MAINSTREAM MARATHONERS

Is a hybrid truly a replacement for a diesel?

- Rivan RS

A legacy is not something you mess with. Adding an S to the end of EQ means far more than adding a C, or any other letter from Mercedes-Benz’s alphabet code. After all, the S-Class is touted to be the best car in the world, and it even won Luxury Car of the Year at the Motoring World Awards 2022. So, is the Mercedes EQS 580 4MATIC worthy of the S? To look at, I’d say yes, to a certain degree.

We all marked our calendars on the day — April 1, 2020. It was the day when a large number of diesel cars had to be axed from our market. Maruti Suzuki was one such manufacturer that had to stop using both, the superb 1.3-litre Multijet engine, and its in-house developed 1.5-litre diesel engine. Common perception still suggests ‘if it’s an SUV, it’s got to be a diesel’, and despite the shift to more stringent emission norms (and the expense that goes into meeting them), carmakers like Hyundai have soldiered on with their small diesel unit.

HUD on the Grand Vitara works great, but looks flimsy