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…
4 CommentsTag: hybrid
There is nothing wrong with your television set. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are controlling transmission. If we wish to make it louder, we will bring up the volume. If we wish to make it softer, we will tune it to a whisper. We will control the horizontal. We will control the vertical. We can roll the image, make it flutter. We can change the focus to a soft blur or sharpen it to crystal clarity. For the next hour, sit quietly and we will control all that you see and hear. We repeat: there is nothing wrong with your television set. You are about to participate in a great adventure. You are about to experience the awe and mystery which reaches from the inner mind to – The Outer Limits.
Alright, after a bit of a lengthy admission that we can’t cover all German cars or even all that we’re interested in, I’m going to present you with something a little different. SUVs scarcely come across these pages despite their popularity, but then hybrids also don’t usually make it on to the GCFSB search criteria. So by a “little different”, I mean a lot. A lot of weight, for starters, as this Q5 hybrid tips the scales with no passengers at a hefty 4,400 lbs. A lot of technology? Undoubtedly, the Ingolstadt engineers packed this car full of every gadget at their disposal, and then had at the engine to couple it with an electronic hybrid assist. A lot of color? That too, as the buyer of this Q5 hybrid took it to the next level and let Audi Exclusive paint it the interesting shade of Papaya Orange. That’s sure a lot of a lot to take in….
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2013 Audi Q5 Hybrid Exclusive on eBay
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We’ve been accused of preferring older car designs to new ones. Rightly so, a majority of the cars that we feature are at least 10 years old, with a fair chunk now being over 20 years old. Are we out of touch with the market? Well, certainly that could be said – however, I think if you poll all of the authors here (and, a majority of our fans), most people just don’t get as excited about a car that you can pop down to the dealership and buy versus one that’s been well traveled, taken care of, and is hard to find in good shape. It’s the same reason why Antiques Roadshow is so popular; anyone can go buy the popular toy of the day and leave it in its original packing – but find a toy from the 1950s or 1960s in its original package and the pricing will probably surprise you. Heck, even my Transformers from when I was a kid are now quite valuable in good shape.
So we’re only interested in old cars? Well, not so fast – there have been several very exciting and pioneering designs that are quickly transforming the automotive landscape even as I write. The Porsche 918 Spyder, for example, has redefined supercars along with the LaFerrari and P1. They’ve looked at hybrid technology not as the death of performance, but as an opportunity to better exploit it. However, all three of these designs are ultra-limited, ultra-exclusive and ultra-expensive cars, leaving mere mortals without hedge funds to dream of owing them only in passing flights of fancy. However, BMW has taken a very different route with its hybrid technology, offering two platforms that are both brilliant and innovative in their own ways. The admittedly less exciting, more practical application is the i3; a small electric city car. Our editor Paul recently checked one of these out at a dealer and posted it to our Facebook Fanpage; the reaction from enthusiasts was less than, well…enthusiastic. However, I suggested that BMW’s departure into functional, efficient designs was at least innovative and admirable – this is technology that won’t kill cars, but will in fact allow them to thrive and continue for generations to come. Perhaps, then, the more exciting application of BMW’s efficient design “i” branding will sway you – the lightweight, sporty i8: