⌖
A- A+
The definition of a full-size luxury sedan is, sadly, too ambiguous to encompass each and every buyer’s expectations in such a vehicle. But in the Mercedes-Benz S-Class’ case, the three-pointed star always had the right range of models to suit most buyers.
The 2015 Mercedes-Benz S500 Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t make an exception from that rule, albeit is harder to understand than AMG and diesel-powered Sonderklasse models. With the W222 generation of the breed, the Stuttgart-based car brand really pushed the eco-friendly envelope.
Towering above the S300 BlueTEC Hybrid and the S400 Hybrid, the Mercedes-Benz S500 Plug-In Hybrid is a perfectly fine luxobarge that sips 8 liters of gasoline per 100 km (29.4 US mpg) on the combined cycle. For this matter alone, this PHEV renders diesel-powered W222s useless if fuel economy is a deal breaker for the customer.
But let’s be frank here – what kind of customer is prepared to pay more than 100,000 euros to buy the greenest S-Class in the range? This vehicle is a status symbol, as any other Sonderklasse, but the hybrid powertrain gives it an edge over the S500 long wheelbase it’s based on and, to some extent, over the too-manic AMG versions.
