Mercedes-Benz preparing hybrid ML-Class SUV

My first question, no to you, but to anybody else is where all those AutoSpies professional farters riding the "Japanese copy everything from the Germans" bandwagon? Why are they hiding in the ditches? Where are all those pants-crappers stating "hybrids make no sense". Where are the "experts" claiming so? ||| Second thing - interested parties should bear in mind this diesel-electric hybrid will be very expensive. Why do you think all current hybrids are gasoline powered? Because it makes them much cheaper to build and, also importantly, cheap to make them clean to meet strict emission standards. Diesel hybrids aren't there mostly because of double price premium (diesel over petrol engine, hybrid drivetrain over conventional one) and, in real numbers, less gain on fuel economy than in the diesel-vs-petrol pair. These machines need higher fuel prices to become viable. I'd like to see them much quicker on the market but, sadly, customers never care about the environment, only for their pockets when opting for a gas sipper. So an expensive but more efficient product is only used when it pays off, not just because its less harmful.

— downtoearth (View Profile)

Posted on 1/24/2009 5:45:08 PM | | Votes: 2   

You call yourself techgeek and you make this kind of claim? ...... Dude, you are talking about a car company that couldn't even crack the top ten in JD Powers initial Reliability (2008) with ONE of the many cars they make. I highly doubt anyone who purchased an RX400H would ever part with it for the God-awful experience of owning a Benz. The only people who would dare roll the dice with this much technology (in a benz) are the ones rolling out of a 36 or 48 month lease in a ML350/320/500. People who buy Lexus Hybrids understand that Lexus is the only proven luxury car maker that can perfect a vehicle with this much technology in it. Mark my words bro, this is waaaaaay to complicated a vehicle for Mercedes-Benz to pull off with ANY measurable amount of reliability.

— Kthorn (View Profile)

Posted on 1/24/2009 7:15:18 PM | | Votes: -2   

Lanciafan, I know you're just a kid and it can be hard at times when someone like me takes a shot at your favorite brand, (something you mistake for your ego) but with my age comes my experience. Over the years I have had the priviledge of holding many positions with franchised dealers, one of which was as a General Sales Manager for a Mercedes-Benz Franchise, (a position far beyond the factory brainwashing) so with my claims come many personal inside experiences with the different brands. And given our difference in age, I was doing much of this when you were still tucking your balls into a pair of spiderman underwear, so when you make statements about my childish or immature postings, please do so knowing long before you started dating a girl whose family could afford to drive a nice car, I was laying down my hard earned cash for them. For instance, take the Mercedes SL I owned for seven years... outside of the factory warranty I spent over $14,000 in customer pay tickets keeping that car on the road. You see, unlike you and many that post here, I have owned and driven countless BMW's, Porsches, Benz's, Volvo's, etc... and it is from these experiences that I post what I post. You say you're a Lancia fan, have you ever driven one? How about a TVR?, MG?, Rolls?, Bentley?, Carrera GT?, Ever driven a Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren around a race track?, How about a 1959 Ferrari GT250 LWB? You see, I can answer yes to all of these. I don't just get my jollies reading car magazines.

— Kthorn (View Profile)

Posted on 1/24/2009 10:06:01 PM | | Votes: 4   

you see, problem here is a bunch of teenagers who are not the real target of the luxury brand tend to judge luxury brand. if you old enough to own few different luxury brand, then you can have a more objective view of a car.

— ghosthunter (View Profile)

Posted on 1/24/2009 11:04:37 PM | | Votes: 4   

GH, from what I can tell this site is comprised of a bunch of brainwashed German fanboys who hate Asian cars and the people that build them. For someone to say Mercedes-Benz and BMW build the best cars on earth is a bunch of bull. Safety, performance, appearance, comfort, economy and dependability are what makes a great car and a great car company. Mercedes-Benz builds about 30 different variants of automobiles, BMW builds about 46. Yet the best the supposed "greatest car makers on earth" can do is place one car company in the top ten for most reliable cars for 2008, which was BMW, and they finished 7th behind Buick, Cadillac, Mercury, Acura, Toyota, and Lexus. This isn't an opinion poll as some might suggest, this is a poll of actual complaints. Lexus finished first, and it wasn't even close, they beat their next closest competitor (Mercury) by 20% fewer complaints.
So much of what makes a "luxury car" a "luxury car" is subjective and debatable; however the one luxury feature that is not subjective at all is reliability. Say what you want about buttons, levers, wheels, etc... If you can't place a car that is "engineered like no other car in the world" in the top ten for reliability, then you get no bragging rights as far as I'm concerned. Hell, they basically got beat by everybody... Ford, Mercury, Buick, Acura, Lincoln, Jaguar, Honda, Toyota, Lexus, etc... That's why I think there is no way they can pull off a diesel, electric hybrid, no way...

— Kthorn (View Profile)

Posted on 1/25/2009 2:15:30 AM | | Votes: 1   

It is a shame you are too set in your German ways to look past the look of the car.

There is so much new technology that makes your precious MB and BMW looks like it came out of the stone age.

If you think that's a bluff, just wait.

— adamsaf723 (View Profile)

Posted on 1/25/2009 2:25:40 AM | | Votes: 2   

Yea! Let your wife bring it to the service department.

— autopro (View Profile)

Posted on 1/25/2009 5:59:21 PM | | Votes: 2   

They are simply reacting to the demand in North America. Americans perceive hybrids to be "green and fuel efficient". The only luxury hybrids currently on sale are from Lexus, which are ULEV but not really that fuel efficient. The Mercedes solution seems more promising. Lighter batteries and a diesel engine (Bluetec) should make it potentially very frugal on fuel. Plus, unlike its Lexus counterparts, there is no real shrinkage in luggage compartment space. Another bonus.

— Willis (View Profile)

Posted on 1/24/2009 8:42:41 PM | | Votes: 1   

Actually, all three Lexus hybrids are SULEV, and they are not as fuel efficient as they could be because Lexus considers them "performance hybrids," i.e. faster and sportier than if they were just the stereotypical "economy car" hybrids. The Mercedes "solution" wont be much of a solution at all. The price premium of a hybrid system, plus the price premium of a diesel engine, plus the price premium of the Mercedes badge equals a way too expensive car for those actually interested in alternative fueling to consider.

— Anthony (View Profile)

Posted on 1/24/2009 11:55:15 PM | | Votes: 6   

All of Lexus' cars are ULEV or higher I believe (maybe the GX or SC isn't, but a majority of them are). They did the LS600hL wrong. They needed to make that a sub-5 second 0-60 car if they were gonna put the "performance hybrid" label on that. Granted, if you drive one, it is a rocket, but it's nothing like the GS450h is.

The RX400h is the only hybrid in the line with significant increases in fuel reduction, and even still, it would take almost 15 years to recoup the money from getting a hybrid (not including the $3500 tax deduction ;) ).

The problem with making an S400 or an LS600hL is that anyone that can afford a car like that is anything but worried about fuel costs.

— adamsaf723 (View Profile)

Posted on 1/25/2009 2:30:09 AM | | Votes: 3   

@anthony-- and add to all those price premiums, the premium price of diesel fuel in the u.s. the car may sell in europe, but the economics simply DO NOT WORK for u.s. consumers. also, the upcoming lexus hs250 promised to be an economy (vs. performance) hybrid.

— XYZZ (View Profile)

Posted on 1/27/2009 6:43:08 AM | | Votes: 1   

"promised" => promises

— XYZZ (View Profile)

Posted on 1/27/2009 6:48:20 AM | | Votes: 1   

lol yea right they are.... you should compare the sales of the toyota Landcruiser with the Lexus LX570 together to compete with the Mercedes Benz GL itself... ITS NO COMPARE... no one would pay more for a toyota landcruiser that starts at about 61000 over a Mercedes GL that starts at about 58000..... remember when u think Mercedes.... and when you think toyota... there is a difference

— shabaru (View Profile)

Posted on 1/27/2009 10:33:56 PM | | Votes: -1