June 2011 | Mercedes Benz Car

2011 New MEC Design Mercedes Benz SLS AMG

MEC Design bodykit for the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG consists of Front Bumper with choice of 1 or 2 piece Front Lip Spoiler/ optional LED Lighting (Front lips are also available in Carbon finish), Rear Bumper with 3 different Diffusor options / “Extreme” or “Formula” or “GT3″ (Diffusors are also available in Carbon finish), Side skirts, optional with 4 LED’s per side, Rear Trunklid Spoiler (also available in Carbon finish), 2 Piece Window Spoiler (also available in Carbon finish) and Roof Airscoop (also available in Carbon finish).

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2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS550

2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS550

The new CLS is incrementally larger in every dimension than the outgoing CLS — about an inch longer, a half-inch higher and less than a half-inch wider. Wheelbase grows by 0.8 inch to 113.2 inches. There's fractionally more shoulder room inside, though the dramatically curved roof line still compromises rear headroom, kind of like a, um, coupe.

Despite the larger frontal area, drag has been reduced by 10 percent thanks to an improvement in the drag coefficient to a slippery 0.26. Static bending and torsional stiffness are up 28 and 6 percent, respectively. The beefier body shell adds weight — so although the new CLS boasts new all-aluminum doors, hood, deck lid and parcel shelf, it checks in about 140 pounds heavier than the old CLS.

U.S.-bound CLSs will offer one powertrain at launch as opposed to the cornucopia of offerings overseas. A new — largely new, anyway — 4.6-liter V8 boasts twin Honeywell GT2260 turbochargers and direct injection that join forces to create 402 horsepower, an increase of 20 compared to the outgoing normally aspirated 5.5-liter mill upon which it's based. The familiar seven-speed autobox is, predictably, the only transmission available.

Torque is what's for dinner in cars like the CLS, and that's a particular specialty of the force-fed bent-eight, as there are 443 pound-feet on tap from 1,600-4,750 rpm.

New active all-LED headlights are said to be a world's first, too. Designed to last the life of the car, they automatically dip the cutoff and modulate the high beams in response to oncoming traffic and driving conditions. Very clever indeed. In action each headlight's central nodule eerily pivots around like some kind of sentient being.

Some of the efficiency improvement is due to a stop/start engine function that won't initially be available in stateside CLSs, as compliance of the system with U.S. emissions isn't finalized. Still, this engine is a win-win situation on all fronts. It even sounds terrific as it maintains an exhaust note that suggests ample meat lurks underhood.

2010 Mercedes Benz GLK

What Edmunds Says:
It may not be the roomiest or the most fuel efficient, but the 2010 Mercedes GLK350 is an impressively built compact crossover SUV that should meet the needs and desires of many luxury buyers.
Pros:Impenetrably solid feel, impressive ride and handling, impeccably crafted cabin, high-tech options.
Cons:Less cargo space and rear leg room than competitors, pricier than Japanese rivals.

The Mercedes-Benz GLK, its exterior heavily disguised with black tape but its interior in near-production form, was shown last August to a small group of automotive journalists, including Consumer Guide.

The GLK prototype was a five-passenger 4-door wagon. It was about as long as an X3, but noticeably wider and somewhat lower. Its shape was camouflaged, but appeared to favor square-cut lines and a boxy nose, more in the spirit of Mercedes' GL-Class full-size SUV or the LR3 rather than the more flowing contours of the Mercedes M-Class midsize SUV or such premium-compact SUV newcomers as the EX35.

"It doesn't look so much smaller than the M-Class, even though it is smaller, because of the boxy, edgy design language," said Volker Hellwig, GLK design project manager.

Mercedes said the prototype's dashboard was in near-final form. It consists of a sporty assembly of main gauges set before the driver. Jutting forms separate a series of blocky modules that house groupings of controls. The dashtop on the prototype was black and the instrument panel was of light-toned grained material set off by aluminum trim.

If you compare the GLK with a like-priced popular competitor, the Acura RDX, its external dimensions are similar, except for two measurements. The GLK has a significantly longer wheelbase and more ground clearance. The extra-long wheelbase makes possible excellent highway ride characteristics and the added under-carriage clearance comes in handy if you wander off the paved trail.

Under the hood, the GLK has a 3.5-litre V6 engine that out-muscles the four-cylinder turbo in the RDX – it can propel the GLK to 100 km/hour in less than seven seconds. The GLK’s Energuide fuel consumption figures are 13.3/9.6 L/100 km (city/highway), not much more than the RDX’s 12.5/9.3 L/100 km (city/highway). The GLK’s longitudinally positioned engine, transmission and transfer case also offer advantages over a transversely positioned drive unit.

Mercedes’ fourth-generation 4Matic all-wheel-drive system normally apportions 45 per cent of the drive to the front wheels and 55 per cent to the rear. A number of overlapping electronic systems take care of stability and traction and a newly developed multi-disc clutch in the centre differential takes care of torque distribution between the front and rear axle. The GLK’s maximum tow rating is 1,588 kilograms (3500 lbs).

The Agility Control suspension in the GLK offers what’s called “amplitude-dependent damping.” During normal driving the system responds softly, but during more spirited driving the dampers adjust to a harder setting for optimum handling stability.