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2011 Mercedes-Benz CL550, Choose Options and Colors at FleetRates.com MSRP: $118,815 Member Price: $109,975 Call 800-851-9000

  

2011 Mercedes-Benz CL550 4MATIC
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2011 Mercedes-Benz CL550 4Matic Review
Consider the 2011 CL-Class to be a fairly extensive mid-cycle refresh. The most striking visual differentiator is the reworked V-shape grille. The headlights are also much wider and there are two de rigueur LED running light strips. The hood has been resurfaced to appear more cut and less blobular. There's a rear apron fitted with what looks like a diffuser between the reworked quad exhaust pipes. The reverse lights have been separated from the taillights and now reside on the trunk lid. Not much has changed on the side of the car except for new 20-inch wheels and the badging. The CL 550 4Matic gets "BlueDIRECT" badges while the CL63 receives "V8 Biturbo." A big Mercedes-Benz coupe wouldn't be a big Mercedes-Benz coupe if it weren't loaded up to the sliding glass sunroof with the latest and greatest in electronic whizbangery. The big news for 2011 is actually two systems: Adaptive Blind Spot Assist and Adaptive Lane-Keeping Assist. The blind spot system works in three stages. First, if another vehicle is detected in the CL's blind spot, a red triangle illuminates in the appropriate wing mirror. If the driver ignores the warning and puts his/her turn signal on, the car beeps. If the driver still ignores the warnings and tries to merge into the detected object, the brakes on the opposite side of the car bite in an attempt to pull the CL away from the impending accident. I never tried to pit maneuver myself, but I can report that the beep when you signal and someone's in your blind spot works as advertised.

Walkaround
The interior is rather splendid, especially on the CL550 4Matic. Almost every surface is covered in glossy wood or rich leather. My favorite attribute is the fact that despite more onboard systems than an aircraft carrier, the CL is relatively button-free. Most of the gizmos are buried within the Command menu, leaving the really important stuff out in the open but still basically hidden. Take, for instance, the button to switch the suspension into Sport. It's right in front of you, to the left of the navigation screen. But it's smartly disguised in black trim and therefore doesn't call attention to itself. Devoid of ill-placed buttons, the CL550's wooden center console resembles an antique jewelry case or humidor. In the CL63s, the wood had been swapped out for optional carbon fiber, a much less tasteful choice.


Summary
The real news is what lies under the long, luxuriant hood. In the CL550 resides a totally new 4.7-liter twin-turbo direct-injected V-8 that puts out 429 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. This is a significant increase in output compared to the 382 horsepower and 391 pound-feet of the old 5.5-liter V-8. But that's not all. The new M278 motor also gets 10% better fuel economy than the outgoing M273, an estimated 15 city and 22 highway. Not great, but for a 4650+ pound car that can hit 60 mph in an estimated 4.8 seconds, not terrible. Of course, the above numbers (which, we must point out, would have been exotic supercar figures just a few short years ago) pale in comparison to what Mercedes' in-house tuner AMG has cooked up for its new CL63.

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First Look: 2011 Mercedes-Benz CL-Class



Mercedes Revamps its Swanky Coupe

This is the Mercedes that even other Benz owners covet. The 2011 Mercedes-Benz CL-Class is an opulent throwback to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Great Gatsby era of luxurious peregrination -- that’s travel to you and me.

So successful has this exclusive four-seat coupe been as a standard bearer for the company that its gestation into its second generation has been gentle. "It's a bit of teeth whitening rather than a face lift," commented one Mercedes official. "It's just got a nicer smile."

Part of the readjustment of the CL's pearly whites is the introduction of LED fog lamps on the front and a slight tightening of the hood lines. At the rear, the reversing lights have been replaced by LED units and moved from side lamp clusters onto the trunk lid. These are not major changes and in the later case, and not particularly flattering, either. For the rest of the coachwork, the curvaceous lines look unchanged as is the car's low, long roof line, windshield rake and high belt lines.

It's hardly surprising, as under the pressed steel skin, old and new CL models share exactly the same underbody apart from a nominal amount of bracketry to accommodate the really new stuff about this new car, which goes on sale this November in the U.S.

The CL550 4Matic gets a new engine option, and the lineup gets many of the recent technical innovations (which we motoring hacks call, 'the toys') first seen on the current S-Class. Interestingly, the CL also gets the lane-keeping assistance system, plus the infra-red night vision system, which is now in its second generation.

Let's do the engine first. The brand-new, 4.6-liter, 429 horsepower V-8 unit is fitted with two turbochargers and direct fuel injection and goes under the hood of the CL550 4Matic. It manages the remarkable trick of being not only 12 percent more powerful than its predecessor, but with a peak torque output raised by 32 percent from 391 to 519 pound feet, it's also gutsier. At the same time it's between 10 and 15 percent more fuel efficient and produces 23 percent less carbon dioxide greenhouse gas. Oh, and it moves the car from 0 to 60 in 4.9 seconds.

How do they do that? The combustion precision afforded by the spray-guided direct-injection and piezo-quartz injection timing is largely responsible for this superlative performance and economy. "You put the fuel where the air is," said one Mercedes engineer.

At the top end of the CL range for the moment until the updated AMG big boys arrive is the CL600, which continues to be powered by Merc's single cam, three-valve, 5.5-liter twin-turbo V-12, for those Gatsby types for whom those extra four cylinders say so much. There's not much in it for outright go between this and the new 4.6-liter, but this big old 510 horsepower, 612 pound-feet slugger punches out more torque and motors to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds. Benz's excellent seven-speed transmission can't handle this amount of torque so you'll have to slum it with a five-speed, although with that amount of twist, we highly doubt anyone buying the CL600 will be all that bummed about two less gears.

2011 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet



A Four-Season Cavorter

Bet you didn't know the origin of the word "cabriolet." In the horse-and-buggy era, the word was applied to lightweight open carriages pulled by two horses and used primarily for pleasure rides in fair weather. The word was pinched from the French verb "cabrioler," meaning "to cavort" -- move about carelessly, playfully or boisterously -- or "to cut a caper." The next installment in Mercedes-Benz's long line of "cavorters" isn't exactly lightweight, but it promises to extend pleasure driving well beyond the traditional fair-weather season, thanks to a new innovation dubbed Aircap.

Aircap is engineered to work with the headrest-mounted neck-warming Airscarf to make top-down driving comfortable in the chillier weather that prevails in the U.K., Germany, and other northern climes where convertible sales are strongest. The challenge presented to engineers was to provide a largely draft-free top-down driving experience for all four passengers, ruling out those mesh screen gizmos that render the rear seat unusable. They started work in the 1990s and developed several solutions that were functional but aesthetically unpalatable.

The decade-plus spent developing this concept will finally pay off on the 2011 E-Class. The solution consists of a discreet piano-black panel that normally lies flush along the top of the windshield header. When deployed, it rises 2.4 inches, erecting a nylon screen fence similar to those used by some sunroof wind deflectors. Another screen bridging between the rear head restraints simultaneously moves up into place at the touch of a button. About 50 percent of the air hitting the front screen flows through it, slowing down by about 30 percent. This helps create a laminar (smooth) airflow that nearly traces the profile of the convertible top, with calm air below, and turbulent air above. This calm air zone can be heated in winter or cooled in summer.

To demonstrate the system, Mercedes parked a new E-Cab in its historic full-size wind tunnel (dating to 1939, it was the first in the world) and invited me to sit in the front and back seats and assess the cockpit turbulence with and without Aircap at speeds ranging from 48 to 87 mph. At all speeds the difference with and without the system is remarkable. From the front seat, at any speed the system feels every bit like those rear-seat-killing mesh windblockers, rendering the front seat calm, quiet and comfy. Hair will be mussed in the rear seat with or without the system, but Aircap makes 86 mph feel like 48 mph without it, and it makes 72 mph top-down driving tolerable (it's really unpleasant without it). Sadly there is no Airscarf for rear passengers, owing to tight packaging between the seatback and the rollover protection system.

Aircap is integrated into the Pre-Safe crash protection program, which lowers the header panel instantly if an impending accident is sensed. Aircap will be standard in the U.S., but because it's optional in Europe, provisions are in place for a traditional mesh screen backstop, which will be offered by dealers here as well (it's a waste of money).

Some conditions demand top-up driving, and when those prevail the lid can be raised at the touch of a button at speeds below 25 mph. When in place, the new seven-layer "aero-acoustic" top provides near steel-top coupe levels of quiet with no possibility of "ballooning" (the outer layer is tethered to each cross-bow. The fabric top looks classy as well, and registers a 0.28 drag coefficient, down slightly from the coupe's record-setting 0.24 Cd. Incidentally, top down and windows up, the drag increases to 0.33, and with the Aircap in place, that figure climbs to 0.38.

Seating comfort in front and back feels essentially identical to that of the coupe, meaning the sport contoured buckets may strike broad-beamed riders as a bit confining. Rear-seat occupants sit considerably inboard of their front-seat compatriots, placing shoulders rather close, but it's completely comfortable for sub-six-footers.

Sales start in May 2010, and there's no official word on U.S. pricing, but expect a slight bump up from CLK Cabrio pricing, meaning that, as usual, only well-heeled cavorters need apply.

First Look: 2011 Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG and CL65 AMG



Large and Unquestionably In Charge

If the CL-Class is the Mercedes-Benz that other Mercedes-Benz owners covet, the CL AMG cars are the ones that they would sell their souls for. Wouldn't you? After all, world-class luxury and mind-altering performance aren't things one turns a nose up at.

Leading the charge is the 2011 Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG. Yes, we know. It didn't make sense to call it "63" when the engine actually displaced 6.2 liters and it makes even less sense now that it displaces only 5.5 liters. Still, there's a lot of cachet in the 63 moniker, so it stays. With this kind of performance, you really won't care anyway.

It may sound like we're talking about the 382-horspower 5.5-liter V-8 in the old CL550, but that isn't even close. This new mill straps on a pair of turbos that pump up to 14.5 psi of boost into the engine, creating up to 563 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque. We say "up to" because that output is not only optional, but it will cost you extra. Mercedes won't yet say how much extra, but if you don't pop for the optional AMG Performance Package, your CL63 AMG will get only 536 horsepower and 590 pound-feet.

Opt for the less expensive model and you'll still hit 60 mph in a claimed 4.4 seconds on the way to a limited 155 mph top speed. Double down on the Performance Package and you'll get there a bit quicker, hitting 60 mph in a claimed 4.3 seconds on the way to a limited top speed of 186 mph. That's up to 0.3 seconds quicker than the claimed 0-to-60 mph time of the previous CL63 AMG and on par with the last CL65 AMG.

You also get better efficiency to go with all your extra performance. Integrating the turbochargers into the exhaust manifolds keeps lag down and increases efficiency to the point that Mercedes did away with the blow-off valve, relying instead on a vacuum-operated waste gate to manage pressure. "Pulsation holes" in the crank case even out air pressure to reduce pumping losses while variable cam timing can infinitely adjust both the intake and exhaust cams up to 40 degrees each for maximum performance or economy. A two-mode oil cooling system helps get the engine up to temperature quickly and catalytic converters integrated into the exhaust just after the turbos scrub the exhaust the instant it leaves the turbines.
The result is a claimed reduction in CO2 emission of 30 g per kilometer and 27-percent better fuel economy. Based on EPA numbers for the previous model, that equates to CO2 emissions of 1.14 pounds of CO2 per mile, down from 1.46 pounds per mile. More importantly to most consumers, that means fuel economy could be as high as 14 mpg city and 23 mpg highway, up from 11 mpg city and 18 mpg highway. All in all, not too bad for a car believed to weigh over 4700 pounds.

Helping that trick new engine out is Mercedes' tried-and-true seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. While enthusiasts will appreciate its rev-matching on downshifts and refusal to upshift automatically while in "Manual" mode, the average owner will likely better appreciate the new Controlled Efficiency, or "C" mode. In C mode, the computer will soften accelerator response and start the car in second gear to minimize fuel burn. In fact, drive it gently enough and you'll be in sixth gear by 37 mph with the computer relying on the engine's massive torque to keep things smooth. What's more, C mode also automatically enables a new Stop/Start function that will turn off the engine while at a stop, so long as the engine temperature, battery charge and your interior climate settings are all where they're supposed to be. As soon as you take your foot off the brake, the engine will fire back up. Sport and Manual mode both deactivate the feature, and it can be switched off in C mode as well. Combined with an alternator that only charges on overrun and braking and you've just squeezed a bit more efficiency out of your car.

The CL65 AMG's updates aren't quite as involved. The massive 6.0-liter V-12 gets a new set of turbos that now crank out up to 22 psi of boost, ramping up the power from 604 horsepower in the last model to 621 horsepower in the new car. Torque is still limited to 738 pound-feet even though the engine is capable of producing 885 pound-feet, which is simply too much for the drivetrain to handle. In fact, the CL65 AMG must continue to make-do with Mercedes' Speedshift five-speed automatic transmission because the seven-speed dual-clutch box can't handle the power.

Those 17 extra ponies are good for an extra 0.3 seconds in the sprint to 60 mph, running it in a claimed 4.2 seconds before topping out at a limited 186 mph. Refinement in the engine and tricks like the alternator that only charges on overrun and braking help the CL65 AMG increase its fuel economy an unspecified amount while dropping CO2 emissions by 3.5 percent.

Both cars get the full bag of tricks from the new CL-Class. That means Direct Steer, a lighter, more direct steering system, Torque Vectoring Brake, which can brake the inside rear wheel to kill understeer, and Automatic Crosswind Stabilization are all standard. The AMG cars also pick up the CL-Class' Active Lane Keeping Assist, Active Blind Spot Assist, Night View and Drowsiness Detection systems along with Active Body Control.

To make them more sprightly than the standard CL-Class, the AMG cars also get a sport-tuned suspension that will stiffen even further in Sport mode and even lower the car 0.6 inches between 40 and 62 mph to improve aerodynamics. Throw in up-sized 15.4-inch front and 14.4-inch rear brake discs behind AMG wheels specific to each model and you've got yourself a serious grand tourer.

The revision above the hood is equally muted. Both cars receive the CL-Class' latest styling, which pulls all of the body's curves into tauter, straighter lines for a more aggressive look. Both AMG models get slightly revised front and rear fascias with the top-dog CL65 AMG being distinguished by chrome accents on the front splitter and rear diffuser. The update also includes new LED daytime running lights, new taillights, the appropriate "V8 BiTurbo" and "V12 BiTurbo" badging and an AMG performance exhaust with unique chrome tips.

Inside the cars, each is updated with leather AMG sport seats that are both heated and ventilated. Also on the build sheet is a leather-wrapped AMG steering wheel and a Racetimer function for recording lap times. To distinguish the top-shelf CL65 AMG, it also gets exclusive wood trim and diamond-patterned top-quality leather on the seats, doors and more.

Mercedes-Benz hasn't announced pricing on the new models yet, but a modest increase is expected. We'd estimate a CL63 AMG coming in around $150,000 to start and the CL65 AMG running about $215,000 before options. In addition to the precious few options packages, Mercedes' Designo customization feature will upgrade the car in just about any way you're willing to pay for. Expect to see the new CL AMG cars on showroom floors in November.

2012 Merceds-Benz CLS-Class




Ready to Defend the Class it Invented


Mercedes-Benz struck styling gold with the first generation CLS-Class, creating a new segment that sent rival automakers scrambling back to their design tables. Things are different the second time around, as the new 2012 CLS steps into a market suddenly littered with so-called 'four-door coupes,' with more on the way from Stuttgart's German rivals Audi and BMW.

With the 2012 Mercdes-Benz CLS-Class the automaker has focused on improving the one area that defines its existence: design. The side of the car feature much more pronounced sculpting that starts with the front wheel well and ends at teh fresh set of LED tailights. Love it or hate it, this is one four-door that at the very least will turn heads.

Not surprisingly, LED daytime running lights make an appearance, but the 2012 CLS has full LED headlights, as well. The 71 individual LEDs enhance visibility and frankly, they just look cool.

Inside the CLS' cabin, a wraparound dash makes the cockpit feel tailored, while a high-gloss analog clock adds an upscale touch. Design, Mercedes-Benz points out, is only have the story inside. Material quality has been upgraded in a further effort to distinguish the CLS from other segment players. Semi-aniline leather is just 1.6 millimeters thick and has an especially soft feel, according to the automaker.

Look to the dash and you'll see matte galvanized air vents and a hand-sewn leather dashboard. High-gloss brown burl walnut and black ash wood trims are standard equipment, but for a bit more cash, Mercedes will be happy to fit your CLS with black piano lacquer or carbon fiber instead. That black piano trim, by the way, is handcrafted and has up to seven layers to make sure it has the right high-gloss look.

The CLS remains a four-passenger car and we're eager to see first-hand how that sloping rear roofline affects rear seat headroom. Perhaps that's a trivial concern for most CLS buyers compared to powertrain options. Mercedes-Benz has been silent on this front, but we expect the CLS to retain a V-8 engine as its bread-and-butter powertrain in the U.S.

Currently, the base 2011 CLS550 is powered by a 5.5-liter V-8 producing 382 horsepower mated to a seven-speed automatic. While that engine may carry through to the 2012 model, we wouldn't be surprised to see the automaker's new 4.6-liter twin-turbo V-8 under the hood of the 2012 CLS. Producing 429 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque in the 2011 CL coupe, an engine that powerful could finally leave room for a direct-injected V-6 option in the States, which has been rumored. Expect Mercedes-AMG's new twin-turbo 5.5-liter V-8 to power the coming high-performance AMG variant.

So is Mercedes-Benz worried about its newfound four-door coupe rivals? On the contrary, the German automaker thinks its experience with this market niche could help, going forward.

"The new edition of the CLS also benefits from the fact that we are a whole generation ahead of the competition with our four-door coupe," says Dr. Joachim Schmidt, member of the board of Mercedes-Benz Cars, Sales & Marketing.

Premiering at the Paris Motor Show in October, the CLS helps bridge the sizable pricing gap between the E- and S-Class sedans. Until that happens, call the CLS a coupe or a sedan as long as you call it Mercedes-Benz's most stylish four-door. Expect to see the new CLS hit U.S. Mercedes dealers by the middle of next year.

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2010 Mercedes-Benz E550 Coupe
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2010 Mercedes E-Class Review
As Mercedes-Benz expanded its lineup to some 15 separate nameplates, not counting the AMG models, it resulted in mass confusion on the showroom floor and significant marketing challenges in promoting individual models. Things needed to get simpler, and now they have. The replacements for Mercedes mid-sized CLK-class coupe and cabriolet models will henceforth be identified as part of the E-class family. (The CL coupes will also become part of the S-class lineup.) The new E coupe has more suspension and powertrain bits in common with the E than the C, according to Mercedes-Benz USA product manager Bernhard Glaser. Dimensionally, however, the E coupe is much closer to the compact C than the mid-sized E, sharing the 108.7-inch wheelbase of the C-class, and the exterior dimensions remain within an inch or two of the C even given the wider, longer, and lower bodywork. Compared with the E-class sedan, however, the E coupe has a three-inch-lower roof and five fewer inches of wheelbase, and is about 200 pounds lighter, seven inches shorter, and a whopping five-and-a-half inches narrower.

Walkaround
Mercedes clearly wants the E coupe to be seen as an E, and so it adopts the sedans design cues, including quad headlamps and the Ponton-inspired rear quarters. Few pieces are actually shared, however; look closer and you'll notice that the fender contours are ever-so-slightly exaggerated compared with those of the sedan and that the low-beam headlamps are unique, which also describes the grille treatment, featuring two bars bracketing the three-pointed star, whereas the sedan has three or four grille slats with a vertical hood ornament. Most distinct, however, is the roof line, which like that of the CLK, remains pillar-less (that is, if you don't count the mullion that forms the little rear quarter window). Wheels start out at 17 inches in diameter, with 18s optional on the E350 and standard on the E550. All E coupes get a full-length, partially retractable moon roof as standard equipment, the light from which is particularly appreciable from the snug rear bucket seats. In the front row, the low-mounted seats ensure a sporty driving position, and settling in is made easier as the seat belts are presented upon start-up by motorized arms. The driver faces a dashboard that recalls the sedans retro-inspired, angular cabinetry without copying it outright; differences include a subtle V-shape that helps reduce the designs imposing squareness, while a conventional console-mounted transmission shifters found on the C-class stands in for the sedans column-mounted electronic gear stalk.

Summary
The driver faces arguably one of Mercedes best-ever gauge clusters, which combines five Porsche-like intersecting circles with clear, crisp displays. All E-classes feature Mercedes COMAND infotainment system that bundles secondary controls into a reasonably sensible screen-based interface, and E550 coupes add navigation as standard. Other options include front seat ventilation, pneumatically adjustable seat bolsters, and a five-channel surround sound stereo.

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2011 MERCEDES-BENZ SL63 AMG REVIEW

The class-leading 2011 SL63 AMG hardtop roadster takes driving dynamics to an entirely new level: its Race Start function enables the 2011 SL63 AMG driver to call on maximum acceleration, while ensuring optimum traction of the driven wheels. OPTIONS The 2011 SL63 AMG sets new standards in the open-top sports car segment, and comes packed with technological innovations. For the first time, the all-new, innovative AMG SPEEDSHIFT MCT-7-speed sports transmission is the central component of the driving experience, enabling the most responsive automatic gearbox from AMG to date. This, together with the double-declutching and RACE START functions featured in the 2011 SL63 AMG, guarantees a dynamic driving experience unlike any other. Summary Luxury Cruiser and legitimate sports car: that's the 2011 SL63 AMG in a nutshell. This class-leading roadster is powered by an AMG 6.3-liter V8 engine developing 518 hp and 465 lb-ft of torque which makes it the most powerful model with a V8 natural aspirated engine in it class.

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2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster Goes Topless!!!



Expected to make it's world premiere during the 2010/2011 auto show season, the 2011 SLS AMG Roadster will probably go on sale late next year. The Roadster won't differ mechanically from it's recently released sibling, the coupe, featuring the same 6.3L roaring V8 engine with 571HP and 650Nm (479 lb-ft) of torque, but it is expected to gain more popularity.

The SLS AMG will most likely get a folding soft top, and enthusiasts will be happy to know that the SLS's performance credentials won't be compromised by a lot of additional weight, while less dedicated buyers might wonder why they shouldn't just get an SL with its fully retractable hardtop.

The 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster will abandon the iconic gullwing doors of the coupe in favor of a more traditional front-hinged door setup, which is more appropriate for a convertible. Other than the switch to more conventional door hinges, the SLS roadster looks exactly like its coupe counterpart. That means a long wheelbase, giant 19-inch front and 20-inch rear wheels, and a 571-horsepower 6.2-liter V8. A dual-clutch seven-speed automated manual transmission will send the power to the rear wheels, while a fully independent suspension with dual-wishbone control arms both front and rear will support the all-aluminum chassis. However, the extra weight from the body strengthening might add a tenth or two to the roadster's test times.

Mercedes-Benz AMG couldn't have been comfortable with only producing their high-strung super cars (like the SL65 AMG Black Series) while Ferrari and Lamborghini turned up the heat, and as we see now, AMG set their sights on such an exquisite combination of elegance and power that really speaks volumes for where they are headed. The U.S. price tag, not surprisingly, is considerably lower than the retail sticker in Europe. When Mercedes began accepting orders last fall after the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show, it pegged the price at roughly $201,000 — or $240,000. However, recently leaked numbers from Mercedes reveal a much lower starting price for the U.S. at around $183,000.

The 2011 SLS AMG represents the very best that AMG has yet produced. In fact, this is the first “clean sheet” AMG car in the 40 years of AMG's existence, meaning it was not based on any current platform.Volker Mornhinweg, the chairman of Mercedes-AMG, explained with passion at the press launch: “Our aim with this interpretation is to create the classic car of the future and put the most beautiful sports car of the 21st century on the road. Another of our goals is to create a new design icon that will help shape the incomparable story of our brand. At the same time, the new SLS is a harbinger of the design philosophy of future Mercedes-Benz sports cars.”

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2010 Mercedes-Benz G550
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Mercedes-Benz G-Class Review
The 2010 Mercedes-Benz G-Class is no curvy crossover in the latest idiom. Based on a design built for the Shah of Iran's military, the G-Class has evolved only slightly in the two decades or more since it was first engineered. It's one of the most capable sport-utes on the planet-and one of the most expensive. With a base price of more than $100,000, the G- Class is a cult object and a celebrity magnet, with its only real competition being the Land Rover Range Rover or, possibly, the Lexus LX 470 and HUMMER H2.

Walkaround
The 2010 G-Class certainly stands out from the crowd. Its design is based on military vehicles, and as such it can seem very basic. The sides are flat, the windshield is very nearly vertical, and the overall shape is strikingly boxy in an age where even pickup trucks have gone aero. The interior's more of the same, with rugged shapes, flat door panels, and lots of tall glass areas-but it is decked out in leather and chrome in abundance, to justify the G-Class' extreme price tag. For 2010, buyers will see light cosmetic touches like new side trim and chrome accents, with a leather-padded dash inside. Two G-Class models are defined by their powertrains. The 2010 G550 sports Mercedes' widely used, smoothly stalwart 382-horsepower V-8 engine coupled to a seven-speed automatic. The 5.5-liter, 500-hp G55 AMG adds an intercooled supercharger and upgrades to a beefier five-speed automatic to push the barn-door body through the atmosphere. The G550 accelerates to 60 mph in about 8 seconds; the G55 AMG pounces more brutishly to 60 mph in 5.4 seconds, while gulping gas to the tune of 11/13 mpg. The smaller V-8 manages 12/15 mpg.

Summary
There are many luxury conveniences fitted to the G-Class. Both G-Class models sport Bluetooth connectivity, a sunroof, a navigation system with 40GB of hard drive space for maps and music, a six-DVD audio system, satellite and HD radio, real-time traffic, an iPod interface, a wood- and-leather heated steering wheel, and heated and cooled leather seats in front, with heated second-row seats standard as well.

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2010 Mercedes GLK Review

One of the few hot vehicles in a cold market is the premium compact crossover SUV. Known as crossovers because their SUV-look bodystyles sit atop passenger-car chassis, the segment is bursting with cool vehicles, led by the BMW X3, Land Rover LR2, Acura RDX, Infiniti EX and, soon, the Volvo XC60, Audi Q5 and Mercedes-Benz GLK. These vehicles make more sense for most families than full-size SUVs. They boast just about every luxury, performance and safety component once offered only on the car side of the dealership, and several of them also have the scrappy toughness to brush aside most off-pavement challenges. Mercedes joins the fray in January with the 2010 Mercedes-Benz GLK350, which hits showrooms with a base price somewhere north of $35,000. Tick all the options boxes and a fully equipped Mercedes GLK will run into the mid-$40,000 range. However, price is less important in the premium game than fulfilling the grand promise, and the GLK delivers the Mercedes message in a way the original Mercedes M-Class did not, combining luxury and performance in an enticingly practical package. The GLK350 enriches Mercedes-Benz's portfolio at a critical entry point into the premium segment, and it also gives car buyers even more reason to visit the crossover SUV section at the dealership.

The Engine
At launch, there will be nothing new under the hood of the Mercedes GLK, but that's good news because the familiar 3.5-liter V-6 is a peach. And it answers the performance question asked by diehard V-8 fans with enough torque to propel the GLK350 from 0 to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds and reach a top speed of 143 mph. The claimed 17 city/23 highway mpg is no better than average, but there are few engines out there that combine strength, smoothness and fuel efficiency so seamlessly. Power is sent to all four 19-inch wheels through an equally polished seven-speed automatic transmission. Crisp and efficient, the gearbox is a reminder that Mercedes-Benz has been doing this sort of thing for a long time. Comfort and sport shift modes alter both the shift strategies and accelerator angle depending on whether you're in a red or blue mood. We can't leave this section behind without mentioning our drive of the GLK320 CDI diesel during the launch of the Mercedes GLK350. Imagine 295 lb.-ft. of torque at just 1,400 rpm and over 40 mpg, and you'll understand why we'd like to see it come to America right away. A Mercedes spokesperson said the company was studying it, but we'd guess there will be a BlueTec diesel GLK on the lots within a year of the gasoline model's debut.

Summary
Though it's built on a platform shared by new Mercedes C-Class sedan, the GLK's outward demeanor is all SUV. With styling cues borrowed from the company's full-size GL sport-ute and from the iconic Gelandewagen off-road giant, the effect is striking, though it's hard to agree with the Mercedes executive who called the GLK "sexy." To us, the GLK looks more like a hard-drivin' semi punching holes through the air with brute force. Powerful, yes. Sexy, no. Despite its daunting looks and sophisticated technologies, the 2010 Mercedes GLK is as friendly to drive as any passenger car and so should be a hit with both sexes.