First comparison Mercedes S 580 e 4Matic vs Audi A8 60 TFSI e Quatro, BMW 745e

Mercedes has announced the prices for the new Mercedes S 580 e Plug-In Hybrid model. They start at 123,736 euros for the standard wheelbase version. With an electric range of 100 km and the ability to charge the battery at DC stations, the Mercedes S 580 e has a clear advantage over rivals BMW 745e and Audi A8 60 TFSI e Quattro.

Mercedes has perfected the Plug-In Hybrid propulsion system to the maximum and currently offers facilities that do not exist in rivals:
– charging at DC stations in a time at least 4 times faster than at rivals
– electric range more than double compared to rivals.
Let’s explain in detail.

The battery with a gross capacity of 28.6 kWh (21.6 kWh net) gives an electric range of 103 km, double that of its rivals. By comparison, the BMW 745 e has a battery of 12.0 kWh gross (10.4 kWh net), and the Audi A8 60 TFSI e quattro battery of 14.1 kWh gross (net n.a.) which gives them a range of only 47, respectively 50 km.

After introducing DC charging to the compact range, Mercedes extended this feature to the rest of the PHEV models. Thus, the new Mercedes S 580 e can be charged from 0 to 100% at DC stations in just 30 minutes. There is also the possibility of charging at 11 kW AC stations in just over two hours. By comparison BMW 745 e is charged only at AC stations with a maximum of 3.7 kW and charging takes 3.4 hours.
The Audi A8 charges slightly faster at AC stations with up to 7.4 kW and the charging time is 2.15 h.

Although the battery capacity of the Mercedes S 580 e is almost double that of the old model, Mercedes has optimized battery positioning and now the luggage compartment no longer has a step and offers a through-loading facility. This was made possible by redesigning the rear suspension which is now more compact and its height has been reduced by 27 mm. Mercedes has not yet communicated the trunk volume of the PHEV version.

The Mercedes S 580 e is powered by the M256 6-cylinder in-line 3-liter engine with 367 HP/500 Nm coupled with a 150 HP/480 Nm electric motor located between the heat engine and the 9G-Tronic 9-speed automatic transmission. The whole system provides a total of 510 HP and 750 Nm.
By comparison, the Audi A8 60 TFSi e Quattro has 449 HP/700 Nm (3-liter V6 engine with 340 HP/500 Nm, electric motor with 136 HP/ 350 Nm) and  BMW 745 has 394 HP/600 Nm (6-cylinder inline  3-liter engine with 286 HP/450 Nm, electric motor of 113 HP/ 265 Nm).
Mercedes S 580 e is not faster than its rivals because due to the large battery, it is heavier than BMW 745 e (2070 kg) and Audi A8 60 TFSI e Quaatro (2375 kg). The acceleration 0-100 km/h is realized in 5.2 seconds (the same for BMW 745 e, 4.9 sec for Audi).  Another disadvantage of Mercedes is that it does not offer at least for the moment four wheel drive option which is available at Audi and BMW.

The PHEV system is available in both short and long versions. The Mercedes S 580 e costs 123,736 euros while the long version starts at 127,425.20 euros. Audi A8 60 TFSi e Quattro costs 106,700 euros in the standard version and 110,200 euros in the L version. BMW 745 e starts at 103,700 euros while the long LE version costs 109,100 euros and the long all-wheel drive 745 Le xDrive 112,500 euros.