Diesel still has a future according to Mercedes

The near future of Mercedes cars will be electric, in the meantime, however, the House of the Star continues and will continue to believe in diesel, especially for high-end cars.

While it is true that with the new CLA - which will be presented in Rome in March 2025 - the company is about to unveil a new mild hybrid petrol engine, which promises to be super-efficient. It is also true that for more upmarket cars, historically dedicated to those who churn out a high amount of miles every day, diesel will continue to be an important choice, with both four- and six-cylinder engines.

Indeed, the Stuttgart-based company has explained that it does not intend to stop investing in this fuel as a transitional technology, which it will continue to do at least for as long as it is allowed to. We find out all the whys and hows of the matter in this short insight.

Why Mercedes still believes in Diesel

According to a company statement at an event dedicated specifically to diesel power, diesel still accounts for 74 per cent of customer preferences in the 'Cars' segment and 90 per cent for commercial vehicles with the Star in the grille.

Mercedes CLE Cabrio 2024

Photo by: Mercedes-Benz

According to the company, the success is due to the continuous investments made in this technology over the past decades, which have led to a significant reduction in consumption and emissions. Today, in fact, the latest generation of engines, such as the OM654 and OM656, not only comply with the most stringent pollution regulations, in fact, but also integrate very well with hybrid solutions, including plug-in hybrid versions capable of travelling up to 75 miles in electric mode, which we have had the opportunity to test in depth in our numerous road tests.

As we have often reported in our Real Consumption column, the new OM654 four-cylinder diesel in particular may (at least for as long as it is available) be a winning choice even in the lower segments led by the evergreen A-Class, which during our Rome-Forlì test with the 2.0 diesel engine with 116 PS managed to achieve an average consumption of 3.40 l/100 km (83.0 mpg), while with the 1.3 turbo petrol engine with 163 PS it stopped at 4.00 l/100 km (70.6 mpg).

Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class Coupé 2024

From the C-Class upwards

Turning now from the present to the future, as far as the next few years are concerned Mercedes has announced that it has decided to focus the future of diesel in the upper segments, starting with the C-Class, a strategy which, according to the manufacturer, will in the long term allow the benefits of this technology to be maximised for larger and heavier vehicles, where diesel even today remains unsurpassed in terms of torque and consumption.

But where did the love between the Star and this type of fuel come from? The answer is called 260D of 1936, the first car in history on which a diesel engine was installed as standard, a solution that then evolved thanks to turbodiesel technology in the 1970s and thanks to the Common Rail system in the 1990s.

Mercedes ML 350 Bluetec 2008

Photo by: Mercedes-Benz

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But that's not all, because in the mid-2000s the company pioneered AdBlue technology, which made its debut on the Euro 6 evolution of the V6 OM642, first on the E-Class 320 Bluetec and then on the ML, GL and R 350 Bluetec, a solution that was at the time definitively pioneering in minimising NOx and particulate emissions.

Finally, the latest generation of engines was designed already compatible with advanced biofuels such as HVO100 and today represents the pinnacle of the evolution of this technology.

Diesel is not dead:

Diesel cars in the UK are a dying breed, but they’re not dead yet

Toyota believes diesel has a long future

V8 diesel engines: The big challenge between Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz

Mazda determined to sell diesel cars for as long as customers want them

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