This is not what we expected to hear from MB, after seen the spy shots, but it looks like Mercedes-Benz will not sell the B or the A-class in the US after all. Reuters spoke with the Group sales and marketing Chief Klaus Maier, where he told them that "...his group did not want to dilute the brand by moving too far down market." This of course was always the risk, even with the introduction of the Smart car. Even though, the Smart was a different company, Mercedes was afraid that since they own the company people would associate them with the Smart Company. This is a bit different, and we can all understand their fear, but the A and B-class didn't dilute the brand in Europe, why should they here.
More from the article:
"Exchange rates also play a role in the company's calculations. Mercedes originally dropped plans to market its German-made B-Class car in North America because the strong euro made sales there unattractive."
"You have to consider very carefully whether the investment to introduce the B-Class (in North America) would pay off," he said, pointing out that the car, launched in Europe last year, would be two years old by the time it reached America.
Mercedes is launching more fuel-efficient models in a bid to capture consumer demand and compete with Asian rivals whose more economical cars are in favour.
Maier ruled out selling a Mercedes-Benz model under the Chrysler brand in North America.
Along with the CL 63 AMG, the SLR 722 Edition is celebrating its world premiere.
The new Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 Edition displays thoroughbred motor-racing attributes. With this new model variant, Mercedes-Benz evokes memories of the unforgettable victory achieved by Sir Stirling Moss at the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR with the start number 722 (indicating a starting time of 07.22 hours ) in the classic Mille Miglia endurance race of 1955. At the heart of this super-sportscar, a limited edition of only 150 examples is a supercharged 5.5-litre V8-engine developing 478 kW/650 hp. With a top speed of 337 km/h the "722 Edition” even betters the SLR, which remains in the model range.
Mercedes has introduced the AMG version of its newest flag-ship, the S-class, at the Paris Auto Show with an AMG-developed AMG 6.3-litre V8-engine.
The S-Class is now also represented by the S 63 AMG and equipped with the 386 kW/525 hp high-tech engine. Both AMG models accelerate from zero to 100 km/h in 4.6 seconds, and the maximum speed is electronically limited to 250 km/h.
The heart of S 63 is the top-of-the-line eight-cylinder models with a 100% AMG-developed AMG 6.3-litre V8-engine. From a displacement of 6208 cc, this high-revving, naturally aspirated engine delivers an output of 386 kW/525 hp at 6800 rpm and a maximum torque of 630 Nm at 5200 rpm.
Here we have some more amazing photos of the upcoming CL 63 AMG at the Paris Auto Show. We've already seen in being driven through the country side, but these close-ups are really nice. With the CL 63 AMG, Mercedes-AMG is presenting the flagship model of the new CL-Class in Paris. Its wholly independently developed AMG 6.3-litre V8-engine develops an output of 386 kW/525 hp and 630 Nm of torque. The high-tech appointments of this luxury coupe include an AMG sports suspension based on Active Body Control. The CL 63 AMG is the current highlight of the 2006 strategic model initiative by Mercedes-AMG - with ten brand-new cars to date.
We have seen at least a half dozen tuned CLs; it looks like the CL has become a favorite for the high-end tuning companies. Today we have the German tuning company, Carlsson, and they have made the new CL super coupe even better. This is the Mercedes CL 600 with bi-turbo V12; Carlsson managed to up the 517 hp to 600 hp and the torque to 740 ft lbs. Even in such a large coupe, this is enough to snap off 4.4 second 0-60 times all day long. Because of tire restrictions, top end is governed at 320 km/h or 199 mph.
A very cool and hip commercial from Mercedes where they are clearly targeting the younger crowed.
Past, Present and Future
A beautiful promo video; showing the past, present and future of Mercedes Benz cars. I am not sure if this ever aired on TV or if it was only intended for the internet, but here it is.
Want to learn how to convert you diesel powered vehicle into an environmental friendly "hippy-mobile", just watch the video and you'll see how the Mythbusters do it. Not sure if this works on newer diesel machines, but I wouldn't be the first one to try it. So the lessen with the video is that if you own a Mercedes diesel or any other diesel, go to the nearest Fast-Food Joint and ask them if you could have their grease, filter it and you're set. Now if anything goes wrong, you can't blame me or the Mythbusters, please do it at your own risk.
An "Eco-Roadster" from the Mercedes Advanced Design Studio in California will be one of the highlights at the LA Autoshow '07 competition.
The Mercedes-Roadster is named the "Recy" and looks like a wood carving. The car would be made out of wood, alloys, glass and rubber to make it 100 percent recyclable.
The form is to transfer the style of the legendary SL into the future. However the two-seater has only two peaks behind the passengers instead of a convertible top. A roof is not intended.
The goal with this competition according to the organizer was to make the vehicle and its driver experience a deep feeling with the environment and help protect it. Therefore the presented concepts consist of recyclable raw materials. The winner will be announced on November 30 at the LA Auto Show
Mercedes-Benz unit will sell diesel-powered versions of its M- R- and GL-Class sport-utility vehicles, beginning in 2008 in the US market.
Mercedes-Benz said its Bluetec technology cuts nitrogen oxide emissions by adding a urea-based solution into the exhaust stream. There were a couple posts about this, including the news that MB failed the test in five states, but we later found out that it was not their goal to reach the strict exhaust standard in the five states (California, Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont and New York).
The new models will be the first diesel-powered vehicles to meet the Environmental Protection Agency's BIN5 emissions standards for all 50 states, the company said.
Manek Dubash, editor of Pistonheads.com speaks on BBC News 24 about Richard Hammond's high speed crash. If you would like to donate, please go to Pistonheads.com or directly to the donation page at Justgiving.com
The CL has not even come out yet, and here we have a Brabus tuned version of it. This car look amazing, and the specs are even better. Here is what upgrades they performed. The engine has been tuned up to 730 hp / 537 kW, light-alloy wheels up to 21 inches in diameter and sporty yet elegant aerodynamic-enhancement parts are on the available-options list as are a sport suspension, a high-performance brake system and exclusive interior appointments.
The maximum power output of 730 hp / 537 kW at 5,100 rpm represents a superlative for the BRABUS SV12 S Biturbo engine as does the peak torque of 1,320 Nm at 2,100 rpm. In the vehicle peak torque is limited electronically to 1,100 Nm.
Engine tuning is also available for the CL 500 model. The options start with the B8 tuning kit for an increased power output of 419 hp / 308 kW and culminate in the BRABUS 6.1 displacement engine with 462 hp / 340 kW at 6,200 rpm and a peak torque of 615 Nm at 3,100 rpm.
Just as important for a customized appearance and for sporty handling are custom-tailored wheels. The new CL can be fitted with BRABUS Monoblock light-alloy wheels in various widths and designs with 18-, 19-, 20- and 21-inch diameters. The largest tire/wheel combination for the C 216 series are BRABUS Monoblock VI and E wheels in sizes 9Jx21 in front and 10.5Jx21 on the rear axle. For optimal tires BRABUS selected Pirelli and Yokohama high-performance tires in sizes 255/30 ZR 21 in front and 285/30 ZR 21 in the rear.
Comfort, agility, safety and ecology are particular strengths of the smart fortwo. They are best demonstrated in European cities such as Paris, Berlin or Rome - the environment that this car was developed for and where it has achieved cult status in a very short space of time.
The smart fortwo requires only half the road space of most other vehicles. The agile two-seater not only gets you around town more quickly; if everyone were to drive a smart fortwo, the line of cars waiting at the traffic lights would be only half as long, and the car parks would have space for twice as many cars. Or to put it another way: you don't have to look for a parking space in the smart fortwo - you find one.
The new smart fortwo: Even more smart fortwo
The new smart fortwo, which will be launched in the spring of 2007, is not on show in Paris. The world premiere will take place this year, at a location outside of the trade fair circuit. However, a first indication of its appearance has already been given: a sand sculpture of the new model could be seen during the German beach volleyball championships at the beginning of September at Timmendorfer Strand, and also a week ago when it appeard on a forum.
The new smart fortwo will be a true smart fortwo as well. It will adopt the key characteristics of the current model. You could say that the fortwo can do everything that the current fortwo can do - but a little better.
Today, I bring you a dated but still very interesting video review. The test was done between the BMW M3, Audi S4 and Mercedes C32 AMG. The ending is very interesting and probably correct.
Kind of a slow day today for Mercedes, so here is a nice clip showing the Mercedes-Benz CLK DTM AMG. Like most of the good clips about Mercedes, they are from Germany and so in German. Enjoy!
While we all like more selection from car manufacturer, as we want to pick the right car for us, we sometimes have to question if a convertible is the right choice for a model. This of course is not the case here, as the CL would look amazing without the top. Over at AMuS, they report that Hans-Dieter Multhaupt, during the unveiling of the luxury Coupes in Palma de Mallorca (Spain, told them that convertible and diesel powered CL would be possible since the designers and technicians have taken the necessary steps to ensure an easy transition.
He goes on to saying, "We would be glad to put those cars on the wheels. Unfortunately, so far our market study did not determine yet sufficient interest from customer. If the demand is large enough, one wants to react fast."
The employment of a diesel engine would be technically just as problem-free, according to Multhaupt. "As soon as there is sufficient interest for it, we will introduce it."
You've all probably heard about the crash that Hammond was involved in yesterday. I've put up a slideshow that Jolene89 created just to remind ourselves what a funny guy he is and that we all wish him well. BBC is reporting: "Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond is improving but remains seriously ill in hospital after he crashed a jet-powered car during filming for the BBC show."
"He was initially reported to have suffered serious head injuries and was taken to the neurological unit of Leeds General Infirmary by helicopter.
The hospital confirmed that his wife was at his bedside and, at the request of his family, no further information would be released.
Jeremy Clarkson, who was visiting the hospital, said many motorists were "rooting for" Hammond. ..."I would just like to say how heartened Richard will be when I tell him just how many motorists and truck drivers on my way here wound down their windows to say they were rooting for him." Referring to Hammond by his nickname, Clarkson added: "Both James and I are looking forward to getting our hamster back."
It looks like Smart trying to pull of a marketing stunt by releasing quality "leaked" photos of it next Fortwo. The problem with these images is that you can't see the car in full; all the images are very focused on specific parts of the car. Since German is not very similar to Dutch, I won't be able to say what the guy on the forum said about the photos and where he got them from. If we take another look at the Sand Sculpture that I posted here a couple of weeks ago, you can clearly see a resemblance. Nothing left but to wait for better photos from Smart Co. Check out the full gallery at smartforum.nl
A month ago, I showed you a whole gallery of McLaren concept designs that students at the Istituto Europeo di Design in Turin created. The students completed a dream project by designing a future McLaren concept car as part of their final year project.
Here is some more detail about the Project:
The common objective for all the students was to design a mid-engined super sports car capable of more than 320 km/h (or 200 mph) that offered the technological excellence of Formula 1 for the road, with unparalleled dynamic and aerodynamic performance.
The project involved a total of 39 students subdivided in 14 groups which then completed their work as a team, each producing a 1:4 scale model. The models were officially unveiled on the 27th of June at IED in Turin where they have been on display to date.
Three models were awarded first, second and third prizes. In third, was 'MP11' a very aggressive-looking car that was true to the engineering package in the brief. The runner-up, 'Manta', took a strikingly different direction to any other. 'M Eleven B' took overall honours with first place, representing the best interpretation of a future McLaren road car.
Three further models received special prizes, including 'Can-Am' for best brand interpretation, while 'Vortex' was voted best aerodynamic interpretation and finally "M1-06 BlackTiger" won the best styling development.
In the year prior to its model change, the C-Class remains the bestseller in the Mercedes-Benz model range. More than two million units have been delivered to customers all around the world since the launch of the current series in March 2000. That makes today's lineup of this model - consisting of Sedan, Station Wagon and Sports Coupe the best-selling C-Class in the history of the company. Dr. Klaus Maier, Executive Vice President Mercedes Car Group with responsibility for sales and marketing, said: "The C-Class has achieved excellent sales over its entire lifecycle and is our best-selling model series. It combines comfort and elegant design with the highest standards of safety and sets the benchmark for the entire mid-sized premium car segment."
With around 1.4 million units sold since the market launch in May 2000 the C-Class Sedan has continued its predecessors' success story. Since spring 2001, some 330,000 customers have decided on the Station Wagon. The Sports Coupe, which joined the model family in spring 2001, has logged up 283,000 sales to date. Germany is the biggest market for the C-Class, accounting for more than 30 percent of global sales. In fact, the C-Class has sold more units here since its market launch in spring 2000 than any of its premium competitors. The second largest market for the C-Class is the USA, which accounts for almost 20 percent of the global sales volume.
Here is a cool video showing a drifting SL 55 AMG. This is what the description had to say, "Team Toyo driver Daryl "hiroshima" Rebeck drifting his automatic $200,000 Mercedes AMG SL 55 500+hp in a topsecret container field. Think it's easy? He's holding the ebrake release handle up with his left hand while ebraking with his left foot and downshifting cross armed on the left shift paddle"
Another great video from VOX; this time it is about the Brabus tuned CLS. This beast has 730 HP and a top speed of 350km/h. If you are interested in purchasing this amazing machine, then you better sell your house and move back to your parents because this car will cost you 400,000 Euros.
I believe this is the first video review of the all new 2007 Mercedes CL. The review was shown on the German TV channel VOX and is obviously in German. I would love to translate the video for you, but that would be very hard and time consuming, so if you are unable to understand the video and what the guy is saying, then just enjoy the video and the beautiful CL. Here are some basic information about the Mercedes:
Price - 149.640 Euro
Performance - 380 kW (517 HP)
Torque - 830 Nm
0-100 Km/h - 4.6 sec
Top speed - 250 Km/h
Whether it be for a rock band, a designer or a basketball trainer, the unique vehicle concept that underpins the Mercedes-Benz R-Class is designed to meet the particular needs of modern people in the modern world. The touring SUV provides an exemplary level of ride comfort for the driver, front passenger and rear passengers. This is why the Rolling Stones used the R Class as a shuttle on last year's "A Bigger Bang" tour in the US. Designer and entrepreneuse Jette Joop also plumped for the R-Class because "most of all, I am enthralled by the vehicle's extravagant, exciting design, its high level of practicality and its spaciousness".
With her JETTE label, Jette Joop is one of the most captivating designers on the current scene. Her jewellery, fashion and perfume creations have made her a firm favourite with some of the world's most successful fashion houses. Her designs exude a casual elegance, appearing neither blatant nor contrived, and above all are extremely easy to live with. Similar attributes are displayed by Jette Joop's new car. Since summer 2006, Jette Joop drives a Mercedes Benz R-Class - a vehicle which comes very close to her vision of the ideal car.
Standard equipment includes 4MATIC permanent all-wheel drive, the 7G-TRONIC seven-speed automatic transmission with DIRECT SELECT and rear air suspension. Plus there is a comprehensive passive safety package featuring adaptive front airbags, front sidebags, windowbags and, as an optional extra, the PRE-SAFE preventive occupant protection system which identifies situations that might turn into accidents and "instinctively" prepares the driver and passengers for a possible collision.
Here we have another great comparison test done by our favorite German car magazine - Autobild. This time it is the Audi Q7 and the Mercedes GL; this is not the first time I have posted a comparison test between these two, as we have seen them battle it 3 weeks ago when TruckTrend did the test. Here is a small summary of the Autobild test, and the direct link to the Google Translation.
When it comes to the body and engine, the Mercedes GL 320 CDI is clearly ahead of the AUDI Q7 3.0 TDI - although it supplies the clearly inferior road performances. Nevertheless, the GL loses over the price at the end. GL is a successful synthesis from "cult box" G-model and the "Lifestyle-object" M-class. The Q7 is beautiful and 100 % Audi; the GL is pretty, but a soft-rinsed SUV. The inadequately sporty AUDI with its swift TDI can pull ahead. Mercedes should perhaps not install the Off-road package (2030 euro). Only few use it anyways.
AutoMotoPortal has compiled a Top 10 list of the "most beautiful cars of all time" guided by their criterion - undoubtful and unmistakable beauty. They have chosen two Mercedes-Benz cars to be in their Top 10 list; here are the two.
1930 Mercedes-Benz Count Trossi SSK
(Pictured above)
This elegant design is a result of a combined effort of Count Carlo Felice Trossi, who bought the chassis of the SSK in 1930, and an unknown English body worker, Wiilie White (coach-builder), who put Trossi's vision into reality. It has surely earned its name, the Black Prince. This magnificent car is in the famous Ralph Lauren car collection.
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Coupe
The Mercedes-Benz 300SL is a two-seat, closed sports car with characteristic gull-wing or butterfly wing doors, which, when opened, resembled a bird's outstretched wings. This car definitely attracts attention and has a distinctive and unique appearance, but is not very practical or comfortable. Still, beauty comes first, and this one deserves its' title.
- Strong growth against general market trend: 327,600 new registrations of
pre-owned Mercedes-Benz passenger cars in Germany through July
- Market share in Germany increases from eight to ten percent
Demand for pre-owned Mercedes-Benz vehicles has
never been as high as in 2006. Despite falling sales in both the overall market
and the premium market in Germany, Mercedes-Benz recorded significant growth
rates in the period January to July 2006. According to the Federal Motor
Transport Authority (KBA), a total of 327,600 pre-owned Mercedes-Benz cars were
registered with new owners during this period, five percent more than in the
first seven months of 2005. The market share in Germany thus increased
significantly, rising from eight percent to ten percent. Growth in demand for
pre-owned Mercedes-Benz passenger cars has also surpassed average market growth
in France and Italy.
Demand is particularly high for "young pre-owned"
Mercedes-Benz cars, which are on average one year old. In the first eight months
of 2006, sales of these vehicles rose by 30 percent to around 90,000 vehicles.
In August, unit sales increased by 38 percent to about 11,000 models. The most
important sales market is Germany, followed by Italy and Spain. Dr. Klaus Maier,
Executive Vice President Mercedes Car Group, responsible for Sales and
Marketing: "Both record sales of our new cars in the first eight months of 2006
and the record demand for our pre-owned cars provide clear evidence of the high
appeal of our current model range."
The continuing high residual values for all model
series are a key reason for the higher-than-average demand for pre-owned
Mercedes-Benz cars. For example, Mercedes-Benz is the clear frontrunner in nine
of twelve residual value comparisons published by Baehr & Fess, one of the
leading providers of residual value forecasts. Dieter Fess of Baehr Fess: "The
success of Mercedes-Benz young pre-owned cars continues to be based on the high
appeal of the vehicles with regard to their consistently very good residual
values. It also underlines the excellent brand image of Mercedes-Benz."
One of the reader, over at GermanCarZone, had the opportunity to test-drive the all new 2007 Mercedes-Benz E280 CDI. It is a very interesting read for everyone interested in the CDI engine from Mercedes. I did post a test done by Automobile.com a couple of weeks ago, and even a comparison test between the BMW 520d Touring and Mercedes E 220 CDI T, but here is the GermanCarZone post anyways, since we all love the CDI so much.
One of our BenzInsider readers has confirmed that the CLS Wagon, which we reported on, is in fact REAL. Here are some more pictures of the transformation that he says was done by Pogea Racing, and the base car they used - S211.
Autoweek has some great pictures of the new addition to the AMG family. We've seen it being tested at the Nurburgring a month ago, but here are some official photos.
No doubt it's quick. The R63 will stay with a Porsche 911 Carrera up to 60 mph with no trouble at all, and it is almost two seconds quicker to the standing-start benchmark than the previous range-topping R500, which continues to run Mercedes' 5.0-liter 306-hp V8 instead of the company's more refined and economical 5.5-liter 382-hp V8, as fitted to models such as the new S-Class. The R63 is also superbly refined, with the sort of mechanical isolation and ride quality not normally associated with AMG offerings. High-speed stability is another R63 attribute, thanks to its long wheelbase and wide-track stance. In this respect, the vehicle is just about perfect for long freeway slogs.
WorldCarFans has the latest spy shots of the upcoming C-Class, codenamed w204. The new C-Class will be available in four different styles: sedan, station wagon, sports coupe and convertible. It will have a variety of four and newly developed six-cylinder engines available. An AMG version is being developed as well. We've seen many photo illustrations of what the upcoming c-class could look like, which can be seen here, here and here. To see the most recent spy shots, head over to WorldCarFans.
Here we have another great review by Jeremy from Top Gear. This review is a bit different then what you have seen so far. The way he tests the cars and decides on the better car is just bizarre, but if it works, then it is OK here.
Mercedes-AMG is unveiling the range-topping version of the new luxury coupe, the CL 63 AMG. Under the bonnet is an AMG 6.3-litre V8 engine that was developed independently and delivers a maximum output of 386 kW/525 hp and 630 Newton metres of peak torque for guaranteed scintillating performance. A glance at the high-tech specification of this exceptional two-door coupe emphatically underlines its exclusive status: in addition to the unmistakable AMG bodystyling and the AMG sports suspension based on Active Body Control, the AMG high-perfor-mance braking system is also fitted as standard. PRE-SAFE, the anticipatory occupant protection system, is included too and may be supplemented by the addition of both the innovative new PRE-SAFE Brake and DISTRONIC PLUS as an option.
The CL 63 AMG represents the highlight of Mercedes-AMG's 2006 model initiative so far, which has encompassed ten brand new high-performance AMG models to date. At the heart of the eight-cylinder flagship model is the AMG 6.3-litre V8 engine.
From its displacement of 6208 cc, the high-revving, naturally aspirated drive unit musters up 386 kW/525 hp at 6800 rpm and generates its peak torque of 630 Ne-wton metres at 5200 rpm. This gives the AMG powerpack a higher power-to-swept-volume and torque ratio than any other naturally aspirated series-produced eight-cylinder engine in the world. The CL 63 AMG is propelled from 0-100 in just 4.6 seconds, with top speed electronically limited to 250 km/h.
At the 78th International Motor Show in Paris, Maybach is presenting its Model 57 S in a shining white paint finish for the first time. In this way the tradition-laden German luxury brand is meeting the desire of one of its customers for even more individuality. In standard trim the sporty and luxurious Model 57 S is only available with a single-tone paint finish in either black or silver. The shining new "Antiqua White" finish impressively emphasises the dynamic character of this high-end luxury saloon, whose outstanding performance potential particularly captures the enthusiasm of passionate owner-drivers.
The white paint finish of the 57 S is applied in multiple layers by experienced specialists using a highly involved process - there are almost twice as many layers than is usual for other luxury cars. In contrast to conventional paint finishes using just one base paint to provide the colour tone, two different paints are necessary to achieve this incomparable, mother-of-pearl-like sheen - one of these contains mica. This highlighting material is responsible for the particular sheen of the paint finish, which varies slightly depending on the lighting angle and shines especially brightly in sunlight. The paint layers are mainly applied by hand, and several additional layers of clearcoat ensure a highly resistant finish.
"Antiqua White" is available to customers on request, as part of the more than two million Maybach individualisation options.
The smart forfun, a smart forfour with monster truck ambitions, caused quite a stir at the Athens Motor Show in November 2005. Following the extremely positive response to this, the decision to develop a further vehicle with a similar character was a logical step.
Following the initiative of Mercedes-Benz Hellas, Stefan Attart (46), Greek Champion in 4x4 Rally Races had clear ideas: the new off-road vehicle should have the body of a smart fortwo. A suitable platform now had to be found.
Awakening the inner child
DaimlerChrysler has always had an unusually large range of off-road vehicles - from the M-Class to the G-model and the Unimog. One look at the smart forfun2 (pronounced smart for-fun to the second) and you see straightaway that it is based on a Mercedes-Benz Unimog 406 series.
This is what makes it so fascinating: the combination of two vehicles, each of which has achieved cult status in its respective segment. So it's no wonder that the smart forfun2 awakens the inner child in everyone who sees it.
Combining vehicle and platform
But first things first: once the platform for the smart forfun2 had been decided, in January of this year Stefan Attart started working on the first designs. It goes without saying that there's more to an off-road vehicle like this than simply screwing four wheels under a smart fortwo.
Based on technical drawings of both vehicles, a design was created that for the first time clearly showed the direction the new vehicle was to take. Stefan Attart laid down the design that was to connect the vehicle with the platform, and precise attachment points were defined on the axles and the chassis.
Remember this "CLS Wagon" pictured above, well I do. This image has made it on to virtually every car website, including BenzInsider, in the matter of hours. Nobody really knew what it was or where it came from, but almost everyone liked it. A lot people debated if it was a modified CLS, or an E-class wagon with a CLS front. The only thing that nobody could really answer was if it was real or, like we see a lot of, photoshopped. Now, I don't want to jump to any conclusions, but I will show you a couple of images below, and then you decide if the one above is real or not. These people that do this stuff are very talented and anything could be possible. I would like to hear what you guys think. The images below are from cwwcardesign.com
I usually don't post reviews made by 5th Gear, due to reasons you'll see in the video, but today will be an exception. Since there is a lot of talk today about the S-class and the 4MATIC system, I thought it would be perfect to remind people what the S-class is and why it is one of the best Luxury vehicles on the road. The ending in the video is very weak; I personally don't agree with some of their points, since I have watched the S-class review that the better and more popular Top Gear has done, and they had a totally different opinion with the "nightvision" and "distronic plus" features.
The Mercedes-Benz S-Class is now available with 4MATIC permanent all-wheel drive. Developed entirely in-house by Mercedes-Benz, this all-new drive system combines perfect traction, first-class comfort and impressive driving dynamics with good fuel economy. Two powerful eight-cylinder models are available in the form of the S 500 4MATIC and S 450 4MATIC while the S 320 CDI 4MATIC is the first S-Class all-wheel-drive variant to be equipped with a particularly economical V6 diesel engine. The new models with all-wheel drive are identified clearly by the 4MATIC legend which appears both on the boot lid and on the wooden trim element on the centre console.
Model range: Four S-Class models with 4MATIC
- Two powerful V8 models initially, two V6 variants to follow
- All-wheel-drive available with powerful V6 CDI engine for the first time
- Output ranges from 173 kW/235 hp to 285 kW/388 hp
- Comprehensive high-tech standard equipment for all models
- designo range and AMG features optionally available
The technology of the new 4MATIC system: Latest generation of trend-setting all-wheel-drive system
- Power split between front and rear wheels in ratio of 45 to 55 percent
- Multiplate clutch with 50 Nm locking force offers additional traction
- Handling is clearly defined and always predictable
- Compact, lightweight design is optimised for reduced friction losses
The new Mercedes-Benz incenio designer wheels for the new CL-Class have a progressive styling which underlines the exceptional two-door car's confident looks. The optimised weight reduces the unsprung masses, ensuring an even more direct response from the CL-Class. The highlight of Mercedes-Benz Accessories GmbH's five product range of designer wheels for the CL-Class is the exclusive 20-inch 10-spoke model. The full incenio range offers a wide selection of wheel designs. There are over 50 options to choose from, with specific styles for each Mercedes-Benz model series. The company has a long tradition in the field and was indeed among the pioneers in the use of light-alloy wheels. Stringent test procedures and extensive checks ensure uncompromising quality.
Almach 17-inch
Eridanus 18-inch
Armida 18-inch
Denebola 19-inch
Prices for the new incenio designer wheels for the CL-Class, incl. VAT*:
I've written about Michael a bit in the previous post, but this one will be entirely about the legend. I and every real Motorsports fan will all miss him, and I can say this with certainty that the F1 will not be the same without him. BBC has a nice piece about him with many of his comments made during todays' press conference.
Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher will retire from Formula One at the end of the season.
The German made the announcement after winning the Italian Grand Prix to reduce title rival Fernando Alonso's lead to just two points.
The Ferrari star's victory was the 90th in a career in which Schumacher has broken almost every F1 record.
He will be remembered as one of the greatest, and most controversial, drivers in the history of the sport.
"I have decided that I am going to retire from racing. It has been an exceptional time," the 37-year-old said.
"What motorsport has given to me in more than 30 years, I have loved every moment of it, good and bad.
"Words are not enough and whatever I say now will never fully express how much I love this fascinating world of motor sport and all it has given me. I am profoundly grateful for everything I have had.
"It has been a tough decision to not work at this level. The day has come and I felt this is the moment.
"It has naturally been difficult, but all the effort, energy and motivation you need in order to be competitive, I cannot see I have that for further years."
Schumacher, who will be replaced at Ferrari by Finn Kimi Raikkonen, has dominated the sport since the death of Ayrton Senna in 1994.
That was the year in which Schumacher won his first world title, with Benetton-Ford, and he added a further championship with the team in 1995, this time with a Renault engine, before moving to Ferrari.
His ambition was to return to the top a team whose results did not live up to its image and history.
He ended Ferrari's 21-year drought with his third title in 2000, and went on to win another four in a row.
Schumacher added: "As well as timing the decision, I thought it was fair so Felipe [Massa, his Ferrari team-mate] has a chance to decide his future.
"He has done a great job, he is good team-mate and he had to decide.
"I was pleased that my future replacement was [Raikkonen] and now would like to concentrate on these last three races and finish it in style.
"We have done a big step to the championship today and I look forward to that now."
The records Schumacher has set will probably never be broken, and he also established a new standard for F1 drivers with his extreme fitness and commitment.
But his legacy will also be that of a driver who stretched the rules to their limit and sometimes beyond in his quest for success.
Controversy followed him throughout his career, and he was involved in a series of incidents that left many observers questioning his sense of fair play.
Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo said: "Now that decision has been taken, I feel a sense of sadness.
"We have lived through some unforgettable times together, some good, some bad, achieving results that will be hard to equal.
"To Michael goes the thanks of everyone in the company and the supporters of Ferrari for all the dedication he has shown to our colours, for the determination and the courage with which he has worked which has provided immense satisfaction.
"His relationship with Maranello will continue, albeit in a different form and I am very happy about that."
Today was one of most emotional and historical days in Formula 1. The legendary and most successful Formula 1 driver that broke every record, Michael Schumacher, has announced his retirement today. I have always loved and respected Michael, ever since I started watching the F1 12 years ago; we will all truly miss him, and wish him the best in his future.
Kimi has been chosen to join the Ferrari Team next season together with Felipe Massa. Kimi started from the 11th pole position of his career and the third pole of the last four races. He won the sprint race down to the first chicane ahead of Michael Schumacher (Ferrari) who completed the opening lap in second place with Kimi leading by one second. Pedro started from seventh position, lost one place and was eighth at the end of the first lap.
Kimi Raikkonen: "I'm happy with my second place here in Monza. All in all this was a good weekend for us, and the team has done a fantastic job. We have improved our starting system, which helped me a lot on the run to the first corner. And I was able to make a good start. I was controlling the race until my first pit stop and the fact that Michael was able to stay out for one more lap than me eventually decided the outcome of the race.”
Pedro de la Rosa: "I lost a place at the start to slot into eighth. After that I was stuck behind cars, so I never really found out how quick I could have been. My first pit stop went as planned. We put a lot of fuel in the car to ensure a long second stint, which was aimed to get me in clean air at the end. However all of sudden the engine failed, I had to stop the car and that was the end of the race for me. It is a pity as our package was very competitive today."
Ron Dennis, Team Principal: "A good drive from Kimi. A single lap of more fuel in the first stint could have turned second into a possible victory - but that's racing. Pedro suffered a rare engine failure, which meant an early end to his race. The result shows that the team's relentless efforts and disciplined approach throughout this weekend led to a positive result. Irrespective of the announcement of Kimi's future - and of course we wish him all the best – the entire team will continue to focus on the balance of the season where race wins are still possible as illustrated by today's result."
Norbert Haug, Vice President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport: "Second position, pole position, fastest lap and finishing as best Michelin team is a good job by the team and Kimi. We have been close to Michael Schumacher and not too much was missing to win today. Congratulations to Michael. For me it is sad to learn that he will retire after this season. With his retirement an era of Formula One racing ends. As already stated in our separate press release we all wish Kimi who will leave us at the end of the year all the best. Unfortunately Pedro suffered an engine failure, the cause of which is currently investigated. We will now work hard before the last three overseas races in order to do one better than today."
1 . Michael Schumacher
2 . Kimi Raikkonen
3 . Robert Kubica
4 . Giancarlo Fisichella
5 . Jenson Button
6 . Rubens Barrichello
7 . Jarno Trulli
8 . Nick Heidfeld
9 . Felipe Massa
10 . Mark Webber
11 . Christian Klien
12 . David Coulthard
13 . Scott Speed
14 . Tonio Luizzi
15 . Ralf Schumacher
16 . Takuma Sato
17 . Christijan Albers
Today was a great day for the Mclaren-Mercedes team. Kimi was able to beat the great Schumacher by just 0.002 seconds for the pole position. Pedro was not so lucky and ended up in seventh place. Alonso was even unluckier and was panelized for blocking Massa, which resulted in him sliding from fifth to tenth place. Here is what the guys from Mclaren-Mercedes had to say:
Monza, Sep 09, 2006
Kimi Raikkonen
"A good weekend for us so far. I'm pleased to be on pole position, and it wasn't even a particularly good lap as I had two big moments in Ascari. I was not here at the test last week, but the team, Pedro and Gary did a fantastic job, and we have a very good tyre from Michelin. The race tomorrow will be tough, but we will certainly give it our best shot. I'm confident that Michelin is well prepared for the race. The car has been working well, and I want to remain at the front and look forward to achieving that."
Pedro de la Rosa
"A very good qualifying for Kimi, the team and me. I was lucky not to have any traffic in my runs and I'm relieved as I just made it into the final session on my last run, and it was a bit too close for comfort. The balance of the car was excellent even with the lower downforce configuration that we ran today. I'm looking forward to a strong race tomorrow."
Ron Dennis
"A strong performance by Kimi and the team. I'm pleased with the progress we have made since the test last week and continued throughout the weekend. We will see what happens in the race tomorrow but are confident that both Kimi and Pedro's race strategies will help to deliver a positive result."
Norbert Haug
"A good pole position lap of Kimi's even if it's only two thousandths of a second to the second placed Ferrari of Michael Schumacher. This is the perfect basis for tomorrow's Italian Grand Prix. This is Kimi's third pole in the last four races, and ideally we want to achieve the same result tomorrow. Pedro did a good job, he has to run the second race with his engine which is always a small handicap for any driver."
Grid positions ahead of the Italian Grand Prix, Monza:
1. Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) McLaren-Mercedes 1:21.484
2. Michael Schumacher (Ger) Ferrari 1:21.486
3. Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber 1:21.653
4. Felipe Massa (Brz) Ferrari 1:21.704
5. Jenson Button (GB) Honda 1:22.011
6. Robert Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber 1:22.258
7. Pedro de la Rosa (Spa) McLaren-Mercedes 1:22.280
8. Rubens Barrichello (Brz) Honda 1:22.787
9. Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Renault 1:23.175
10. Fernando Alonso (Spa) Renault 1:21.829 **
11. Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota 1:21.924
12. Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams-Cosworth 1:22.203
13. Ralf Schumacher (Ger) Toyota 1:22.280
14. David Coulthard (GB) RedBull-Ferrari 1:22.589
15. Scott Speed (US) Toro Rosso-Cosworth 1:23.165
16. Christian Klien (Aus) RedBull-Ferrari
17. Vitantonio Liuzzi (Ita) Toro Rosso-Cosworth 1:23.043
18. Christijan Albers (Hol) MF1-Toyota 1:23.116
19. Mark Webber (Aus) Williams-Cosworth 1:23.341
20. Tiago Monteiro (Por) MF1-Toyota 1:23.920
21. Takuma Sato (Jpn) Super Aguri-Honda 1:24.289
22. Sakon Yamamoto (Jpn) Super Aguri-Honda 1:26.001
If you've read the post below and seen the pictures, you will have found out that Brabus squeezed out 15 more horses and transformed the Fortwo in a performance machine. If you think that was impressive, check out the video above. The Fortwo has an 180hp GSXR1000 motor that goes from 0-60 in just 4 seconds. If you want to know if that is fast, just watch the video above and see how the Ferrari is trying to keep up. Click here to visit the guy's website.
Just before the introduction of a new Fortwo model, we get a Brabus tuned model that reminds us how we will miss the old one. The Smart Fortwo Brabus will have 75 hp/ 55 kw and be priced at 18,491.39 euro.
LeftLaneNews reader, Danny McLaughlin, has managed to take some photos of an undisguised B-Class being tested in Indian Springs, Nevada. We have seen previous spy shots of a partially disguised B-class, but these are the first ones where you can clearly identify it as the B-class. Not sure when they (Mercedes) will official announce the introduction of the long awaited B-class into the US market, but I am sure it won't be too long, as they have started driving the undisguised B-class on public roads.
The numbers for August were very good for Mercedes. Today, they released the worldwide numbers for the Mercedes Group. Mercedes-Benz sales were up three percent in August to 81,700 passenger cars. Since July, the E-Class is once again the international market leader for upper-range automobiles, and the S-class has also been selling well, since the introduction of the new generation. Even the sales of SUVs more than doubled in the first eight months to 103,200 units.
Stuttgart, Sep 07, 2006
Worldwide sales of Mercedes Car Group passenger cars rose in August 2006 by 1.2 percent to 88,600 units (August 2005: 87,600). In the first eight months of the year, deliveries of Mercedes Benz, Maybach, and smart brand cars rose by seven percent to the record figure of 818,200 units (Jan.- August 2005: 765,200).
Mercedes-Benz worldwide sales were up by three percent in August to 81,700 passenger cars (August 2005: 79,200). From January through August, the number of Mercedes-Benz passenger cars delivered to customers increased by 11 percent to the all-time-high of 739,800 units (Jan.-August 2005: 667,400).
In the U.S., deliveries of Mercedes-Benz passenger cars again posted a record, with sales up by seven percent to 20,600 units in August. A new sales record was also set in the Asia/Pacific region, with sales increasing 19 percent to 9,200 units. At 44,300 units (August 2005: 45,200 units), Mercedes-Benz sales in Western Europe remained nearly stable in August, despite an overall decline of the markets.
The S-Class continuous to expand its leading world-market position in the luxury segment. Since the beginning of the year, 61,500 S-Class sedans have been handed over to their new owners. The S-Class is the number one vehicle in its segment for both diesel cars and vehicles powered by 12 cylinder engines.
Mercedes-Benz is also continuing to grow rapidly in the SUV segment. Global deliveries of M-, R-, GL- and G-Class vehicles have more than doubled to 103,200 units during the first eight months of 2006, due to the expanded range of models offered and the rapid growth in sales of the second-generation M-Class. In Germany and Western Europe, Mercedes-Benz is the best-selling premium brand in the SUV segment.
Since June, the new generation E-Class has been gradually introduced to its key markets, receiving very positive customer response. Featuring new engines, pioneering safety equipment and cutting-edge lighting systems, the new E-Class sets standards in the upper-range segment and has regained its internationally leading market position since July. A total of 19,300 E Class vehicles were delivered to customers worldwide in August.
The smart brand delivered 6,900 vehicles to customers worldwide in August 2006. For the period from January through August, sales at smart totalled 78,400 units.
We all know that when it comes to luxury and prestige, Mercedes is the top choice. If you don't believe this statement, then take a look at the Careerbuilder.com survey. They interviewed regular folks and CEOs to see what they think a company's CEO drives. According to the surveyed people, "The car most commonly associated with a company's CEO is a black Mercedes-Benz." Even thought, this is not what they all drive, it is still nice to see that Mercedes is the first thing that people think of when it comes to luxury. It is the dream of every Car manufacturers to achieve what Mercedes has done to the luxury market and to associate their brand with a prestige image. Here is what Careerbuilder found.
(CareerBuilder.com) -- If you were to guess what type of car your boss drives, what would you say? Typically, we assume that the higher you go on the corporate food chain, the more lavish the car. But according to a survey commissioned by CareerBuilder.com and Cars.com, perceptions are very different from reality.
Not surprisingly, a majority (59 percent) of survey respondents think a typical CEO drives a luxury vehicle. The car most commonly associated with a company's CEO is a black Mercedes-Benz.
In the driver's seat
The truth is more CEOs surveyed drive ordinary passenger cars and SUVs than luxury cars; in fact, those who drive Chevys outnumber those in Mercedes. And while most respondents think CEOs spend more than $70,000 on their cars, the average price CEOs in this study payed for their primary vehicle is under $25,000. One in four (26 percent) CEOs surveyed reported they spent less than $20,000 on their primary vehicle.
So what do CEOs drive? Here is a breakdown of the types of vehicles they said they own:
"When it comes to the perception of what CEOs drive, the respondents surveyed who believe a black Mercedes-Benz is the car of choice for CEOs aren't the only ones," said Patrick Olsen, managing editor of Cars.com. "A similar majority of CEOs who responded to the survey thought their peers were mostly driving expensive luxury cars as well."
The survey found that banking and finance workers are more likely than workers in any other career segment to drive luxury and sports cars, followed by engineers. Health care professionals say they are most likely to drive SUVs and construction workers surveyed say they are most likely to drive pickup trucks.
True colors
It may sound cliche, but government workers like red, white and blue cars, while banking and finance workers have somewhat of an affinity for those the color of money -- green and silver. According to those surveyed, the most popular vehicle colors among select industries include:
- Government: Red, white and blue
- Banking and finance: Silver, black, red and green
- General business: Black, red and blue
- Education: Red, blue, white and silver
- Health care: Silver, white and blue
- Retail: Silver, black and blue
- Manufacturing: Blue, green and red
- Food services: Silver, white and green
- Construction: White, blue and silver
Bells and whistles
Although reliability, price and value for the money are the top factors for both CEO and general population respondents, related to the car-buying process, the CEOs in this study said they are more likely than the other respondents to be influenced by exterior styling, interior roominess and engine performance, while the general respondents are more likely to be concerned with price, value for the money and fuel economy.
Fundamentally, what a CEO of a company drives isn't extremely different from what the general public drives. The reality is that while there are differences between what drives a CEO to purchase a particular vehicle and what motivates the general public, the car parked in a CEO's driveway isn't as extravagant as most people believe.
After months of controversy and speculation if the new Blutec is as clean as Mercedes say it is and if it will ever come to the US market, now we have finally gotten the word from MB. Mercedes-Benz is launching the new E 320 BLUETEC on October 15, timed to coincide with the introduction of low-sulphur diesel fuel in the USA. This model is also one of the most economical vehicles in its class and is regarded by experts as the pioneer of a new diesel era.
Press Release
Stuttgart/Las Vegas, Sep 06, 2006
"The introduction of clean diesel fuel in the USA represents an opportunity we have been battling for long and hard, the sort of opportunity we intend to utilise fully from day one", explained Dr Thomas Weber, head of Development at DaimlerChrysler AG and at the Mercedes Car Group, during the E 320 BLUETEC presentation in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background: state-of-the-art diesel vehicles, which already account for more than half of annual new registrations in Western Europe, have not yet realised their full potential in the USA due to excessive sulphur levels in existing fuel. All that is about to change with the nationwide introduction of clean diesel fuel with a sulphur content of just 15 ppm. "Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel" (ULSD) will be on sale at up to 76,000 US filling stations during the initial stage and will help promote the adoption of BLUETEC. This innovative diesel technology will also enable Mercedes-Benz to meet the world's most stringent emission limits for nitrogen oxides, providing the right conditions for state-of-the art diesel technology to make its mark in the USA.
"BLUETEC power is about to win many friends in North America as soon as US customers get behind the wheel of a car like the E 320 BLUETEC", says Dr Thomas Weber. "Our 208 hp three-litre V6 develops eight-cylinder-like torque of 400 pounds feet (540 Nm) combined with the sort of economy you get from a four-cylinder engine in everyday use." The combined consumption of just 6.7 l/ 100 km (35 miles per US gallon) provides a range of 700 miles (around 1200 km) without having to refuel.
Ultra-modern diesel vehicles provide their owners with assured, clean and economical driving pleasure and can potentially - given a sufficiently large uptake - make national economies less dependent on oil imports. An EPA study dating back to 2004 confirmed the enormous potential savings inherent in diesel. Margo Oge, Director of the Office of Transportation and Air Quality, came up with the following calculation: if just a third of the light-duty vehicles in the USA were state-of-the-art diesel vehicles, we would be looking at saving 1.4 million barrels a day, the equivalent quantity of oil the USA imports from Saudi Arabia every day.
With no end in sight to soaring fuel prices, experts predict a greater uptake of diesel around the globe. The recent J.D. Power study "Global Outlook For Diesel" forecasts that the current global diesel market share of 18 percent is set to reach around 30 percent in 2015: diesel vehicles are expected to account for over 15 percent of new registrations in North America.
Additional BLUETEC models in the USA and Europe by 2008
Against this background, Mercedes-Benz intends to systematically broaden its BLUETEC portfolio. Dr Weber: "In addition to the E 320 BLUETEC we aim to have another three BLUETEC models in the line-up as early as 2008 that meet the 50-state BIN 5 standard in the R-Class, ML-Class and the GL Class." Following its launch in the USA, Mercedes-Benz intends to successively roll out BLUETEC in other markets. At present the technology is being adapted to European market requirements and other Mercedes Benz models. The company's European customers should have the option of BLUETEC in a passenger car by 2008 at the very latest. Meanwhile the Jeep Grand Cherokee BLUETEC concept is a perfect example of how other DaimlerChrysler brands can also leverage BLUETEC.
BLUETEC is a modular emission control system that reduces nitrogen oxides. Diesel engine design means nitrogen oxide is currently the only emissions constituent that exceeds the equivalent figure for a petrol unit. Mercedes-Benz has developed BLUETEC in two versions: in the E-Class an oxidation-type catalytic converter and particulate filter are combined with an improved, extremely durable NOx trap system and an additional SCR catalytic converter. The second BLUETEC version is even more efficient. Here, AdBlue, a non-toxic aqueous solution, is injected into the exhaust-gas stream, causing ammonia to be released. In the downstream SCR catalytic converter the ammonia then converts up to 80 percent of the nitrogen oxides into the harmless natural products of nitrogen and water. The specific vehicle concept and weight as well as the deNOx requirements determine which BLUETEC system is used. In principle, BLUETEC is capable of meeting the world's most stringent exhaust emission standards.
The "Videos on Wednesday" segment is being continued with a great video showing a "Mercedes 190 RM1 V8 JUDD with a Formula 1 engine." That is what the video description says, not sure if that is correct.
Over at the GMInsideNews Forum, a user has posted pictures from his visit to the Mercedes museum. Here is a promo video from the museum that I posted over a month ago, but click here to see the pictures.
Head over to Auto-Zeitung and cast your vote for the best car in their "Faszination Auto" segment. The Mercedes SLR McLaren is currently leading the poll with 600 points. Let's help the SLR win this competition or at least make it to the top 3, since the winning three will be reviewed extensively in the next issue of Auto-Zeitung. To vote, select the SLR and click on the number (0-9) to vote; zero being worst and nine best. You do not have to vote for every car, just the once you like or dislike. Click here to cast your vote.
The awards just keep coming and coming. The new S550 received the Garners Top Safety Award from Popular Mechanics Magazine. Not only is it getting great reviews and awards, but is also selling like hot cakes. Below you can read the full article.
MONTVALE, N.J., Sept. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- The new-generation 2007 Mercedes- Benz S-Class sedan, the company's latest flagship sedan and the successor to a long line of premium luxury vehicles, has won a coveted Automotive Excellence Award from POPULAR MECHANICS magazine, one of the largest and most trusted technology magazines that reaches more than 8.6 million readers each month. Chosen by the magazine's experienced team of automotive editors, the new S550 model won their Safety award, one of ten categories that comprise their Automotive Excellence Awards, which recognize exceptional 2007 model-year vehicles.
Don Chaikin, automotive editor, POPULAR MECHANICS, said, "With the changing environment and economy, automotive manufacturers have to provide consumers with innovative, cost-effective and better-performing vehicles in order to stay competitive in today's market. It's hard to find a model that doesn't have some great new feature, but our automotive team sought the best of the best for our readers and has singled out these ten models as our top- of-the-line picks."
PRE-SAFE, Distronic Plus and Much More
The new-generation S-Class sedan made its U.S. debut earlier this year with an impressive array of industry-leading safety features. First, the revolutionary PRE-SAFE system senses loss of control and automatically takes measures to protect occupants before a possible impact.
The new radar-based Distronic Plus cruise control can maintain a pre-set following distance behind the vehicle ahead and it is networked with other systems so that Brake Assist can be readied and PRE-SAFE measures can be triggered if the closing speed to the next vehicle is too great. Extensive testing suggests that these features will reduce rear collisions.
Infra-Red Night View Assist
Another innovative technology that made its debut on the 2007 S-Class is Night View Assist, a new option that can extend the driver's ability to see ahead to nearly 500 feet. An industry first, and in contrast to passive systems that rely only on thermal imaging, this active system bathes the road ahead with invisible infra-red light from two projector beams mounted in the headlights. An infra-red camera discreetly mounted in the windshield receives the reflected images and displays them in a high-resolution display in the instrument cluster.
The Industry's First Rapidly Flashing Brake Lights
The new-generation S600 and S65 AMG models are equipped with adaptive brake lights that can flash rapidly during emergency braking, a feature that's expected to reduce rear collisions. Another industry first from Mercedes, the rapidly flashing LED brake lights are triggered primarily by the car's Brake Assist system (standard on all Mercedes-Benz passenger vehicles since 1998), which automatically provides full-power braking assist whenever it senses faster-than-usual brake pedal application.
How the Winners Were Chosen
To determine the winners, POPULAR MECHANICS' automotive editors drove over 100 of the newest cars, trucks and sport-utility vehicles, amassing well over 100,000 miles in the process. The team, headed by Chaikin, is comprised of senior automotive editor Mike Allen, Detroit editor Jim Dunne and West Coast editor Ben Stewart, and collectively represents nearly 100 years of automotive editorial experience.
The complete report on the 2007 POPULAR MECHANICS Automotive Excellence Awards winners can be found in the October issue of POPULAR MECHANICS, on newsstands September 12, 2006 and online at www.popularmechanics.com.
Mercedes is continually giving us information on the technology that will be available in the upcoming CL. From the seats to the Pre-safe system, they are pumping the CL with technology that will overwhelm even the biggest geek. The new Mercedes coupe will come with the very best chassis technology as standard. With the Active Body Control (ABC) suspension system the new CL-Class features a milestone in chassis technology as standard. The system, which continuously adapts the suspension to the driving situation within fractions of a second, has been further refined by Mercedes engineers. It is now even more efficient and injects yet more dynamism into the car's handling, while still ensuring superb standards of comfort.
Stuttgart, Sep 04, 2006
When it introduced Active Body Control (ABC) in 1999, Mercedes-Benz reorganised the alphabet of chassis technology. The innovative system, which entered series production in the predecessor of the CL-Class after 20 years of research and development, is the solution to the traditional problem associated with the tuning of a passenger car chassis: should wheel vibrations caused by the road surface be kept to a minimum by a sporty, stiff shock absorber configuration, or should the damping be made more comfortable and soft at the expense of handling safety and performance?
Thanks to Active Body Control, this conflict of aims is a thing of the past; the suspension configuration is automatically adapted to suit the current driving situation. A high level of comfort is accompanied by dynamic performance - or vice versa.
To this end, the four spring struts are equipped with microprocessor-controlled plunger cylinders which almost completely compensate yawing, pitching and rolling movements of the vehicle body. The computer receives information about the relevant driving situation from the various acceleration sensors, then compares this with the data from the pressure sensors in the spring struts and the level sensors in the steering control arms. The ABC system translates this information into control signals, which are implemented as precisely metered oil flows by hydraulic servo-valves on the front and rear axles. When oil flows into the plunger cylinders, these adjust the tracing point of the steel springs integrated into the spring struts, generating the forces necessary to counteract movements of the vehicle body.
Under pressure: body is stabilised within fractions of a second
Owing to the constantly available hydraulic pressure of up to 200 bar, ABC is able to stabilise the vehicle body practically immediately - within a fraction of a second. The system operates in the vibration range of up to five hertz, the range which causes pitching and rolling movements on uneven road surfaces, side-roll on bends and the typical body dive experienced during braking. Higher-frequency vibrations and wheel damping are the responsibility of passive twin-tube gas-pressure shock absorbers, which can be configured for excellent comfort.
Mercedes-Benz has enhanced Active Body Control for the new CL-Class and made it even better. Each component has been reworked. The specialists have now arranged various components into groups, in order to improve the control functions with shorter connecting lines and reduce the installation space required.
Body roll reduced by up to 45 per cent when cornering at speed
The major advantage of second-generation Active Body Control, however, is its greater efficiency in reducing body movements to correspond to the driving situation. This is where the Mercedes coupe advances into new dimensions of handling - while simultaneously offering greater comfort that every driver will immediately notice. The body roll angle, for example, is reduced during a dynamic driving manoeuvre by more than 45 per cent - from the previous value of 2.2 to 1.2 degrees. When cornering at speed - for example when leaving a motorway - this second-generation ABC suspension reduces the roll angle to just 0.7 degrees.
Other special features of Active Body Control include variable anti-roll control between the front and rear axles, which the system carries out automatically in accordance with the vehicle's speed. The system also takes the vehicle load into account: on the basis of the plunger and spring travel, the ABC computer calculates the actual vehicle weight and takes it into consideration for the active control function.
At the touch of a button: individual suspension and transmission characteristics
In addition the new CL-Class features an S/C/M button in the centre console with which the driver is able to modify the overall characteristics of the coupe from "comfortable" to "sporty":
- Comfort: In this mode the automatic transmission changes the gears at lower engine speeds, and the CL coup moves off in second gear. The ABC suspension operates in Comfort mode, comfortably smoothing out uneven road surfaces and bumps.
- Sport: The automatic transmission makes full use of the engine speed range in this setting. The ABC suspension operates in Sport mode as well, with a stiffer damping effect on uneven surfaces and bumps. The characteristic map of the accelerator is also modified, so that the engine responds more rapidly when acceleration is required.
- Manual: The automatic transmission is operated manually using gearshift buttons on the steering wheel, with significantly reduced gearshift times compared to the Sport mode. The suspension configuration selected by Active Body Control is the same as in Sport mode, as is the characteristic map of the accelerator.
If the CL-Class is travelling on poor roads which make a higher ground clearance advisable, the driver is able to raise the suspension by 45 millimetres at the touch of a button. When travelling at high speed in Sport mode, ABC automatically lowers the suspension by up to ten millimetres to reduce aerodynamic drag and lower the fuel consumption.
During the German beach volleyball championships in Timmendorf this weekend, Pavel Zasanyok, the three-time sand sculpture world champion from Russia, built the new smart fortwo from sand. LLN is reporting that this is a preview for the new Smart fortwo that will be coming to the US in 2008. This was a DaimlerChrysler organized event, and we can all be sure that the final concept will be similar to the sculpture.
Contrary to the report last week, Mercedes is insisting that it was not their goal to reach the strict exhaust standard in the five states (California, Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont and New York), but only for the 45 they did reach.
Reaching the strict Bin 5-Norm in the remaining five states, is planned for the coming years with the introduction of Urea injection for diesel passenger cars in the USA.
This is definitely great news and will surely be appreciated by everyone waiting for a clean and powerful diesel to hit the streets. We'll have to wait a while and see if the new system will be approved and if it can pass the strict standards, but it is nice to hear that they never intended it to pass and that they have a backup plan.
Here is an interesting comparison test that is not done very often, and especially not to this scale. German finest car magazine - Autobild, has tested 100 cars in just one category. They wanted to see what car is best from 0 to 100 to 0. They published their findings in their magazine, but have also made a pdf file available for us.
The SLR scored 4th place, right after the Gallardo and the two Porsches. It was a very good performance by the SLR, going from 0-100 km/h in just 3.9 seconds, which is the 3rd fastest time, but did lose some time due to braking. Its ceramic brakes are designed more for track racing than for this event where regular brakes would have done a better job.
Here are the Top 5
Porsche 911 Turbo
Porsche Carrera GT
Lamborghini Gallardo
Mercedes SLR McLaren
Ferrari F430 F1
Click on the Images below to see the rest
Here are the best in each category Videos
This is something that nobody has seen so far, and thanks to Luxurious over at Autospies, I bring you this surprisingly very beautiful CLS wagon. Will this be a future model or could this be a tuned E-class wagon with a CLS front. Either way, this car is very nice and if this becomes a production car, it will no doubt become a success.
Mercedes has posted its monthly sales numbers, and they look very good. They (Mercedes) increased their August sales from 19,267 cars last years to 20,602, which represents a 6.9 percent increase. The last couple of months have been very good for Mercedes-Benz, as can be seen on the YTD numbers; increasing by 13.3 percent from 138,692 to 157,128.
The S-class, like in the previous month, is leading the sales charts in terms of sales improvement. The newly introduced R and GL-class had strong numbers this month, but can't be compared to last year.
The Mercedes-Benz Certified Pre-Owned program sold 4,221 vehicles in August, an increase of 15.3 percent over August 2005, bringing the yearly total to 31,482 units, a 2.7 percent increase over 2005.
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2006, BenzInsider.com. All rights reserved
This blog is not related in any
way with Mercedes-Benz. Opinions expressed in the comments section are the
opinions of the commenter and do not necessarily represent my views.
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