The U.S.-market S350 will wear BlueTec badges and therefore use AdBlue urea injection to clean up the exhaust. It will be available exclusively with 4MATIC all-wheel drive. The 2011 ML350, R350, GL350, and E350 diesels use a similar turbo-diesel V-6 rated at 210 hp and 400 lb-ft. EPA ratings for the S350 BlueTec aren’t available yet, but the optimistic Europeans rate the S350 at a combined 37 mpg, so high 20s on the highway is a reasonable expectation for EPA tests. It’s sure to be more efficient than the gutsy S550 and S600 and perhaps even better than the S400 hybrid’s 19 city/26 highway mpg ratings.
Power-wise, the S350 will slot in at the bottom of the S-class range, with slightly less horsepower than the hybrid, but with the added bonus of heaps more torque. Expect it to be the slowest S-class, too; Mercedes says the European rear-drive S350 takes 7.8 seconds to reach 62 mph—for reference, we got the S400 hybrid to the 60-mph mark in 7.1 seconds. But Americans picking a diesel likely value other qualities higher than all-out speed.
Pricing is a little harder to pin down. Mercedes says it won’t release official numbers until closer to the model’s launch in the first quarter of 2011. We do know the S350 won’t be a stripper (a relative term with an S-class) and will be available with most of the same packages and equipment as other trim levels.
Broadly speaking, it’s not that surprising to see automakers putting smaller, more efficient powertrains in their luxury machines; witness the availability of six-cylinder engines in the BMW 740i/Li and Porsche Panamera. While a small diesel doesn’t necessarily fit the traditional S-class image in the U.S., it will satisfy eco-conscious buyers and help improve Mercedes’ average fuel-economy figures.
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