In the process of introducing its two new mainstream engines, Mercedes-Benz would like to point out that internal combustion engines ain't dead yet.
In fact, the company is claiming that its upcoming 4.7-liter twin-turbo V8 and 3.5-liter V6 will post gas-electric hybrid-like jumps in fuel economy of 22 percent and 24 percent respectively. The engines will deliver more power too.
Make the jump for the details and more photos.
First, a note of caution: Be mindful of the small print though. Those numbers are not EPA's numbers but are Mercedes' own estimates. Further since a chunk of that fuel economy comes from the company newly standard start/stop system, it's not likely to show up as quite as great a fuel economy improvement on U.S.-market window stickers since the EPA's current testing standard doesn't really reflect the improved real-world economy that comes from this type of system.
Anyway, on with the good news. The new V8 is a direct-injected twin-turbo unit of 4663 cc displacement. According to Mercedes, the engine, which will appear first in the CL-Class coupe and S-Class sedan this fall, will pump out a healthy 435 hp and 516 pound-feet of torque, up 12 percent and 32 percent respectively. Thanks to the direct injection system, Mercedes can run the engine at 10.5:1 compression ratio.
The V6 starts with a new architecture. It goes from a 90 degree V angle to 60 degrees. I has all-new intake and exhaust and will make 306 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque. Mercedes claims that an S350 (a model we do not get in the U.S.) will achieve 24 percent better fuel economy than the old S350. Take that for what you will. Again, a large part of the improvement comes from the standard stop/start system.
Another element of both new engines (and one that should be reflected in EPA fuel economy numbers) is the addition of ancillary units that consume less of the engine's power. These include water pump, oil pump and fuel pump. Both motors will also come with intelligent generator management systems. No word on when or in what model the new V6 will debut.
hybris says:
07:30 AM, 05/ 5/10
I can't help but feel like a V8 that displaces less then 5.0L is too small to justify a V8 when a equal size V6 would probably make that much power anyway.
mustang5507 says:
08:03 AM, 05/ 5/10
@hybris:
case in point: Ford...
2010 Mustang V6, 4.0L, 210hp, 240 ft*lb
2005 Thunderbird/Lincoln LS V8, 3.9L, 280hp, 286 ft*lb
2011 Mustang V6, 3.7L, 307hp, 273 ft*lb
now compare the levels of technology that have gone into each engine. I almost promise you...if the 3.9 and 3.7 had equal levels of tech put into them, the V8 would make a might more power.
felonious says:
09:03 AM, 05/ 5/10
Hybris, maybe it's not about peak numbers, but about how the power is made.
makakio says:
09:24 AM, 05/ 5/10
Question: do the pipes on most cars get red-hot like that?
autopal says:
10:11 AM, 05/ 5/10
We will surely miss that sonorous engine note from the AMG version. Turbo charged engine just cant match the sound of a natrually aspirated V8.
jeremy0818 says:
11:08 AM, 05/ 5/10
@hybris:
Once a 6 cylinder engine (whether its a boxer flat 6, inline 6 or a V6) reaches about 4.0 or 4.1 in displacement it starts to lose efficiency. Thats why you don't see so many of them, if any at all, in production cars. All else equal, V8 would make smoother and fatter torque/powerband, at the cost of theoretically compromised reliability (more moving parts including piston, connecting rods, bolts, spark plug etc)
@makakio:
Most production cars under normal driving, no. High output performance vehicles under hard driving, yes. Brake rotors will glow too if you do some serious driving.
bimmerjay says:
08:34 PM, 05/ 5/10
I can't help but notice that Mercedes is a little behind the curve on this one compared to its Bavarian rival to the south. This seriously could have read like a press release from BMW from a few years back. BMW's EfficientDynamics functions were introduced years ago - Start/Stop, decoupling 'smart' alternators, electronic pump systems (i.e. electric water and oil pumps have been on the 3-Series since 2006), and so on. And they started moving to turbo-charging in 2007 and DI before that...
matt310 says:
01:34 PM, 05/ 6/10
Oh bimmerjay, I know you're not about to bring BMW's electric water pump into this post as some huge advancement in technology. The failure rate of those and the HPFPs in the 3ers alone has been a huge embarrassment for BMW. I'm no MB fan, but maybe they did a little bit better development testing of their components before they flung them into their cars and exclaimed "first!"
jb68902 says:
12:29 PM, 05/22/10
Has anyone noticed that the first picture of the new V8 is in a new engine bay. It can't be the E's engine bay because the lights don't match, it can't be the new CLS because again the lights don't match.
The lights in that picture greatly resemble the current S-Class... so I'm guessing it's the new S-Class in a sort of teaser picture.
If it is the new 2012 S-Class, some differences appear to be a much larger grill, and completely LED lights.
The flared wheel arches appear to be unchanged.