- Mercedes-Benz says its upcoming 4.7-liter twin-turbo V8 and 3.5-liter V6 will post big gains in fuel economy and power.
- The 4.7-liter twin-turbo V8 is rated at 435 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque, with a 22 percent improvement in fuel economy.
- 3.5-liter V6 makes 306 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque with a 24 percent jump in fuel economy.
STUTTGART, Germany — Mercedes-Benz announced today that its upcoming 4.7-liter twin-turbo V8 and 3.5-liter V6 will post gas-electric hybrid-like jumps in fuel economy, 22 percent and 24 percent respectively. The engines will deliver more power, too.
Those numbers are not official EPA 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.
The new V8 is a direct-injected twin-turbo unit of 4,663 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 horsepower 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 hp and 273 lb-ft 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. Again, a large part of the improvement comes from the standard stop/start system. No word on when or in what model the new V6 will debut.
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 the water pump, oil pump and fuel pump. Both motors will also come with intelligent generator management systems.
Inside Line says: Mercedes-Benz really should come up with a catchy name for its new turbocharged and direct-injected V8. How about EcoBoost? What? Oh. How about EcoBoostTronic, then? — Daniel Pund, Senior Editor, Detroit
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bigdaveo says:
04:03 PM, 07/19/2010
Well, there goes the insurance rates ! I'm satisfied with the true and tried 268 hp engine for the GLK 350. It's plenty of power for the vehicle.
tonkatoytruck says:
09:09 AM, 05/18/2010
I would like to answer several questions raised here.
Mercedes dragged its feet on turbos because of the added cost associated with this additional hardware. It is much cheaper to built a normally aspirated engine then to include power adders.
They have dragged their feet on better gas mileage because it costs money to improve mileage. Pure and simple. Variable valve timing, aluminum, dual induction, direct fuel injection, etc. ALL costs money. Large displacement engines are tried and true and are more reliable than over rev'd small displacement motors. Another reason for simple NA engines.
And lastly, although these twin turbo monsters CLAIM better fuel economy, it just is not so if driven with any haste. This is a last ditch attempt to avoid turning the wick down while claiming better gas mileage. There is nothing Eco about the Ford or anyone else's engines, for that matter.
ferenc says:
03:36 PM, 05/05/2010
all the car manufacturers have been holding out on us. all of a sudden they all can build engines that are more powerful and get better gas mileage at the same time than their previous engines.
offroadbob1 says:
02:16 PM, 05/05/2010
All of these criticisms of M-B's new engines may be ignoring a few crucial considerations: BMW and Audi (my presonal favorite) rely on turbo- and supercharging, respectively, to boost their 3.0 liter engines to the 300 HP mark. Lexus and Infiniti have high-compression engines of 11.8:1 and 11.0:1, respectively, to put their V-6s over the 300HP threshold. Along with other gains in efficiency, M-B sets its new 3.5 liter V-6 at 10.5:1 which makes for a less stressed engine which will hold up better over the long term. At that compression ratio, it could conceiveably be tuned to handle 89 or even 87 octane gas. (Alright, that last part is a pipe dream.) Very likely, the engine is also lighter, which will also help its performance. It appears to me that the boys and girls at Stuttgart have built an engine that makes more power on less with less complexity. How is this a problem?
btrdayz says:
11:19 AM, 05/05/2010
Breaking the 300-hp Barrier
If there's a theme to the new SLK, it's the adoption of a more aggressive personality, and this is reflected in the significant changes made to the SLK350's 24-valve DOHC 3.5-liter V6. A taller 11.7:1 compression ratio is accompanied by more deeply shrouded valves in the combustion chamber and new camshaft timing.
There have also been some big changes to the induction system, with the adoption of a single-stage inlet manifold that feeds air into the engine via a plastic intake tract, a feature that reduces heat buildup and thus lowers the engine's operating temperature.
The result is a 33-hp jump, and the SL350 now packs a muscular 305 hp at 6,500 rpm. At the same time, torque is up by 7 pound-feet to 265 lb-ft at 4,900 rpm.
As impressive as the numbers might seem, the personality change in the engine is what really makes all the changes under the hood worthwhile. There's now a whole new level of throttle response, while a stronger rush of power at the top end extends the redline to 7,200 rpm from 6,800 rpm. As a result, the 2008 Mercedes-Benz SLK350 feels a good deal more determined than ever before.
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The above is from an InsideLine review of a 2008 SLK350, so it looks like the new engine get 1 extra horsie and 8 more pounds of twist. Wondering if the new engine is lighter than the old, or makes more torque available at a lower RPM? I guess we'll soon see. Looks like this engine is just in time for the new SLK that's on the way.
m89 says:
11:08 AM, 05/05/2010
So the new 4.7L CGI Bi-Turbo develops 100 more hp and 177 more lb-ft of torque over the current 4.7L "450" V8 - plus achieves better fuel economy numbers. Sounds like a good dealio to me.
qqt414 - MB already has a direct-injected "CGI" version of their current 90 degree 3.5L V6, however it isn't sold in North America. Also, the port fuel injected 3.5L V6 does develops over 300 hp in the SLK 350 (304 HP) and the SL 350 in Europe (314 HP). While 268 hp is lower in terms of numbers on paper - in terms of acceleration, it isn't lacking in available power. While it won't outrun the competition in a drag race, it won't be miles behind them either, and it will certainly be plenty fast enough for most driver's needs.
half_ton says:
10:50 AM, 05/05/2010
MB seems to always have engines that huge amounts of torque. The 516 ft-lbs in this 4.7 V8 matches the rating for the old E55 AMG. That is simply amazing!
@qqt414
Good point about the 3.5 V6 just now getting 300 HP. They are a step behind in this area.
danwilson1 says:
10:46 AM, 05/05/2010
You cannot seriously expect a company to bring out a new engine on Tuesday just because a rival brought one out on Monday. Creating an engine - design and testing - takes years.
Judging an engine based on horsepower output is getting old. Even with 268-horsepower the current E350 is a fast car. The fact that it is a second slower to 60 bothers who exactly? Racedrivers? Really? Because last time I checked the folks buying E350 drive in a relaxed manor, not the boy-racer attitude that prevails here.
The new V6 sounds very impressive, especially because they went frlom a 90 degree to 60 degree V angle. I eagerly await the benefits of this new design. I am guessing it will be very fuel efficient and also powerful enough.
qqt414 says:
10:22 AM, 05/05/2010
I do not understand how a company like Mercedes is so behind its competitors in the powertrain department. The new 4.7 liter twin turbo sounds promising and did not come out to much later than its competitors (i.e. bmw twin turbo) and frankly bens' current naturally aspirated V8 is definitely class competitive. What i am bothered about is that mercedes has been soldiering on with its OLD 3.5 liter v-6 up to this point. BMW Audi Lexus and Infiniti have been doing plus 300hp 6 cylinder powerplants for at least the past 3 years and some even longer! Now mercedes comes late to the game and gives us a di 3.5 liter with the same specs that debuted with the IS350 4-5 years ago?!! Come on Mercedes you gotta move the game forward here.