World of Automobile: Mclass

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Friday, December 14, 2012

New Mercedes Popemobile based on an M-Class

The Pope has got a new car and, choosing not to break from tradition, he's opted for a Mercedes-Benz once again. Having received his new car from Dr Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, we check out some of the key features of the Pope's latest ride.

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New Mercedes Popemobile based on an M-Class

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Thursday, July 14, 2011

2012 Mercedes-Benz M-class Revealed

2012 Mercedes-Benz M-class Photos and Info – News – Car and Driver #pallet {margin:0;}#echoice li.category {margin:0;}Car and DriverIntelligence. Independence. Irreverence. VehiclesReviewsNewsFeaturesBuyer's GuideFollow UsSubscribeSearch Car and DriverHome › News › 2012 Mercedes-Benz M-class / ML350 4MATIC / ML350 BlueTec...

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2012 Mercedes-Benz M-class / ML350 4MATIC / ML350 BlueTec - Car NewsThe next Mercedes-Benz ML looks a lot like the old ML, but a lot better, too.BY DAVID GLUCKMAN
June 2011

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2012 Mercedes-Benz M-class / ML350 4MATIC / ML350 BlueTec

Photos (57)Visit Our Buyer's Guide »Mercedes-Benz M-class› Overview› Specifications› Price with Options› Photos & 360° View› Get a Free QuoteNews & Reviews2012 Mercedes-Benz ML350 / ML550 / ML63 AMG Spy Photos - Future Cars2010 Mercedes-Benz ML450 Hybrid - Quick Spin2010 Mercedes-Benz ML450 Hybrid - Auto Shows2009 Mercedes-Benz ML320 BlueTec, ML350, ML550, ML63 AMG - Auto Shows2008 Mercedes-Benz ML350 Edition 10 - Car NewsMercedes-Benz ML63 AMG - Auto ShowsBig Makeover for the M-class - Car NewsMercedes-Benz M-Class - Auto ShowsBertrandt Competence Car - Auto ShowsTop CompetitorsAcura MDXAudi Q7BMW X5Infiniti FXPorsche Cayenne

Now in its third generation, the Mercedes-Benz M-class is refining the Mercedes SUV experience, rather than reinventing it. The 2012 ML is the same basic size and shape as before, but the platform—shared in part with the new Jeep Grand Cherokee—is new, and the vehicle gets significant upgrades in efficiency and style for 2012.

The exterior appears sleeker and more sculpted, while the most obvious difference in the interior is a switch from round air vents to rectangular, the former now reserved for Mercedes’ sports-car lineup. (It’s worth noting just how similar the instrument layout is to the Grand Cherokee’s.) A big increase in quality and design can be felt inside. A large swath of either wood or metal-look plastic sits before the front passenger, while the driver gets a meaty-feeling steering wheel flanked by new stalks for the transmission, wipers, and cruise control. (The cruise-control stalk, thankfully, has been moved from M-B’s usual placement on the upper-left of the steering column to a lower, more-conventional position.) Attractive open-pore wood is on the options sheet.

At launch, Mercedes will offer two familiar six-cylinders, while the new twin-turbo 4.7-liter V-8 will follow later. Both V-6 models will be badged ML350. The direct-injection 3.5-liter gas engine produces 302 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque, increases of 34 and 15 over the outgoing gas V-6; while the 3.0-liter turbo-diesel in the BlueTec is now good for 240 hp and 455 lb-ft of torque, up 30 hp and 55 lb-ft. A switch from pressed-in cylinder liners to a spray-on coating in the diesel reduces both weight and friction. Both engines come coupled to a seven-speed automatic transmission and 4MATIC all-wheel drive.

Look Out, Porsche 911 GT3

Diesel models also get new adjustable engine mounts. Similar in principle to the dynamic engine mounts Porsche installs in some 911 models, Mercedes’ pieces are said to improve comfort by allowing for greater isolation of the engine. While VW and Porsche are pulling off-road content out of the new Touareg and Cayenne to cut weight, Mercedes will offer an off-road package on the new M-class with a six-mode selector for different types of driving—towing, sport, winter, trailering, and two different off-road settings—as well as a two-speed transfer case, a skid plate, and extra functionality for the optional air suspension, which will also be available as a standalone option. Customers will be able to further add to their M-class’s rock-hopping abilities with a decoupling anti-roll-bar system that disconnects the bar in off-road situations—as well as normal straight-ahead driving—but reconnects it during cornering. A whole suite of driver-assistance systems, the same ones offered on the S-class, either will be included or available: lane-keep assist, blind-spot assist, radar cruise control, and attention assist.

The 2012 Mercedes-Benz M-class will go on sale here in September. Pricing will be announced in August; we expect that it, like the shape of Mercedes’ SUV, will remain largely unchanged. That means about $50,000 for an ML350 4MATIC and around $52,000 for a BlueTec.

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Thursday, June 9, 2011

The Continental: Some Europe-Only Products, Opera Windows for the M-class, and the Boxster’s Inspiration

The Continental

Each week, our German correspondent slices and dices the latest rumblings, news, and quick-hit driving impressions from the other side of the pond. His byline may say Jens Meiners, but we simply call him . . . the Continental.

I thought it was supposed to get a Chrysler grille, but Lancia merely added horizontal bars to the face of its Delta. Pretty much nothing else is changed as the compact hatchback enters the second half of its life cycle. The Delta’s strong point, in my opinion, is its tasteful and spacious interior. Dynamically, it is a cruiser of highly artificial flavor. The Delta is a rare sight on European roads—and the new grille won’t change that. Oh, and the top-level trim is now called “Gold” instead of “Oro.” I suppose that solves a mystery for Lancia’s target group (which is merging with Chrysler’s). Did I mention that 30 years ago Lancia put Greek letters on the tailgates of the Beta, Gamma, and Delta, instead of spelling out the nameplates? Back then, Lancia drivers appreciated the aristocratic touch. It was a different time for the brand.

Toyota’s unloved daughter brand, Daihatsu, is leaving the European market in 2013. Curiously, it is now adding a new model, the Charade, which uses a traditional nameplate. This time around, however, it merely is a rebadged Toyota Yaris (the current iteration of which is due for replacement at Toyota). The cute and powerful turbocharged Charades of the 1980s are sorely missed. This new Charade won’t be.

Opel’s new boss, Karl-Friedrich Stracke, confirms the brand will bring an electric minicar to market in 2013. It will be a variation of a conventionally powered city car that is expected to launch a few months earlier. The new minicar won’t have a range extender and is realistically limited to city use. It will be interesting to see what this E-car will do to Opel’s bottom line, which could well be GM’s least impressive and needs drastic improvement.

The third-generation Mercedes-Benz M-class will be officially unveiled very soon, and the prototypes driving around Stuttgart—such as this one I came across on Thursday—aren’t wearing much camouflage anymore. Let’s reserve judgment on the styling until all of the camo is off, but I found the vehicle’s roll behavior just as remarkable as those opera windows (which won’t survive the next few weeks).

Speaking of SUVs, an Audi source tells me that there is not much life in the Q7 V-12 TDI any more. Its incredible 5.9-liter V-12 turbo-diesel produces 500 hp and 738 lb-ft of torque, available on a plateau from 1750 to 3250 rpm. I tested the car extensively at its Düsseldorf launch, and it still is the most impressive SUV I’ve ever piloted. Sales, however, have been pathetic, and this engine will neither be put into any other Audi (an R8 V-12 TDI prototype exists), nor will it get a successor. In fact, even the days of the Audi 4.2-liter V-8 TDI, which makes 340 hp in the Q7 and 350 hp in the A8, could be numbered. Audi has pushed its 3.0-liter V-6 TDI to 313 hp in the new A6, and the room for a diesel beyond that is getting small. If Audi walks away from V-8 diesels, the brand will follow the lead of BMW and Mercedes: both abandoned their V-8 diesels some time ago.

Browsing through my collection of old literature, I found this Porsche Boxster brochure from 2000, which paints the Boxster as the reincarnation of the 550A. Page two and three are reserved for photos of the 550A and explanations of how its spirit lives on in the Boxster; on page four the Boxster is shown for the first time, with the tagline “Dedicated to the tradition of the Porsche 550A, the Boxster already is a classic.”

Recently, I’ve heard little of the Boxster-550 connection as Porsche is pondering a new entry-level model. This new model, Porsche executives are hinting, would itself be “inspired by the 550.”

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