Report: Mercedes-Benz S350 Bluetec joining lineup for 2011

Mercedes-Benz has confirmed to Autoblog that the S400 hybrid won't remain the only efficiency-minded member of the S-Class family for long. The S350 Bluetec will be coming to the U.S. market for 2011 as the first diesel S-Class since the mid-1990s. The S350 will use the same 3.5-liter turbodiesel V6 already used in Mercedes' ML, GL and R-Class SUVs. That engine is rated at 210 horsepower and 400 pound-feet and includes a urea injection system to treat the NOx emissions in the exhaust.

We expect the S350 to at least match – if not beat – the 22 mpg real-world results we achieved with the S400 gas-electric earlier this year, and it will probably have similar performance thanks to its exceptional torque. There is no word on pricing, but we anticipate it will sticker at or below the S400's $87,950 base price for 2010.

[Source: BenzInsider.com]