedes-Benz Wallbox, the carmaker says fast charging is possible with the battery.

To promote anticipatory and economical driving, ECO Assist in the new S-Class variant takes into account numerous factors (traffic situation, navigation data, traffic sign recognition, information from the car’s radio and sensor camera) to provide driving recommendations to the driver.

This includes when it is appropriate to release the accelerator (via visual prompts) to promote coasting with the lowest possible driving resistance. On the other hand, deceleration helps promote energy recuperation, which helps to charge the battery. The car takes into consideration the charge level of the battery and the traffic situation, before computing the right course of action.

Also standard here is pre-entry climate control, allowing owners to preset their preferred temperature prior to departure via the Mercedes me service. Other items such as heated/ventilated seats, steering wheel and armrests can also be adjusted.

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