Those of you living in the United States who are interested in purchasing a frugal Mercedes-Benz E-Class have only two options to choose from, the E350 BlueTec which is diesel powered and the E400 hybrid. The latter utilizes a V6 gasoline power unit and an electric motor which allows the vehicle to return 24 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway, according to the German carmaker. If you’re short on cash, you might consider opting for the E350 BlueTec taking into account that it is about $3,600 more affordable than the E400 Hybrid which has a starting price of $56,705. Regarding fuel economy, the aforementioned E350 BlueTec is capable of returning 21 mpg in the city and 32 mpg on the highway.
The 2013 Mercedes-Benz E400 Hybrid is able to output 302 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque from that V6 3.5-liter engine, combined with the 27 hp and 184 lb-ft generated by the electric motor, for a grand total of 329 hp and 457 lb-ft, which is enough power to propel the hybrid sedan from 0 to 60 mph in a decent 6.7 seconds.
This model is about $5,000 cheaper than the BMW ActiveHybrid 5 and approximately $2,000 more affordable than the Lexus GS 450h. However, it’s about $1,600 pricier than the Infiniti M35h. Although it is competitively priced, the E400 Hybrid from Mercedes-Benz falls several mpg short than most of its rivals in this segment, which is a very important factor to take into account if fuel economy is on top of your priorities, which could very well be since we’re talking about a hybrid car. The good news is that if this E400 Hybrid is not your piece of cake, there are a lot of other models to choose from for the upcoming 2013 model year.
