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2010 Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid

Mercedes-Benz made a hybrid S-Class? Mercedes-Benz made a hybrid S-Class. The W221 carried on the S-Class name proudly in the late 2000’s and when everyone jumped on the hybrid hype train, so did the Sonderklasse. Mercedes-Benz really had no choice, the 7-series, A8 and Lexus LS all were launching hybrids as well so it only made sense competitively for a hybrid S-Class to be offered as well. The result was the S400 Hybrid, a mild hybrid (gas engine working in parallel configuration with an electric motor) that returned 19 city and 26 highway miles per gallon. Compared to V8 S550, that was a slight improvement over the 15 city and 23 highway but you also gave up 87 horsepower and 117 lb·ft of torque. So why in the world would you buy one of these?

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2010 Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid on eBay

Year: 2010
Model: S400 Hybrid
Engine: 3.5 liter V6 & 3-phase AC magneto
Transmission: 7-speed automatic
Mileage: 52,690 mi
Price: $23,500 Buy It Now

You are viewing a stunning 2010 Mercedes S400 HYBRID. It has only had two owners from new (both in Austin, Texas) and the 60k service was just performed at Mercedes of Austin. It is in excellent condition inside and out and has always been dealer serviced here in town (records are available with dealer).

This car had basically all the options ticked when sold new and had a sticker over $100,000. The options list is below:

Premium 1 Package: Headlights: Bi-Xenon; Headlight control and active headlights; LED day time running lights; Driver and front passenger seat front seat heated, ventilated and climate-controlled

Premium 2 Package: Driver and front passenger seat front seat active/massage and active seat bolstering; Smart card/smart key with keyless entry includes keyless starter; Card key power locks; Front radar parking distance sensors, rear camera parking distance sensors; Parking assistance: guidance display for rear parking

Sport Package: Front spoiler; Side body skirts; Front and rear alloy wheels: 19″; Front 255/35- and summer tires, rear 275/35- and summer tires

Rear Seat Entertainment Package: Entertainment display screen located in back of front seats; Two sets of wireless headphones; Two remote controls

Driver Assistance Package: Overtaking sensor; Adaptive cruise control; Lane departure warning; Requires: [P02] Premium 2 Package

Power Rear Side Window Sunblinds

Panorama Sunroof

There are no mechanical or electrical issues and everything functions as it should. If you have any specific questions, feel free to contact me directly. I’ve been on ebay since 1998 and have an excellent feedback record during my almost 20 year history here.

Title is in hand and I can assist the buyer with shipping if needed.

The most interested thing about the S400 Hybrid is that it was the cheapest S-Class you could buy in the United States. BMW and Lexus made buyers shell out a premium for their flagship hybrids but Mercedes-Benz actually gave consumers a $3650 discount along with an $1150 federal tax credit to take home the S400 over the S550. Before anyone gets too excited, the MSRP still started at $88,825 and with stuff like the P1 and P2 packages like this one for sale in Texas, you could get to $100,000 without much effort. Of course, there is also the “smugness factor” buyers reap when purchasing a hybrid vehicle and other more practical things like HOV lane access, although some states put an end to that practice.

For $23,500, this price is low enough to make you consider the S400 — at first. In terms of increased complexity, the car is setup with the standard M272 V6 engine but with a electric motor and lithium-ion battery pack placed between it and the 7G-Tronic gearbox. It sounds great, although there is a “but” here and I wish I could put that “but” in size 72 font. When this battery fails on this car, which it will, the Mercedes-Benz dealer will replace it for $21,000. Doing the quick mental math here, you can see how this isn’t ideal. It’s not like you can run the car without a battery either. Some owners have lucked out and had their battery die within the original warranty period to prompt a week long celebration of relief and joy while others have went ahead with their bankruptcy filings. There was some talk of a 10 year and 150,000 mile warranty on the battery if the S400 was sold in certain states, but confirming that hypothetical situation was difficult to say the least. You can actually buy a replacement battery for around $2,000, but unless you were trained by Mercedes on how to actually replace one of these, is your life worth it?

– Andrew

4 Comments

  1. JCHouston
    JCHouston May 26, 2017

    Surely that’s a typo. TWENTY one thousand???

    I need more information.

  2. Andrew
    Andrew May 26, 2017

    @JCHOUSTON That was the number I was given from an owner of a 2010 S400 in 2014. His battery died just before his warranty expired so he was covered. Apparently the replacement took weeks.

  3. JCHouston
    JCHouston May 26, 2017

    Interesting. I had to poke around. Found this on an MB board from an S400 Hybrid owner:

    “The problem was unfortunately not the 12v system, although that’s what the dealer looked at first. What they found was a failing Power Electronics Module – Start/Stop (P/N 000 906 4703). Apparently this was the second one of these with the same problem that this dealer had seen in as many months. In any case, initial quote from the dealer to repair was $900 labor and $11,400 for the part. Three minutes on the internet, several days, and some intervention from MBUSA left me with a part cost of $6400, and after labor and tax repair cost of $7,700. Looking at other hybrid-specific parts (including a hybrid battery that has been upgraded and now costs double what it used to) I decided to trade it on a 2013 E350 BlueTEC. Even the MBUSA folks told me it was a catastrophically expensive car to own outside of warranty. “

  4. ace10
    ace10 May 27, 2017

    As noted in the write-up… unless the car is eligible for HOV plates, there is zero reason to own this vehicle.

    $0.02

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