2016 Mercedes-Benz C350e Plug-In Hybrid - Car and Driver (blog)

With the recent announcement that 10 plug-equipped Mercedes models will hit the streets by 2017 , we applaud anything that lessens the sensory shock of that many capital letters. As its name suggests, the C boasts six-cylinder power figures, although Mercedes claims it posts three-cylinder economy numbers. Featuring a four-cylinder engine making 208 horsepower and an electric motor pumping out 80 horses, the C moves out on a bountiful, relaxed wave of 443 lb-ft of total-system torque. In classic M-B fashion, it’s not a riotous explosion of power, but rather a steroidal serenity, bolstered by the latest C-class’s neo-S-class comportment. But in place of a torque converter, the gearbox features the electric motor bolted up to a wet clutch, offering torque-converter smoothness with directly coupled efficiency. In the Mercedes, the shift paddles do something other than regulate regenerative power—we’re looking at you, Cadillac ELR—allowing for honest-to-Fangio back-road shenanigans. A range of four drive modes (Eco, Comfort, Sport, and Sport+) pair with a quartet of electricity-management selections (Hybrid, E-mode, E-save, and Charge, allowing for everything from hillside jaunts with antisocial intent to congestion-zone... Mercedes claims that on the ridiculously optimistic European cycle, the car is good for 20 miles on electricity alone. Source: www.caranddriver.com