Archive for Mercedes Benz

According to the latest scoop from Autocar, there will be no new CLK63 AMG, or rather the E-Class Coupe AMG since the CLK has been replaced by the E-Class Coupe. You see, the CLK has always been somewhat an odd product, as it looks like an E-Class coupe (shown above) but was based on C-Class underpinings, until the latest version of course where not only it is based on the E-Class, Mercedes-Benz decided to rename it to an E-Class coupe to better reflect its new positioning.

“We had a good look where it would fit into the line-up and eventually came to the conclusion it would be too close to the CLS63 AMG, both in positioning and price,” said a Mercedes-Benz source. That is quite true actually, as the E-Class Coupe and CLS are both “coupe” versions of the E-Class, just that the CLS has its own unique styling and 4-doors. But still, it doesn’t really make sense.

At that sort of price levels, exclusivity and profit margins, who are they to deny a potential customer from his very own proper 2-door (instead of CLS 4-door) D-segment AMG car if he wanted it? I bet it will happen sooner or later. And isn’t the E-Class AMG so much closer to the upcoming new CLS AMG, hint hint: 4 doors?!

Click here to read the rest of Mercedes-Benz: no new CLK AMG car!

Click for enlarged image

Can you tell the difference between the three cars above? Let me help you with that. The top most is the S 63 AMG, and next up is the long wheelbase S 63 AMG, while lastly you have the long wheelbase V12-powered S 65 AMG, which seems to be available only in the long wheelbase form unlike the normally aspirated V8 S 63.

The new S-Class has not been unveiled yet, only due at the Shanghai show this year but these few photos you will find after the jump have already been revealed in Mercedes-Benz Germany’s online configuration tool.

The S 63 AMG uses a normally spirated 6.2 liter V8 putting out 525 PS and 630Nm of torque, mated to an AMG SPEEDSHIFT 7G-TRONIC transmission (no indication that it has the MCT system), and costs 144,823 Euros in long wheelbase form. Now this is actually cheaper than the V12 S 600.

Here comes the killer. The top of the range in terms of starting asping price is the monster S 65 AMG, with its turbocharged V12 putting out 612 PS and that magical number – a whole 1,000Nm of torque! This baby costs 221,221 Euros onwards. Because of that crazy torque you don’t get the SPEEDSHIFT 7G-Tronic though, as only their 5-speeder can cope with the twisting forces.

Look after the jump for some images extracted from the config tool. The full details with high res images will come along when Mercedes-Benz decides to release the official press release and photos.

Click here to read the rest of Facelifted S 63 and S 65 AMG unveiled early!

Hot on the tail of the new F01 is an updated S-Class, it’s still the W221 but with a mid-life facelift that adds a few aesthetic changes including a more prominent grille up front, a revised bumper, the LED daytime driving lights that we also saw on the new E-Class, LED tail lights at the rear, and an integrated exhaust.

With the facelift also comes the new S 400 HYBRID, which unlike the hybrid-diesel version shown in 2007, is powered by a petrol engine, the 3.5 liter V6 to be exact from the S 350. The 279hp generated by the V6 is complemented by a 20 horsepower electric motor that has 160Nm of torque, integrated with the 7G-Tronic transmission.

The motor acts as a dynamo during braking to recover kinetic energy, recharging the lithium ion batteries with them. The result is an economical 7.9 liters per 100km of combined consumption, impressive for such a large car. I wonder if Mercedes-Benz Malaysia will introduce this here. Companies might just go for it as a company car in their efforts to look green, perhaps as part of their social responsibility programs, plus there is that tax-free period for hybrids. In Germany, the S 400 is less than 10,000 Euros more expensive than the S 350.

Something new is a feature called Active Body Control which is a crosswind stabilisation feature. This is standard on the S 600. The S-Class is expected to run cross-state journeys sometimes, since the bosses here may have to visit branches in other states once in a while. During highway journeys you do get hit by crosswinds which can upset the car’s balance, thus Active Body Control tries to make up for it.

It senses crosswinds via the yaw rate and acceleration sensors that are part of the ESP program, and this data is used to vary the spring load to compensate the effects of crosswinds.

Look after the jump for a full hi-res gallery detailing the changes in the design of the S-Class. It should be quite easy to spot.

Click here to read the rest of 2010 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Facelift: Official Details

Check out this new commercial by Mercedes-Benz touting the safety features of its car. Whether you believe it or not, the creativity of whoever produced the video makes you smile… it shows two guardian angels having a chat, and it’s revealed that one of them has a “dream job”, the guardian angel of a Mercedes-Benz driver.

Click here to read the rest of Mercedes-Benz “Angels” Safety Commercial

The W212 finally gets its AMG model shortly after its launch, the new E63 AMG, powered by a 6.2 liter V8 (not a 6.3 liter that its name hints at) producing 518 horsepower and 630Nm of torque. As you can expect from the numbers, it’s normally aspirated!

The fact that this car only has 11 more horsepower than the W211 shows that AMG has really backed out of the horsepower game, preferring to let Audi have the last laugh with the RS6’s 571bhp. Average fuel consumption has been cut by 12%, something that the new gearbox likely contributed to.

The V8 is mated to AMG’s new SPEEDSHIFT MCT 7-speed auto form the SL63 AMG which is essentially the original 7-speed 7G-TRONIC-based SPEEDSHIFT but with the torque converter replaced with a multi-disc oiled start-up clutch. The transmission has automatic rev-matching and 4 shift modes – C, S, S+ and M. C stands for Controlled Efficiency (not Comfort), where it will shift smoothly and upshift as fast as possible to keep engine speeds low.

The W212 E63 AMG has what Mercedes-Benz calls AMG RIDE CONTROL, which uses electronically controolled dampers for the sports supesnsion. The front axle is new with a 56mm wider track, a tubular stabiliszer bar, new control arms, new wheel bearings and a new bushing geometry. It now uses steel springs while the rear uses AMG spec air springs.

AMG says steel springs are used at the front to ensure sensitive responses while the rear’s air springs with automatic levelling help keep the vehicle at a constant height, as with the E63 being a sedan it’s expected to be loaded up with a family and luggage too.

Brakes are AMG 14.2 inch ventilated and cross-drilled brakes for all four wheels, with the front axle having a two-piece construction. The AMG wheels are 18 inch in size wrapped with 255/40R18 tyres at front and 285/35R18 at the rear. Optional are 19 inchers with 255/35R19 in front and 285/30R19 at the rear.

The steering ratio has been made quicker at 14:1 – 22% quicker to be exact compared to standard W212 models, plus the steering column itsef is more digid. The speed-sensitive servo also has AMG calibration. The ESP system is 3-stage, allowing an ESP SPORT middle-ground for a little more fun before ESP kicks in to save you. ESP can be turned completely off.

Look after the jump for a full hi-res gallery!

Click here to read the rest of V8 powered W212 2010 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG!

Brabus has unveiled its tuning and bodykit package for the W212 E-Class. Bodykits are always subjective but I really don’t get the weird red dot deflector in the middle of the diffuser-like area between the quad tailpipes. But nevermind about that, let’s have a look at the rest of the package.

The Brabus W212 bodykit is manufactured from Pur-R-Rim plastics in OEM quality. There are front sport quarter panels which improve the venting of the wheel houses, thus helping some of that brake heat escape. The Brabus rocker panels also have aerodynamic benefits – they calm the airflow between the wheel houses, and of course also feature the LED entrace lights that has become a Brabus trademark.

There are a few suspension mods to be picked from, ranging from as basic as a lowering kit up to a special control unit for the AIRMATIC air suspension, which were also all tuned to match the high-performance Pirelli and Yokohama tyres that Brabus recommends you wrap their Brabus Monoblock light alloy wheels with. There are also large 12-piston brakes that you can fit.

The E 500 (US market – E 550)’s engine can be equipped with the BRABUS 6.1 liter kit, which uses a special crankshaft and larger pistons to increase displacement to 6.1 liters. The result is 462 horsepower at 6,200rpm and 615Nm of torque from as low as 3,100rpm. You can also fit an anti-slip rear differential with a 40% locking rate.

For the oil burners, the company is still working at developing the BRABUS ECO PowerXtra kits, including a BRABUS ECO PowerXtra BLUE tuning kit for the Mercedes E 350 BlueTEC.

Look after the jump for a full gallery of the Brabus W212.

Click here to read the rest of Brabus kits up the W212 Mercedes-Benz E-Class

First of all, what’s with the bicycle wheels??? Actually this is more like an extreme example of retro-futurism as all the first few cars including Henry Ford’s had wheels that looked like this. In actual fact its a modern reenactment of the Benz Patent Motorwagen. This is Mercedes-Benz’s F-CELL Roadster Concept.

It’s powered by a fuel cell located at the rear producing just 1.2 kilowatts, or 1.6 horsepower. It has a range of 350km and a top speed of 25km/h. Perfect for navigating golf courses in style? Check out more hi-res shots after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Mercedes-Benz F-CELL Roadster Concept

There’s one very easy way to tell the real stuff from the aesthetic replicas when it comes to AMG and M cars. Just check out those huge brakes in the photo above! The W212’s E63 AMG is expected to have a 6.3 liter normally aspirated V8 under the hood, churning out 525 horsepower and 630Nm of torque. The basis of this “prediction” by many publications out there are because it is similiar figures to the SL 63 AMG. It may also get the AMG Speedshift MCT transmission, a planetary transmission automatic gearbox but with the torque converter replaced with a startup clutch. The latest AMG car from Stuttgart is expected to be unveiled at the 2009 New York International Auto Show.

After reporting that top German auto makers BMW and Daimler are planning to perform a cross ownership a couple of days ago, and both companies may exchange up to 7% of shares among each other, German-based Der Spiegel magazine has now revealed the BMW’s single largest shareholder, the Quandt family which holds 46% of the Munich based auto maker is against such a deal.

As mentioned earlier, the Quandt family is worried that Daimler, which owns the Mercedes Benz brand might end up wanting to take over BMW, just like how it took over Chrysler in the later 1990’s. However, an interview with a BMW executive revealed that the 7% exchange in shares is just a speculation in the first place, and that both companies only have an agreement to share purchasing costs for certain parts.

This means that nothing is concrete, since one is saying a different thing, while the other is saying another. We will just have to play the waiting game. On the different note, BMW has a similar agreement with PSA Peugeot Citroen, where BMW develops the 1.6 liter petrol engine, which is mostly found in the MINI and in return, the PSA Group helps drive down production costs for both companies with its high purchasing power.

The deal is for 1 million engines where BMW keeps 200,000 for itself, while the PSA Peugeot Citroen keeps 800,000. This is why you can find the 1.6 liter engine from the MINI in the recently launched Peugeot 308. BMW is also planning to work together with Fiat to develop new platforms for small sized vehicles, which may spawn the production of the BMW Isetta and the Fiat Topolino.

The exterior designer of the new F01 BMW 7-Series Karim Habib has left BMW for its rival Mercedes-Benz, where he will head an advanced design studio near Stuttgart. Habib will report to Mercedes-Benz design boss Gorden Wagener, who succeeded Peter Pfeiffer a few months ago. Another new member of the team who just joined in January this year is Joel Piaskowski, the main designer for the Hyundai Genesis sedan and coupe who has been in Hyundai since 2003.