German Car Zone

Rumours have surfaced that Mercedes plans to introduce their first four-cylinder S-Class. Being prepped for introduction at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the Mercedes-Benz S 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY will produce just 155 grams of CO2 per kilometer. This follows a trend being held by a number of automakers to make their largest sedans less polluting.


Mercedes-Benz S 250 CDI BlueEfficiency cometh - First ever 4-cylinder S-Class - Worldcarfans


M

Sounds good. Would that be A-label or B-label (like 730d/740d) I think A...

It's mentioned @ JesMB as well:

More power than a W126 300SE/SEL. Should work out just fine.

Similar power/torque than an S320cdi, but I have my doubts on the refinement, as it doesn't seem to be the OM651's prime quality. Maybe the double exhaust line could lower the noise level.

5.9 liters/100 km (39.87mpg) while CO2 emission will reach approximately 155 grams.


These are very respectable numbers. It's a shame that most people (aka morons on various other car forums) immediately point out that it will be slower than a V6 Camry (which costs less!).

This is indeed a bold move by Mercedes but I suspect it will pay off because of the changing times where fuel economy is a priority (and emissions). The luxury market is changing and Mercedes is definitely a big innovator and trend-setter here.

I can see such a car making a lot of sense in Europe. There are plenty of wealthy people that want the car but not the performance (and thus fuel economy is vital to them) and aside from the S350 CDI they now have a second entry-level diesel choice: the S250 CDI.

I wonder when Lexus will release the LS250h...

200 hp in a heavy car like S-class? no thanks, too slow.

Well I don't really think it is that bad.
Here're some objective figures:

S250 CDI
Power: 224 HP
Torque: 500 Nm @ 1600 rpm
0-100 km/h: 8,1 s (my estimation)
Fuel consumption: 5,9 l/100 km
Weight: 1775 kg (my estimation)
CO2: 155 g/km

S350 CDI
Power: 235 HP
Torque 540 Nm @ 1600 rpm
0-100 km/h: 7,8 s
Fuel consumption: 7,6 l/100 km
Weight: 1855 kg
CO2: 199 g/km

According the JESMB, due to some modifications the S250 CDI engine will have a raised poweroutput of 224 HP which is only 11 HP shy from the S350 CDI engine. Torque is only 40 NM short.
Fuel consumption is about 1,7 l/100 km less which is quite alot.
I estimate the 0-100 km/h time to be around the 8,1 s, also the car would weigh a little bit less than the S350 CDI, around 80 kg.
CO2 emissions is cut by 44 g/km.

Personally I believe you won't notice that much of a performance difference between the S250 CDI and the S350 CDI at all. The torque is plenty available down low. In short, it's plenty fast for a cruiser for long distances, it's not like the S-class was build for trackdays.

It probably won't be as smooth and refined as the 6-cylinder unit though and that is the only thing that concerns me since the S-class is all about refinement and quietness.
But the sound insulation will be also much better than in the C-class and the E-class, so maybe it's not that much of a problem.
In these times of green and economical, I can see customers in the market for this particular car especially in countries where taxes are based on fuel consumption, size of engine and emissions etc.

The comments about the S 250 CDI being so close to the 350 CDI are an ideal hook to ask about the twin turbo 3.0. Is it coming, will it ever happen ? Is it too close to the 450 CDI ? I feel it is needed now, to fight off the 740d.

Stewart.

Well i think its a great idea for a S250cdi and i think it will be a great start and i think you will find other luxury brands follow Mb..'

The thing that i cant understand is when is MB going to upgrade or place twin turbo on the 320cdi and 350cdi engine..this is something MB is really behind and need to wake up...