Unfortunately the actual report is subscription only, but Mercedes-Benz UK summarized the findings. The official press release is after the break.

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E-Class and C-Class score well in satisfaction poll
June 27th, 2008
The latest reliability poll from Which? magazine revealed that the Mercedes-Benz E-Class was the best luxury car on the market.

According to the poll, 89 per cent of customers owning an E-Class were pleased with the model and the brand.

Owners of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class were particularly pleased with their car.

A total of 91 per cent said they were happy with the model, which is unsurprising, considering its exceptional sales record and five-star Euro NCAP safety rating for adults.

Overall, the Which? revealed that the brand has shown great improvement in sales and servicing.

The survey asks 90,000 drivers what they think of their new cars and a total of 78 per cent of Mercedes-Benz drivers said the brand was dependable.

Customers are becoming increasingly pleased with the service they are receiving from the brand and with new models and technological innovations arriving on the market, this is likely to continue.

Overall Daimler U.S. sales, including Mercedes-Benz and smart USA cars, totaled 22,954 vehicles.

E-Class sales fell 20 percent to 3,208 vehicles, from 4,011 in April 2007. Sales of the R-Class crossover fell to 735 last month, compared with 1,213 a year earlier.

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As more and more images of the new 2010 E Class surfaced, here are a couple of shots indicating as to how the exterior will look like. The interior shots (from AutoExpress) closely depicts our earlier insider’s scoop of the design, functions and materiality of the upcoming product. It wouldn’t be long before more camo comes loose to reveal more of the car’s bodywork and light designs.

From these shots, we can see clearly the bumper treatment and faint outline of the front and tail-light shapes. Under the plastics, the headlights look as a cross between the CLS & SL.

Photos and key highlights after the jump!

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Some highlights include:
- Steering Wheel mounted gear-shifter lever (S, R, GL, M class)
- Steering Wheel paddle shifter
- COMMAND module + knob ( S, GLK, C)
- Telephone pad/ wrist rest (S Class)
- Multimedia HDD + card reader with Navi - preloaded?

Spy shots of the new 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-class have arrived. The new E-class, code named W212, is expected to make its presence at the 2009 Frankfurt motor show, and the sales will begin sometime in early 2010. The new car will replace the current E-class which has been in the market since 2003. It will have the usual V6 and V8 engines. The E63 AMG model will be powered by a normally aspirated, 6.3 liter V8, producing in excess of 500 bhp. Also the new E-class will feature conventional brakes instead of Sensotronic Brake Control (SBC) which were present in some of the earlier models. The conventional brakes will have special features like wet-weather disc wiping and wheel-selective cornering brake control.

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Mercedes-Benz USA have recalled 9,004 cars out of the 12,580 cars they sold last year. The recall pertains to diesel models (Bluetec) which according to reports, have a problem with their crankshaft position sensors. A crankshaft position sensor is a key element controlling fuel injector pulse timing which is an underpinning factor for combustion to happen or in other words- the engine to work.

The models affected by the recall are 2007 E320 Bluetec, ML320 CDI, and GL320 CDI models. Failure of the sensor would cut fuel supply to the engine, a condition similar to having an empty fuel tank. Reports have also confirmed failure of sensor occurring when the car is running, so it could also come in as a catastrophic surprise. If you own a Bluetec model manufactured in 2007 which is listed above, contact your dealer for assistance at the soonest.

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The journey from smarthouse in Venice, a district of Los Angeles to Detroittook seven days. For a large part of the time the route led the test convoy consisting of one smart fortwo mhd, two smart fortwo cdis and an E 320 BLUETEC along the legendary old Route 66. Media representatives from Germany, Italyand the USAtook turns at the wheel. They had to cope with lonely highways, desert stretches, mountain passes and busy cities. And a severe spell of winter weather with fresh snow and temperatures of down to minus 15 degrees Celsius increased the challenge and made for tough driving conditions.

Despite these adverse conditions, the participants were impressed by the long-distance qualities of the smart fortwo models - cars that are actually designed for urban traffic. However, the high fuel-saving potential of all test vehicles was even more impressive:

- With its 52 kW/71 bhp 1 litre petrol engine the smart fortwo micro hybrid drive (mhd) showed that consumption of less than 5 litres per 100 kilometres can be achieved as a real on-the-road figure and carried its passengers 100 kilometres on 4.8 litres. This impressive figure is thanks to a new, sophisticated start-stop function that uses the idling phases to completely shut down the engine – for example at traffic lights, level crossings or in s top-and-go-traffic. As soon as the driver releases the brake pedal the engine starts automatically and the journey can continue immediately without a perceptible delay.

- On Route 66 the smart fortwo cdi proved that it rightly deserves the distinction of being the most economical production car with a combustion engine. Thanks to the world’s smallest direct injection diesel engine the 33 kW/45 bhp two-door model consumed just 3.9 litres per 100 kilometres in real-world conditions and travelled approximately 850 kilometres without refuelling.

- With the launch of the E 320 BLUETEC in 2006 Mercedes-Benz ushered in a new era of diesel engines in the USA. On the road trip to Detroitits 165 kW/224 bhp three litre V6 engine proved to be at least as economical as a four cylinder engine in everyday use. The average consumption was just 5.8 l/100 km. Moreover, thanks to the BLUETEC modular emission control system the popular business saloon is the world’s cleanest diesel and undercuts the strictest emission limit values worldwide. This is why the E 320 BLUETEC was named ” 2007 World Green Car” by journalists in the USA.

The E 320 BLUETEC has already won lots of fans in Americaand a European version, the E 300 BLUETEC is now available to customers in certain markets. The petrol version of the environmentally friendly smart fortwo will be available in the USAfrom this month.

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Key figures for the new CGI engine at a glance:

* Displacement 3498 cc, compression ratio 12.2 : 1
* Output 215 kW/292 hp at 6400 rpm
* Maximum torque 365 newton metres at 3000 to 5100 rpm

The trailblazing injection system, with which the Stuttgartbrand is once again asserting its role as a technological trendsetter, ensures far superior fuel utilisation and therefore a higher thermodynamic efficiency than the previous, wall-guided direct injection. The new Mercedes engine consumes the fuel almost completely, which also means fewer emissions. The result is a superior driving experience with outstanding economy. This new concept will provide the basis for future engine developments in this performance class.

Trailblazing technology: fast and highly precise piezo-electric injectors

The key components of this innovative, spray-guided direct petrol injection system are fast, highly precise piezo-electric injectors. Their invention has given rise to practically every advance in spray-guided combustion technology.

The developers of the direct petrol injection unit have made even greater use of the positive attributes of piezo-ceramics for the CGI engine, namely high performance and speed. In contrast to a diesel injector, where the actuator only operates a valve, the piezo-module of the petrol unit controls the needle directly. The piezo-stroke is therefore directly translated into a needle stroke, thereby determining the valve flow. This direct operation allows intermediate stroke settings, and charge adjustment at the piezo-actuator also ensures a constant fuel flow throughout the operating period. Thanks to its extremely uniform stroke characteristics, piezo-technology also produces a highly reproducible spray formation a major precondition for effective control of the combustion process.

Always a uniform, perfectly formed jet of fuel

The developers of the new direct petrol injection engine devoted painstaking attention to the shape of the fuel jet. This was perfected using an innovative nozzle tip which opens outwards during each injection cycle, allowing the fuel through an annular aperture measuring only a few micrometres. The spray is formed by the contours of the aperture and the nozzle. The result is a uniform, hollow-based cone of fuel under all operating conditions, which also retains its shape when the electronic engine management system alters the angle of the intake camshafts or the length of the intake ducts when high performance is required.
The mixture formation itself is just as important. A swirl effect at the edges and within the cone of fuel sucks air particles into the fuel jet, ensuring a fuel/air mixture with optimal ignition characteristics.

Thanks to response times measuring fractions of a millisecond, the piezo-electric injectors also allow the multiple injections per power stroke that are necessary for lean-burn operation, and provide an important precondition for the engine’s exemplary fuel consumption with this flexible and highly efficient control of the combustion process. This is because they inject the fuel into the combustion chambers several times in succession during each power stroke, thereby significantly improving the mixture formation and ignition characteristics. Combustion is faster, more uniform and more complete than after single injection - which means that the thermodynamic efficiency of the engine is greatly improved and untreated emissions (hydrocarbons) are reduced by more than half.

Pistons with specially formed crowns optimised in flow simulations assist the injection process by holding the lean mixture together at the ignition point, preventing it from spreading towards the cylinder walls. In this way the piston shape makes a further contribution to almost complete fuel combustion, and therefore the favourable fuel consumption and emission levels of the direct-injection petrol engine.

High-pressure fuel injection

The high injection pressure of 200 bar also plays an important part in the constant stability of the fuel jet. To achieve this, the injection system of the new Mercedes V6 engine is similar to that of a modern diesel engine with common-rail technology. Its centrepiece is a newly developed high-pressure pump, which distributes the fuel to the two stainless steel rails on the cylinder banks as required. The piezo-electric injectors are mounted on these.

This system exceeds the fuel injection pressure of a conventional port injection system by around 50 times. The pump delivers fuel to the rails during every other injection cycle, building up maximum pressure. As the fuel is delivered in this way, there is a slight, cyclical fall in pressure during every other injection cycle, however the mean pressure for all the injectors remains around 200 bar. A volume control valve ensures that only the fuel quantity required for the engine’s current operating point is delivered, which reduces the output demanded of the high-pressure pump as required.

Surplus fuel flows back via a water heat-exchanger and mixes with the fuel flowing from the tank of the E 350 CGI. The low-temperature water circuit of the injection system also cools the electronic control unit of the direct-injection petrol engine, which manages all the operating processes of the V6.

Spark plugs perfectly placed at the edge of the fuel/air mixture

Finding the right location for the spark plugs was another challenge which required sophisticated flow calculations and tests. To ensure that the ignition spark performs rapidly and reliably, the spark plug must reach the fuel/air mix but have no direct contact with the liquid fuel, otherwise carbon deposits will build up over time.

To meet both requirements, the piezo-electric injector of the CGI engine projects into the middle of the combustion chamber, i.e. roughly in the position occupied by the spark plug in a port injection engine. The spark plug has been moved closer to the exhaust valves, where it can reach and ignite the combustible mixture at the edge of the swirling fuel/air cone. A cross-flow cooling system in the cylinder head ensures that the spark plugs and injectors always operate within the best possible temperature range.

Stratified charging even at higher loads and engine speeds

The exemplary fuel economy of the direct-injection petrol engine is in large part due to the use of stratified charging. This means that the engine operates with a high compression ratio and a very lean mixture, and therefore very economically. The fuel is injected into the air compressed by the piston at a relatively late stage.

Thanks to multiple injection, this “lean-burn” operation of the CGI engine from Mercedes-Benz has also become possible at higher engine speeds and under higher load conditions: during each power stroke the combustion chambers are supplied with fuel several times in succession within fractions of a second, significantly improving mixture formation, combustion and fuel consumption. The advantages of stratified charging could previously only be exploited under low partial load conditions, but the V6 unit in the new E 350 CGI still operates in “lean” mode at speeds in excess of 120 km/h, only switching to so-called homogeneous mode with a fuel/air ratio of 1:14.6 (lambda = 1) at a later stage. With an anticipatory style of driving and at a roughly constant speed, the CGI engine of the E 350 CGI betters the fuel consumption of the six-cylinder engine with conventional injection technology by up to 1 litre per 100 kilometres on country roads and motorways. This corresponds to a fuel saving of up to ten percent.

Dual effect: low untreated emissions and high exhaust temperatures

The combustion process developed by Mercedes engineers, with several injection pulses in rapid succession per power stroke, also benefits the smooth running characteristics and exhaust emissions of the V6 engine. Measurements have shown that untreated emissions (hydrocarbons) are reduced by more than half during the warm-up phase. Precisely controlled injection and combustion also allows higher temperatures to be achieved in the exhaust manifold, which ensures that the catalytic converters reach their best operating temperature more rapidly. The direct-injection petrol engine reaches an exhaust temperature of more than 700 degrees Celsius just eleven seconds after a cold start. Exhaust gas aftertreatment is by two close-coupled, closed-loop catalytic converters with linear lambda control which comes into operation immediately after cold-starting.

Mercedes-Benz reduces nitrogen oxide emissions in two ways: with an electrically controlled, cooled, twin-pipe exhaust gas recirculation system, which returns up to 40 percent of the exhaust gases to the cylinders depending on the engine’s operating point, and by two underbody Nox storage-type catalytic converters. During lean-burn operation these converters absorb the nitrogen oxides and release them during brief regeneration phases, so that these pollutants react with the other exhaust gas constituents to produce harmless nitrogen. Sensors located upstream and downstream of the catalytic converters monitor their operation.

Otherwise the new CGI engine is equipped with the same, unique high-tech package as its opposite number with conventional petrol injection. This includes four-valve technology, variable camshaft adjustment for the intake and exhaust sides, a two-stage intake duct, a balancer shaft and intelligent heat management with a logic-controlled thermostat. The crankcase and cylinder head of the six-cylinder unit are made of aluminium, while the cylinders feature liners in low-friction, dimensionally stable and lightweight aluminium-silicon technology. All the fuel supply components of the CGI engine are of stainless steel or brass; the rails on the two banks of cylinders and the housing of the high-pressure pump are of forged stainless steel.

The new E 350 CGI operates on sulphur-free premium petrol, and has the potential to meet future exhaust emission standards thanks to its state-of-the-art technology.

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“In our marketing campaign on sustainability we promote innovative technologies for environmentally sound mobility such as the BLUETEC emission treatment system, which Mercedes-Benz offers to its customers as the world’s cleanest diesel,” says Dr. Klaus Maier, Executive Vice President Mercedes-Benz Cars, responsible for Sales and Marketing. “Regarding the mobility of the future, we at Mercedes-Benz think in a holistic manner and therefore examine the complete value chain, which means a focus on creating a sustainable foundation for all development, production, and service activities. All of these activities will be combined under the ‘TrueBlueSolutions’ heading.”

In this regard, the brand’s communication activities - such as the first series of ads for the E 300 BLUETEC - will consistently feature the color blue as a metaphor for clean air. For the E 300 BLUETEC television commercial, Mercedes-Benz utilizes a popular children’s song that contains the word blue as a type of hymn for BLUETEC technology. The sustainability campaign was developed in co-operation with Mercedes-Benz’ lead agency, Jung von Matt.

Sustainability with TrueBlueSolutions

The variety of solutions developed by Mercedes-Benz, and the message of holistic thinking as a means of ensuring environmentally sound mobility, have all been combined under the heading of ‘TrueBlueSolutions’. The color blue, which is also the color of Mercedes-Benz, serves as the link between all the major evolutionary steps (solutions) Mercedes-Benz has taken on the path toward zero-emission mobility - i.e. BLUETEC, BLUETEC HYBRID, technical advancements with gasoline engines such as CGI direct injection, the DiesOtto technology, F-Cell hydrogen cars, etc.

BLUETEC - “The world’s cleanest diesel”

The BLUETEC technology developed by Daimler effectively reduces the exhaust emissions of diesel vehicles and especially lowers nitrogen oxide emissions. Mercedes-Benz initially launched its BLUETEC passenger car offensive in the U.S. in October 2006 with the introduction of the E 320 BLUETEC, which is still the world’s only passenger car equipped with this technology. Mercedes-Benz also plans to offer three more BLUETEC models on the U.S. market in the GL-, M- and R-Class from 2008. International automotive journalists have honored this environmental commitment by naming the E 320 BLUETEC the 2007 World Green Car. The panel responsible for choosing the winner praised BLUETEC as the trailblazer of a new and especially clean diesel technology. In a letter, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has also welcomed Mercedes-Benz’ BLUETEC initiative. The E 320 BLUETEC is currently the only diesel passenger car that meets the state’s stringent emission limits.

BLUETEC has also been proving itself in commercial vehicles since the beginning of 2005 and is now available in all truck and bus series. In fact, Daimler has already delivered more than 60,000 Mercedes-Benz trucks and buses equipped with this pioneering emission-reduction technology.

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While it is unfortunate that Volkswagen and BMW have left the co-operation with Mercedes, it is quite understand on why they did it. The BLUETEC term has been used for quite sometime to descibe Mercedes-Benz cars, using the same term to describe a clean buring BMW diesel wouldn’t make the BMW owners happy.

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Press Release

Environmental compatibility, driving pleasure and comfort are among the strengths of the new E 300 BLUETEC, with which Mercedes-Benz is launching its BLUETEC initiative in Europe. Based on the proven CDI models, this E-Class boasts cutting-edge emissions management and excellent ecological, economical and dynamic characteristics. The 3.0-litre V6 engine developing 155 kW/211 hp and an imposing 540 Nm of torque burns just 7.3 litres* of diesel per 100 kilometres and its emissions levels already fulfil future Euro stipulations. The E 300 BLUETEC accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.2 seconds* and is capable of a top speed of 244 km/h*. At the same time, the BLUETEC model – like all its E-Class stable-mates – combines the suspension comfort typical of Mercedes with the proverbial “feel-good” ambience in the interior and outstanding safety standards.

The BLUETEC technology developed by DaimlerChrysler does an excellent job of reducing diesel vehicle emissions, in particular nitrogen oxides. To this end, the engineers at the Mercedes-Benz Technology Centre pursue various strategies. For example, in an initial step the formation of nitrogen oxides in the E 300 BLUETEC has been reduced through optimisation measures inside the engine.
* provisional data

Among the other measures employed are:

* A reduction in the compression ratio to 16.5:1
* The use of special piezo injectors with reduced hydraulic flow
* An optimised exhaust gas turbocharger with variable turbine geometry
* Optimised exhaust gas recirculation control with raised return rate
* The use of ceramic glow plugs, which ensure quick cold starts every time for reduced-compression engines

Complementing the revisions carried out inside the engine is an efficient exhaust gas treatment system tailored specially to the E 320 BLUETEC powerplant. This includes the oxidation catalytic converter – which cuts emissions of carbon monoxide (CO) and unburned hydrocarbons (HC) – and an additive-free diesel particulate filter. A further developed NOx storage catalytic converter with a patented onboard ammonia generation system teams up with an SCR catalytic converter and enables extremely low nitrogen oxide emissions. This exhaust gas treatment system works without the need for any additional equipment.

BLUETEC initiative already seeing success

Mercedes-Benz first launched its BLUETEC initiative for passenger cars in the USA. It was here that the E 320 BLUETEC was launched onto the market in October 2006 as the world’s only passenger car to be fitted with this technology. And Mercedes-Benz is set to offer another three V6 BLUETEC models in the US – from the GL, M and R-Class ranges – from 2008. International automotive journalists have been among those to acknowledge the brand’s ongoing commitment to this technology, voting the E 320 BLUETEC “2007 World Green Car”. The members of the jury from 22 countries praised BLUETEC as a pacesetter for new and extremely clean diesel technology.
BLUETEC is also in use in commercial vehicles. Indeed, the technology has been proving its mettle here since 2005 and is now available for all commercial vehicle model series. DaimlerChrysler has already delivered over 60,000 Mercedes-Benz trucks and buses with this pioneering emissions-reducing system.

BLUETEC – a building block in the reduction of CO2

In the ongoing debate on current and future emissions standards for vehicles, one frequently overlooked fact is that carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are not covered by conventional exhaust emissions limits. A car’s CO2 emissions are directly linked to fuel consumption. A reading such as 140 g CO2/km, for example, is nothing other than an alternative fuel consumption figure, equating to fuel consumption of around 5.3 l/100 km in diesel engines or 5.9 l/100 km for petrol models. The same figure would also be recorded by equivalent cars which pumped out their exhaust gases into the environment unfiltered – i.e. without being treated though catalytic converters or systems minimising particulate output.

In contrast to CO2 emissions, exhaust components like nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and combustion residue in the form of particulates can all be reduced through exhaust gas treatment – in some cases to the point where they are barely detectable. This is where the innovative, modular exhaust gas purification system BLUETEC comes into its own. BLUETEC gives diesel vehicles the technology they need to operate in an environment-friendly way and will meet the planned emissions limits of the future as well. In addition to the E 300 BLUETEC, all future BLUETEC models will satisfy the Euro 5 standard due to come into force in 2011. BLUETEC thus represents an important building block in the reduction of CO2 emissions.