Brand0 says And here I present to you a variation on Bangle's (BMW's) flame surfacing of a decade ago. Take-dah!
05 September 2012 00:29
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Mercedes has always said its new A-class family would expand into an entire range of downsized premium cars. Now we're only a few short months away from seeing evidence of this range of new small Mercs.
Early in 2013, production of the four-door Mercedes CLA is due to start in the new state-of-the-art assembly plant in Kecskemet, Hungary - the first in a major expansion of the Mercedes A-class family.
Think of the CLA as a baby CLS, bound to compete against the 2013 Audi A3 Sport sedan and the 2014 BMW 1-series GT. Positioned one rung above the five-door hatchback, the CLA can be had with Sport, Exclusive and AMG packs, Haldex-operated 4Matic 4wd system, dynamic chassis control, dual-clutch transmission, MyDrive smartphone connectivity, panorama sunroof and so-called diamond grille.
Twelve months later, Merc will release the five-door shooting brake version of the A-class in early 2014. It's a wagon spin-off based around the sleek four-door coupé which was introduced at the 2012 Beijing motor show in concept car form.
The shooting brake derivative aims squarely at the A3 Sportback and forthcoming 1-series Touring.
And then in autumn 2014, the stylish yet functional GLA crossover is to complete the revamped A-class line-up.
The GLA chases the same target audience as the BMW X1 and the upcoming Audi Q4. Like the competition, the new MFA architecture which underpins the A- and B-class family offers a mix of front- and four-wheel drive applications. A derivative of this matrix will be used by the future compact Infiniti to be built by Magna Steyr in Graz which is loosely based on the 2011 Etherea show car.
The GLA out as a 2015 model will zoom in on the X1/X2 and the Q3/Q4. It sits on a 2700mm wheelbase which suggests that it is roomier than the Audis and on par with the BMWs. The key measurements (length 4440mm, width 1800mm, height 1500mm) indicate that the Mercedes is quite a bit lower than its rivals.
First drawings show a clean coupé-like vehicle which has very little in common with the boxy homespun GLK. The front end features an upright grille with two horizontal bars, a new trademark element to be found on all future MB SUVs and crossovers.
Unlike lesser A-class variants, CLA and GLA won't be available with the base 1.2-litre petrol engine or with the entry-level 90bhp diesel co-developed with Renault. Instead, customers can choose from three petrol-fed units:
• 1.6-litre, 122bhp/148lb ft
• 2.0-litre, 170bhp/184lb ft
• 2.2-litre, 211bhp/258lb ft
And three diesel engines:
• 1.6-litre, 109bhp/192lb ft
• 2.2-litre, 136bhp/221lb ft
• 2.2-litre, 170bhp/258lb ft
Not yet confirmed but likely to be added at a later stage is the CLA/GLA250 CDI equipped with the 204bhp/368lb ft top-of-the-line oil-burner. In terms of alternative drivetrains, M-B has reportedly axed the 177bhp range extender, scrapping all 37 prototypes at a total cost of €18.5m. Instead, R&D is now concentrating on the 143bhp/214lb ft fuel-cell, on the 156bhp NGT natural gas engine and on a still to be defined plug-in hybrid.
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By Georg KacherYour spy shots23 August 2012 10:50With the brand new W222 Mercedes S-class less than 12 months away, development of the upcoming flagship Mercedes is in its final stages - testing in the UK.
A disguised test mule has been spotted again, this time by CAR reader Kshitij Malkan, who caught the new car testing alongside the best-selling current model in Norman Park, Bromley. The tell-tale disguise, German plates and left-hand drive configuration show this is clearly a test hack doing big miles.
Our other shots show the car hot weather-testing in Death Valley earlier this summer.
No, that's not a misprint - the new Mercedes S-class will spawn seven separate versions, fighting executive saloons at one end of the market, and high-performance Bentleys and Rolls-Royces at the other.
The new S-class is in effect replacing the Maybach, Mercedes' briefly resurrected super-luxury offshoot which has been quietly killed off owing to disastrous sales. In its place, Mercedes will offer a super-long wheelbase S-class, and a six-door Pullman version, with 350mm and 650mm of wheelbase stretch respectively. These cars will sit above the standard 5100mm wheelbase S-class and the LWB one with 180mm of extra length.
Then we've got the sporty ones. The current CL will be replaced by another full-size coupe, and there'll be a CL convertible for the first time too, akin to the 2006 Ocean Drive concept. Finishing off the seven-model S-class range is a four-door coupe version, essentially a bigger brother to the genre-defining CLS. And you thought Audi was king of the niches!
All models will of course be tech-heavy: 'Magic Ride Control' will monitor the road ahead and adjust damper settings accordingly, and a more advanced system of radar-guided cruise control will even execute motorway lane changes on the driver's behalf, while monitoring blind spots and speed limits. Makes you wonder what the driver's actually for, really. For more in-depth explanation of the new S-class' gadgets, please click here.
This generation of S-class will feature the widest range of powerplant and drivetrain choices yet seen. The new S-class still launches with the familiar V6 units, but it'll be the last hurrah before more frugal straight-six units take over in 2017. The initial engine line-up should span from the S250 CDI 224bhp turbodiesel to the mighty petrol V12 fitted to the S600 and the S65 AMG.
Ultimate CL versions will boast around 680bhp from their updated bi-turbo V12s. Why you'd ever need Lamborghini Aventador power in a luxury saloon-based cruiser is beyond us, but the Germans do seem to have nailed the more power/less consumption recipe.
The final metamorphosis of the outgoing V6 is a petrol-fed 3.0-litre good for 333bhp. On the hybrid front, customers will be able to choose from three options: ranging from an entry-level S equipped with a 41bhp electric motor to plug-in versions with 61bhp and 109bhp extra.
Although Mercedes isn't a big user of carbonfibre, the new S63 will use the lightweight weave for boot, bonnet, door and roof panels to lower the centre of gravity and fight the flab. A completely redesigned cabin is also hotly awaited - but CAR's already scooped the undisguised interior last month, so please follow this link for more details.
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Mercedes' new C-class saloon has set foot onto the Nurburgring to begin its programme of endurance testing.
Though heavily disguised at both ends with black cladding, the structure of the nose with Mercedes' current upright grille and large badge design is clearly evident here. It looks almost ready for production, but don't be fooled: with the current C-class range recently overhauled, the new W205 car won't arrive until 2015.
Yes indeed. Getting consumers to buy into the 'mini-S-class' idea is a big part of the C-class appeal. The new C will borrow elements from other Merc though. The familiar grille first worn by the SLS has been grafted onto the SLK, SL and CLS since, so expect Merc's baby saloon to get the same treatment.
Tail lights will be swept into the flanks a la CLS too, but don't expect the 2015 C-class to be too rakish. Mercedes will instead create a little brother to the CLS in the shape of the CLA, an entry-level 'coupaloon' due to appear in 2013, according to CAR's sources.
Right. Moustachioed Mercedes CEO Dr Dieter Zetsche recently confirmed that Mercedes aimed to launch 10 all-new models by 2020. We've already seen the first: the CLS Shooting Brake. Other niches Merc will plug are likely to be an X6-fighting coupe ML, the aforementioned mini-CLS (CLA) coupaloon and estate version, plus several A-class variants, and even a soft-top CL, akin to 2006's Ocean Drive concept.
The S-class itself will become a seven-model line-up, with four different wheelbase versions in order to plug the hole left by failing luxury arm Maybach. For all the details on the new range of Mercedes S-class limousines, please click here.
Mercedes has comissioned Renault to supply entry-level petrol units for the smaller cars. There'll be a 1.4-litre unit with either 100bhp or 136bhp and 1.6-litre, 122bhp diesel The rest of the range will be equipped with the direct-injection powerplants we know from the C-class.
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The BMW 3-series is the de facto small exec choice, right? Not if Mercedes can help it.
To fight the brand new Three, Merc has set up an all new trim structure for the C-class, and added a fleet-friendly engine to the C180. Read on for all the details.
As per the usual Mercedes nomenclature nonsense, don't expect the C180 to feature an 1800cc engine. It's actually got a turbocharged, 1.6-litre direct-injection petrol and is accompanied by electric power steering to further bolster economy.
With an output of 152bhp at 5000rpm, the new engine is slightly less pokey than its predecessor, but develops an identical 184lb ft of torque across a wider rev range – 1250 to 4000rpm.
Saloon and estate variants both return 47.9mpg and 138/139g/km respectively, while the coupe is slightly worse off, at 44.1mpg and 149g/km. The 3.5-litre V6 petrol has quietly disappeared from the saloon and estate range, but you can still have it plumbed into the coupe. Otherwise, oily bits remain as-you-were, including the C63 AMG's mighty 6.2-litre V8 engine.
Entry to the C-class range begins with Executive SE trim, which includes a sports grille, new 16-inch alloy wheels, and LED daytime running lights. The price rise is: wait for it - £35 more than before. Crikey, don't Merc know there's a recession on?
Spending a further £2000 allows speccing of the Luxury Package, replacing the former Elegance trim option. Your extra outlay buys enhancements like the snouty triple-louvre grille with bonnet-mounted badge, 17-inch alloys, an automatically dimming rear-view mirror and folding exterior door mirrors, and chrome trim.
The Sport trim makes way in the 2013 C-class for two new variants: AMG Sport and AMG Sport Plus. The AMG Sport saloon and estate start from £960 less than the previous Sport models, and feature 17-inch AMG wheels and halogen headlights. Strangely, despite the sporting pretensions, the AMG-trim models have better CO2 figures than before, meaning a reduction in compnay car tax.
Ah yes, the little 'Plus' is critical. Priced £1000 above AMG Sport, this raciest of trim lines includes 18-inch bi-colour alloys, bi-xenon lights, AMG sports seats, contrast red stitching on the upholstery, and matching red seat belts, AMG floor mats with red edging and silver gearshift paddles on the auto 'box cars.
A £530 AMG Handling Package is now offered on the C-Class coupe to fettle the steering, engine, exhaust note and transmission response like the flagship V8 car. You can spec the same upgrades in the more commodious saloon and estate-shaped C-class, too.
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Here comes the new version of the biggest Benz, the 2013 S-class. These new photos reveal more of the limo's sheet metal, as engineers strip away disguise for their hot weather tests.
The front end is beginning to appear: note that finely-louvered grille in the front bumper, and the bejewelled headlamps. Those lights will feature Merc's new 'Magic Light Control' system, which uses adaptive LEDs to illuminate the route ahead, even helping the driver peer around corners, while not dazzling oncoming cars.
The shape of that C-pillar is interesting, too. Its curvature, and the angle of the bootlid, appear to have a bit more of the CL and CLS-look than today's monolithic profile.
Oh yes indeed. This S-class has more magic than the lovechild of Paul Daniels and David Copperfield, with features such as 'Magic Body Control'. This system uses cameras and sensors in the car's nose to monitor the road ahead for bumps, and then vary the damping rate accordingly. So, if you spot a gnarly pothole in your path, there's no need to flinch and wait for the inevitable, bone-shuddering thunk. Allow the S-class to notice the crater and adjust itself, leaving you to simply continue wafting along.
The big S borrows a trick from the SLK too, with 'Magic Sky Control' - essentially a glass roof panel with a variable tint controlled by occupants. Disappointingly, given the enticing name, it doesn't allow UK buyers to tailor the weather.
Mercedes always makes a safety statement with its flagships, so the new S will feature the latest in emergency braking and radar-guided cruise control. The standard wheelbase model arrives first in 2013, with a stretched version following soon after.
The S-class is the latest in a run of exciting cars to stray into our Death Valley photographer's rangefinder: we've also seen the new Mini Cooper S and BMW X5 sweating it out in the Californian desert.
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Just 10 days after unveiling the new CLS Shooting Brake at the 2012 Goodwood Festival of Speed, Mercedes' power-crazed AMG division has gone and announced the CLS 63 AMG version.
At a stroke, the CLS AMG qualifies joins the world's fastest estate car club. With 518bhp as standard (rising to an optional 549bhp), the Shooting Brake is quicker to 62mph than a Porsche 911 Carrera S.
Back in 2004, the CLS 55 AMG had no direct competitors; it was the first four-door coupe to inspire other manufactures.
That car spawned the CLS 63 of 2006 – running an AMG 6.3-litre V8 engine - and the 2012 Shooting Brake downsizes to the smaller-capacity 5.5.
The regular CLS 63 serves up 518bhp and 516lb ft, but the 5.5-litre bi-turbo V8 can be specced in Edition 1 guise, pushing the key figures 549bhp and 590lb ft of torque.
Featuring a high-spec combination of direct petrol injection with spray-guided combustion, piezo injectors, twin-turbocharging and air/water intercooling, the Shooting Brake can accelerate from 0-62mph in just 4.3 seconds, and go on to reach a (limited) top speed of 155mph.
Should sound good, too: the CLS's new sports exhaust finished with chrome twin tailpipes is said to pipe the usual AMG soundtrack to the order of your right foot. This is hardly the Bluetec version, but even so Merc claims stop-start trims consumption to 27.9mpg and CO2 to 235g/km.
The CLS 63 AMG is highly configurable to match drivers' styles. Four transmission modes are available: Controlled Efficiency (start/stop function is always enabled), Sport, Sport Plus and Manual. It'll blip the revs for you on downchanges and there's a launch control for antiques dealers in a rush to the auction.
Steel suspension struts on the front axle, air suspension struts at the rear and automatic level control are enhanced further by an electronically controlled damping system. The Shooting Brake will self-adjust depending on driving conditions and road surface, therefore reducing body-roll and sharpening cornering ability.
Spot the fastest CLS estate by its AMG front apron with cross strut bar, AMG radiator grille and specific bonnet design, contrasting with the titanium grey-painted AMG triple-spoke, light-alloy wheels.
The Shooting Brake also comes with the AMG high-performance braking system, featuring 360 mm ventilated and perforated
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