New diesel V8 for S-Class

Mercedes-Benz engineers employed common-rail technology, twin turbochargers, and a water-cooled intercooler to achieve 9.6 L/100 km fuel consumption while satisfying EU 3 emissions limits.

Under the hood of the S 400 CDI lies the first V8 compression-ignition powerplant to be fitted to a Mercedes-Benz passenger car. Company engineers have combined common-rail injection and four valves per cylinder with innovations such as twin turbocharging with electric guide vane adjustment, water-cooled intercooling, a new type of inlet metered high-pressure pump, and water-cooled exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) with an electrically operated intake-airthrottle. The result is 184 kW (250 hp) at 4000 rpm and 560 N·m (413 lb·ft) from 1700 to 2600 rpm, with overall New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) fuel consumption of 9.6 L7100 km. The engine's 4.0-L displacement is arrived at with a bore and stroke of 86 mm (3.39 in). The pistons run in wet, cast-iron cylinder liners at a distance of 97 mm (3.82 in).

The car can cover more than 910 km (565 mi) on a single 88-L (23 gal) tank. The S 400 CDI can sprint from rest to 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 7.8 s and is capable of 250 km/h (155 mph). Even more impressive is the engine's flexibility: the car requires only 7.7 s to accelerate from 60 to 120 km/h (37 to 75 mph) in third gear, making it more than 1.4 s quicker than the S 430 with a 205-kW (279-hp) V8 gasoline engine.