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Mercedes-Benz Malaysia introduces Proven Exclusivity – a Certified Pre-Owned programme

October 9, 2009 at 1:26 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Mercedes Benz

Mercedes-Benz Proven ExclusivityThe Mercedes-Benz E 280 Avantgarde AMG Sports Package that you see on the left is available for sale with just over 20,000km on the odometer for RM360,000. It’s also got an official Mercedes-Benz Malaysia minimum warranty of 12 months or up to 20,000km.

The car I’ve just described above is just one of the few Certified Pre-Owned cars that you can procure through its Proven Exclusivity Programme, a pre-owned car program that Mercedes-Benz Malaysia has just launched yesterday. The cars have gone through a 215 point check by Mercedes-Benz trained personnel. All the cars are not more than 5 years old and have less than 100,000km mileage, so you don’t have to worry about reconditioned dealers tampering with the odometer. The cars are also limited to those that were originally brought in by Mercedes-Benz Malaysia and not via grey importers.

The Proven Exclusivity programme will be offered in phases at selected Mercedes-Benz dealerships nationwide starting with five dealerships – Cycle & Carriage Bintang Petaling Jaya, Cycle & Carriage Bintang Mutiara, Hap Seng Star Kinrara, NZ Wheels Klang and Lowe Motor Juru. Phase II, scheduled for early 2010, will see four more dealerships come on board. They hope to sell between 200 and 300 pre-owned cars in 2010 under the programme.

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REVIEW: Mercedes-Benz E 280 AMG Sports Package

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New world land speed record (for the blind)

October 8, 2009 at 12:12 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Mercedes Benz

SL65 AMG Black

A new world land speed record was set with a Mercedes-Benz SL 65 AMG Black Series this week. The car hit 322.5km/h at an Upington International Airport runway. The best part is – it was set by a blind man, Hein Wagner. And the record is of course the “land speed record for the blind.”

Wagner is a motivational speaker and he was born blind. He had also previously set a world land speed record for the blind back in 2005 in a Maserati, clocking 269km/h. It must be pretty scary to go that fast in a car when you can’t see.

His next challenge? Flying a Boeing with passengers from London to Johannesburg!

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GALLERY: Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG Estate

September 16, 2009 at 4:46 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Mercedes Benz

Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG Estate

Here’s the wagon version of the V8-powered Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG – 630Nm of torquey goodness and enough bootspace for nearly all family activities. And remember, there’s even small rearward-facing seats in case you need them. These photos are pretty hi-res so they’re good for replacing that RS6 Avant wallpaper you’ve been having on your computer for the past few months, if you’re bored of the Audi.

Check out the hi-res photos after the jump.
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Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-CELL in early 2010

August 29, 2009 at 8:05 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News, Mercedes Benz

Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-CELL

The equivalent fuel costs of 3.3L/100km of diesel, and 0g/km of CO2 emissions. These are the eco-vital statistics of the new Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-CELL, which will be delivered to about 200 customers in the US and Europe early 2010.

These customers will consist of mainly owners in Hamburg, Stuttgart and California where Daimler has cooperations going with government authorities and utility/oil companies. This car and the decision to sell it is the fruit of more than 100 test vehicles and a combined total of over 4.5 million km of trial testing.

Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-CELL

The B-Class F-CELL uses a 136hp electric motor with a massive 290Nm of torque from as low as 1rpm. That’s basically the entire rev range of the motor. The hydrogen capacity can take the car up to 385km on a full tank (NEDC driving cycle) and the tank can be replenished at a hydrogen refueling system in only 3 minutes, which is way shorter time than any EV can promise, even with quick chargers.

There is a 1.4kWh lithium ion battery that is used to temporarily store the charge recovered from brake energy regeneration and this energy will also be used to provide a power boost to the electric motor.

Mercedes-Benz’s stand is that internal combustion engines powered by fossil fuels will remain to be relevant for a long time to come – alternative energy solutions as they are now do not satisfy the needs of long haul travel not only just for consumers, but especially inter-state transport. But urban transport within cities will definitely benefit from zero-emission and low cost electric drive.
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VIDEO: New footage of the W212 E-Class Estate

August 13, 2009 at 12:15 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Mercedes Benz, Videos

Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate

Here’s some new footage of the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate for those who are wagon lovers and admire Stuttgart’s pretty good-looking execution of the wagon bodytype on the new W212 E-Class. You get to see some of the wagon’s features in action such as the easy one-pull handle that can be used to fold the rear seats down in order to extend the wagon’s load area. The rear-facing third row small seats are also mentioned as being optional. Watch the video after the jump.
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Jamie Green takes the E 63 AMG to the track

August 12, 2009 at 1:40 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Mercedes Benz, Videos

E63 AMG

For some reason, Mercedes-Benz had a great mix of ingredients – a video team, DTM driver Jamie Green and the new Mercedes-Benz E 63 AMG, but the end result was a video that was quite devoid of any action. I believe the appropriate word to be used here would be “yawnfest”. But we do get to hear the sweet V8 growling away, albeit only a little towards the end of the video. And for that alone, watching the video is worth it, though I wouldn’t watch it a second time.

Enjoy the video after the jump.
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New E-Class Estate: full details and photos unveiled!

August 5, 2009 at 5:32 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Mercedes Benz, Videos

W212 Wagon

The full details of the new E-Class Estate are here. The new E-Class Estate measures 4895mm long, 1854mm wide and 1471mm tall and can carry up to a maximum of 1950 litres. It looks like a pretty sweet wagon really, with a proper wagon-like roofline. Give me this anytime rather than a fancy elongated hatchback with a sloping roofline!

A total of 10 engines will be available with the new W212 Estate, with an initial 5 engines offered – the E220 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY, E250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY, E350 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY, E 350 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY and the V8-powered E500.

Like most estate vehicles that are anticipated to carry heavier loads than their sedan brethren, the W212 Estate features an automatic self-levellling suspension at the rear as standard equipment, which helps ensure the ride height remains at the same level no matter what the vehicle’s load is. The suspension setup has been modified over the sedan version for the wagon – this means its got stiffer shock absorbers and torsion bar stabilisers.

Look after the jump for a nice full hi-res photo gallery.
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W212 E-Class Wagon features 3rd row seats

August 5, 2009 at 10:42 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Mercedes Benz

W212 Wagon

These medium-res photos of the new E-Class Wagon found their way on the net earlier this week. How it looks like is really no surprise considering this new W212 E-Class was first shown to the world in wagon form. But there’s one thing that caught my eye…

W212 Wagon

The new E-Class Wagon has third row seats! They’re quite small though, and they face rearwards. But they have proper seatbelts and all. Probably a nice cushiony area for your dog to lie ;) You can look after the jump for more of the leaked photos.

More details will be unveiled when Daimler releases the full press pack.
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Electric-powered Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Gullwing confirmed for production!

July 17, 2009 at 5:54 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News, Mercedes Benz

Electric SLS AMG
Click for a larger diagram

After rumors emerged that Mercedes will be producing an electric version of the upcoming SLS AMG Gullwing sports car, the auto maker has now officially announced that such a car will go into production.

Called the Mercedes SLS AMG Gullwing with electric drive, this emissions free sports car will have a total of four electric motors positioned near the wheels, with one transmission per axle that will transmit the power. With this arrangement there will not be any transmission losses, according to Mercedes.

The Mercedes SLS AMG Gullwing with electric drive can produce up to 526 horsepower, with a massive torque figure of 880Nm which is mind blowing! This allows the electric Gullwing to hit 100 km/h in just 4 seconds flat, up to an unspecified top speed.

According to Mercedes, the 4-second sprint figure rivals the figure offered by the 6.3 litre V8-powered Mercedes SLS AMG Gullwing that develops 571 horses. Power is derived from a 400-volt battery pack (with an energy content of 48 kWh and a capacity of 40 Ah), that can be recharged via plug-in, as well as via regenerative braking.

Mercedes also revealed that the handling and driving characteristics of the Mercedes SLS AMG Gullwing with electric drive will match its carbon fuel-powered sibling. The auto maker also mentioned that the electric car will have an optimum weight distribution, which is achieved by placing parts of the batter pack in front of the firewall, in the centre tunnel and behind the seats.

Both Mercedes and AMG will be producing the electric Gullwing, and will have Deutsche Accumotive GmbH & Co. (a joint venture between Daimler AG and Evonik Industries AG) to provide the battery technology required in future. The auto maker did not reveal any information regarding production schedule of the electric sports car in the press release.

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Mercedes-Benz E-Guard VR4 Armored Vehicle

July 6, 2009 at 2:31 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Mercedes Benz, Videos

Mercedes-Benz E-Guard

The E-Guard is not your regular W212 E-Class – it’s been beefed up substantially to give extra protection to the occupant inside, but the extra protection are all hidden and cannot be seen by the naked eye. It starts off as a regular E-Class chassis, made to regular series production standards.

Next, protective elements are installed. These are precisely formed to exactly fit the contours of the bodyshell without encroaching on the interior space. The fit must be perfect to provide proper protection. The slightest misfit might cause a bullet to be able to pierce through. There is also optional underbody armour, which will allow the entire underfloor of the passenger area to withstand the explosion of a DM51 hand grenade.

Mercedes-Benz E-Guard

All the extra protection helps the E-Guard conform to VR4 protection class. BMW’s “Security” series of armored cars also conform to this same specification. This means it can withstand handgun bullets of up to .44 Magnum in calibre at random angles of fire and not just via certain angles, to provide the most realistic protection possible. Runflat tyres in 17 inch size are used for additional protection (all BMWs except some M cars have this as standard), ensuring the car can still go at up to 50km and 80km/h speed in case attackers damage the tyres.

Of course all the extra parts makes the E-Guard so much more heavier than a regular E. Brakes, suspension and stability control systems must be adjusted and recalibrated to suit the new weight. The E-Guard uses a special Level II version of the AIRMATIC air suspension system as standard.

Look after the jump for some pretty interesting videos talking about the E-Guard and its assembly process. It also demonstrates with a loaded gun the difference between a normal W212 and the E-Guard in terms of bulletproofness. Enjoy the videos!
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