W222_Mercedes-Benz_S_400_Hybrid_020

Mercedes-Benz Malaysia have introduced a new variant to the W222 S-Class line-up here in Malaysia - the S400L, priced at RM865,888 OTR without insurance for a CBU import. There has been no official press release so far but a visit to Cycle & Carriage PJ reveals that a price and equipment list for the new variant are already on display. Don't get confused now - the S400L and S400L Hybrid are two different variants.

Under the S400L's hood is a 3.0 litre twin-turbo V6 engine, the same one found in the E400. It produces 333 horsepower and 480 Nm of torque, taking it to 100 km/h in 6.1 seconds. That's faster than the S400L Hybrid's 6.8 seconds. Swap a hybrid system for two turbochargers and what you'll lose in terms of torque from the electric motor, you'll gain in terms of torque from forced induction.

The introduction of the S400L is timely as waiting lists for the locally assembled S400L Hybrid have gone beyond a year right now. If you try to book the S400L Hybrid now, your Mercedes-Benz dealership will tell you you can only get your car after December 2015, which is when the NAP 2014's locally assembled hybrid duty exemption would have ended. There is no official pricelist for the hybrid model with full duties as of now, but unofficially it is RM899,888, so this non-hybrid S400L is a little cheaper.

As far as we can tell, specs for the S400L are exactly the same as the S400L Hybrid except for the interior wood trim, where the S400L Hybrid uses a fancier designo Sunburst Myrtle wood trim which has a nice gradient effect on it, while the S400L uses Burr Walnut wood trim.

For further info, compare the S400L with the S400L Hybrid at CarBase.my.