German Car Zone

Maybe one of our German-speaking members can translate the conclusion :

With the S400 Hybrid have the gentlemen with lots of money at last a european alternative to the Lexus LS 600h. The Mercedes is economical and clean, but it doesn't persuade in every details. Beyond everything is the strong japanese more fun!

^WoW!

I got similar results with the online translation services I used but I want to be sure the end part is correctly translated. It just sounds weird if Auto Bild thinks LS is more fun than S.

That's why i've said wow...

The translation program doesn't lie here!! They really wrote - also in the magazine - that the LS is more fun to drive… …maybe because of 4wd or what ever! Nevertheless they didn't mentioned, that there is no room in the boot of the LS or the extremely low vehicle load capacity!

They only commented the driving impressions. No word on comfort, finish, etc.

And the S400 didn't convince them that much.

The motor is less refined than the Lexus, delivers way less power, and the location of the 20hp electric motor between the engine and the gearbox makes some little shocks from the gearbox noticeable.
And the brake feel is weird. This is because the first cms, the brake don't act: it's only the electric motor who reverses itself and brakes the car while regaining energy; only when braking harder do the brakes actually brake the car (seems the electric motor of the Lexus doesn't really "brake" the car). This makes the pedal feel bit insensitive.

However it did consume noticeably less than the Lexus.

The Lexus mostly impressed them with the power "boom", similar to a big turbo, that it delivers. And by the smoothness of the whole hybrid thing, working more unnoticed than in the Merc.

Seems Mercedes needs some time more to really catch up in the hybrid dep with Lexus.

There goes the leg space.

Die geliftete S-Klasse setzt auf einen V6-Benziner, Mildhybrid und viele kleine Spartricks, der LS 600h dagegen auf V8, Vollhybrid und satten Luxus.

Here's the fundamental difference between these two cars. The LS600h is a full-hybrid while the S400 is a mild-hybrid.

Keep in mind that the S400 uses a V6 while the LS600h has a V8. Furthermore the LS600h was primarily designed for the US market (Lexus knows they won't sell many of these anywhere else) and hence it places heavy emphasis on acceleration (though I doubt that most owners even care or will floor the car at every opportunity). The S400, I am guessing, was constructed first and foremost for the European market (to offer a competitor against the LS600h). I seriously doubt that potential owners of both cars care much about pure performance. The thought of driving an extremely low-emission car is probably at the forefront of their thoughts.

Also, the S400 will be slower because its electric engine makes 20-hp. 20-hp and 160 Nm of torque! 20-hp / 160 Nm against the 224-hp and 300 Nm of torque of the Lexus LS electric engine. Big difference. And this difference gives away the character of both cars. LS600h: designed for power-hungry Americans who also want something "clean". S400: designed as a competitor to the LS600h but with more emphasis on fuel economy and even lower emissions - and it works.


Also, was this S400 a final production model or one of those famous pre-production models that always seems to slip through to be handed over to magazines for testing?

Exactly! Lexus went after performance while also offering benefits of the Prius technology. The S-class, while not a full-hybrid makes better MPG by using a V6 rather then a V8.

From a "Gas saving" perspective the S-class is a much better buy. The Lexus Hybrid may end up costing more as well then the S-class, but then again nothing is official yet concerning pricing at least in the US. I think it goes on sale in July or August.