Generally speaking, the mild hybrid system is great. Car reviews like it, and it makes the start stop function undetectable. However, there have been reports on MB forums of cars with EQ boost catching on fire randomly when parked.

 

This 48v mild hybrid system is coming to all cars. It solves a lot of issues, expanded electronics cause old school 12v systems to struggle. They make engine start stop seamless. They remove the need for a starter, and they provide fuel usage free power.

 

Exactly. The "mild hybrid" label is misleading because the system isn't much like a regular hybrid, and actually mechanically simplifies a vehicle by removing the need for things like belt-driven accessories and replacing the alternator and starter. It's certainly a lot more stable than your average start-stop system.

Mercedes' EQ boost with the supercharger and turbocharger is a fair bit more complicated than your average mild hybrid systems though.

 

Car and Driver hated the one on the Ram with the 5.7. It would stall and caused all kinds of problems, and even worse, they averaged 14MPG overall. That's almost LX570-bad gas mileage for a 2020 vehicle with something that's purported to raise MPG.

Clearly this stuff isn't ready yet. I would kindly pass and just take the 5.7 if buying a Ram.

 

Rather just have a simplified system. All this new tech just increases the cost and future repairs.

 

The mild hybrid system in the Mercedes works pretty well. I remember when I first drove a car with autostart/stop it was Soo clunky and slow. In the Mercedes you barely notice it.

 

So what.....Who cares? The heck with them. I have absolutely no sympathy for automakers who needlessly keep new designs under wraps....it is shameful. The more premature the photos/images, and the more detail can be shown, the better....more power to them.

 

It’s a business Mike. Shameful?

 

Yup and it's their business to run as they see fit.

 

Not to mention, keeping design and features secret/out of sight from competition at least until it's released.

 

I don't want any of that crap. Start/stop, mild hybrid, nothing. Gas mileage be damned. I wasn't a fan of that (why does the Hemi need anything else, like really?) to begin with and this just confirmed it.

And 14MPG over a 40k mile road test is pretty terrible for a 2020 Ram, when there are pickups and SUVs that get wayyyyy better mileage than that these days.

 

a sample set of one you extrapolate to saying it's bad for every vehicle on the market. mmkay.

yes, we can't have innovation and disturb the 'established order' of things, around, what, 1990?

i think you should post your account numbers, balances, and all your secrets as it would be shameful not to. same logic. innovation requires secrecy to have a competitive edge. there's secret designs and 'leaks' in all industries, but you pick on cars for some reason. remember they do have to continue to sell what dealers ALREADY HAVE and what they ALREADY MAKE, otherwise you wind up with Osborne Syndrome.

 

Mmkay what? A C&D 40,000 mile road test is a legitimate objective review. 14MPG, wow. 17 hwy. An LX570 from 2008 gets about that. And that's with the BS "mild hybrid" junk. Clearly it doesn't work.

I sure wouldn't place much faith in Mercedes or BMW systems, either.

I don't want any of that crap on a vehicle I drive. Fuel saving stuff doesn't make the car better, it makes it worse.

 

I was always surprised that Toyota did not go to stop start technology on their new engines. Those dynamic force models. The two new I4 and the V6TT use a lot of electric technology. I have from some of the tuner reviews that the Ls500 is one of the most advanced gas engines ever produced. I do know that Toyota uses stop start in their overseas motors and they use turbo as well in a lot of applications. Toyota was one of the first brands to start using OW-16 oil as well as it seems like that is Japanese things for now

I am happy where Toyota is with their engines even though I fully expected Toyota to go the route of turbo

 

I'm about 95% sure it's true that Toyota killed all V8 development, so yeah, they're stuck doing downsized turbos now..

Stop/Start that wasn't easily defeatable would be a deal breaker for me. This treehugger crap makes cars worse, not better.