Displaying items by tag: Mercedes

Tuesday, 12 October 2021 04:38

2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS450+ Electrifies Luxury

The less powerful version of the EQS offers relative value and range for a six-figure outlay.

 

After driving nearly every car for sale over the last 20 years, it's natural for the cars of the past to enter into your thoughts when driving something new. Humans compare experiences to gain perspective, which explains why we were daydreaming about Rolls-Royces while driving Mercedes-Benz's new electric luxury four-door, the EQS450+.

 
2022 mercedesbenz eqs 450
The 107.8-kWh battery sandwiched in the floor also helps keep road noise to a minimum. That big battery also allows the EQS450+ to go an estimated 350 miles between charges. While that range bests the other German electrics, Lucid and Tesla both have models that far surpass that number. Find a Level 3 DC hookup and the EQS can go from 10 percent charge to 80 percent in 31 minutes. On a typical Level 2 setup, the EQS take just over 11 hours to go from 10 percent to 100 percent.
 
 Moving the electrons around in the battery is a single motor driving the rear wheels that makes 329 horsepower and 419 pound-feet of torque. It's not nearly as quick as the 516-hp EQS580, but it'll shove you into the massaging seats. After the initial thrust from a stop the acceleration tapers off, but 60 mph is yours in a claimed 5.9 seconds. In more relaxed driving, the right-now torque affords the EQS the same sort of effortless waftability that Rolls-Royce has been touting for decades.
2022 mercedesbenz eqs 450
Yet what really reminds us of the Spirit of Ecstasy is the suppleness and silence of the suspension as it glides over the tarmac. Not much of the outside permeates the EQS's cocoon. The long 126.4-inch wheelbase certainly helps attenuate bumps, but it's the tuning of the standard air-spring suspension that maintains the serenity despite our test car's 21-inch wheels wrapped in Goodyear summer rubber.

Those sticky tires provide excellent grip despite the Benz's estimated 5600-pound curb weight. Press it hard into a corner and it remains flat, and the low center of gravity born of the massive battery in the floor seemingly drills the car into the center of the Earth. Steering efforts are light and don't pick up much even in Sport mode, but the easy efforts help mask the heft and size of this S-class-sized hatchback.

2022 mercedesbenz eqs 450
Four-wheel steering turns the rear wheels up to 10 degrees in opposition of the fronts at low speeds, helping to shrink the turning circle to 35.7 feet, making this very big Benz feel like an A-class. There's an ease and luxury to the whole driving experience, that is only interrupted by the brakes. Hitting the brakes in the EQS starts with energy regeneration from the motors and then blends in the stopping power of the four massive brake rotors. Stepping into the brake pedal is an initially mushy experience that doesn't slow the car much. Keep pushing and you reach a hard point where the pedal resists being moved further. Press harder and the deceleration finally hits, but it takes a lot of pedal pressure to get meaningful braking, and by then you're sailing towards that burgundy Corolla at an alarming rate.

Using those unnatural-feeling brakes can be largely avoided by pulling on the right paddle behind the steering wheel twice. Do so and you get the maximum regeneration (what Mercedes terms Recuperation) that largely eliminates the need to touch the brake pedal and allows one to speed up and slow down in traffic by using only the accelerator. That max regen mode won't bring the car to a complete stop though. The system slows the car to about 5 mph and then continues to creep ahead. There is an additional regen mode that requires you to hold the right paddle called Intelligent Recuperation. It utilizes the adaptive cruise-control radar and camera systems to optimize regeneration based on the surrounding traffic, the topography, and the twistiness of the road. When engaged, it'll bring the car to a stop provided the car in front of you has stopped. It certainly works, but it's not smart enough to stop at a stop sign or red light and will only react to whatever the car ahead is doing.

2022 mercedesbenz eqs 450
Aside from this being Mercedes's first car built on its new EV platform, the other big news is the so-called Hyperscreen. The Hyperscreen consists of three screens that are covered in a massive glass panel that spans the width of the dashboard. The three touchscreens control nearly every function in the car, from setting an interior temperature to a game of Tetris. As a new system, it takes a bit of getting used to, but after a few hours of experimentation we became comfortable with scrolling through radio stations, looking up the outside air quality, setting a destination on the native navigation system, and pairing a phone to the system. Once paired, we largely skipped Benz's system for Apple CarPlay. There is also the option of talking to the EQS. Saying "Hey, Mercedes" wakes the EQS's virtual assistant that can help with a number of controls from setting the temperature to making a phone call. It works surprisingly well, but talking to your car always seems just a little silly.

The Hyperscreen certainly looks like the future, but the instrument display in front of the driver is set high. That elevated cowl is the exact opposite of the low and simple dashboard of a Tesla Model 3 or even a Model S. The brain adjusts to it, but without an engine ahead of you, why does the cowl need to be so high?

2022 mercedesbenz eqs 450
We also questioned the lack of a frunk. A cabin air filter and some other ancillaries live under the fixed hood, but the EQS makes up for that deficiency with an absolutely massive amount of cargo space under the hatch. And, if that's not enough, the rear seats fold away.

There's also a lot of space in the rear seat—leg-crossing, stretch-out space. Sitting in the rear seat you realize that this car is a reimagining of the S-class. In addition to the S-class appointments, performance, technology, and space inside, the EQS comes with an S-class-like price. The least expensive EQS450+ starts at $103,360, moving up to the Exclusive Level adds $3400, and the appropriately named Pinnacle Level comes in at $109,560. Pricing for the more powerful EQS580 opens at $120,160, requires an additional $3400 for the Exclusive trim, and for those who want it all, the Pinnacle will wear a $126,360 window sticker. Aside from the acceleration, the smaller motor EQS450+ is the same luxurious experience as the EQS580. If you never floor it for more than a couple of seconds, you'll never feel like you should have gone with the quicker car. The EQS450+ is just as quiet, just as refined, and just and lovely as the more expensive EQS580. So, for those who don't think every car that's next to you at a red light is competition, you'll be just fine.

(https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a37917666/2022-mercedes-benz-eqs450-drive/)

Published in Mercedes
Tuesday, 28 September 2021 04:21

Tested: Mercedes-AMG E53 Coupe Exudes Elegant Menace

In a market of flashy and ferocious performance cars, AMG's two-door E53 is subtle yet effective.

We had the 2021 Mercedes-AMG E53 over a perfect weekend, hot enough to appreciate a luxury car with a vigorous air-conditioning system and ventilated leather seats, yet breezy enough to pop up the sunroof and let the pine scent of mountain air and the smooth thrum of the inline-six engine fill the cabin. This is a no-stress car to drive in a variety of environments, cushioned and sophisticated for the city-street crawl, small enough to park, yet ready and willing to switch modes—easily, with a dial on the steering wheel—and make short work of long straights and rising twisties.

Mercedes offers the AMG-tuned E-class as a sedan, a cabriolet (for those in need of uninterrupted sun or vast rear quarter panels), or the coupe we tested here. We've always liked the E53's version of AMG performance. It's no cheapie, starting at $77,300, but it delivers elegance and power for the price. The E53 isn't as rowdy or violent as its V-8-powered brethren, but it packs an unexpected punch, and we all like a sleeper. It's slightly less a sleeper for 2021, thanks to updated front and rear fascias. The somewhat stodgy grille has been replaced with the Panamericana 12-strake shark's grin found on other AMG models. At the back, quad exhaust outlets flank the rear diffuser.

 

2021 mercedesamg e53 coupe
 

HIGHS: Understated performance, seductive inline-six engine note, beautifully styled and finished.

 

Take this thing out and people move over, even when you're just cruising. Nobody wants a grinning shark in their rearview mirror. If you do want to get on it a bit, the super- and turbocharged 3.0-liter straight-six is more than happy to help you make the pass. With 429 horsepower and 384 lb-ft of torque, the AMG E53 is more than capable of putting traffic behind you. Think 60 mph in four seconds flat and a quarter-mile pass in 12.5 seconds at 110 mph. It's still possible to catch the car off guard with a hasty bit of throttle application, but it's more a slow downshift from the nine-speed automatic transmission than it is reluctance on the part of the powerplant. Doesn't matter; it's momentary. And then the revs are climbing, the scenery is blurring, and the camper van that waved you by is far back in the distance.

2021 mercedesamg e53 coupe
If the E53's exterior is somewhat subtle even with the redesign, the interior is like sitting inside a collector's-edition baseball mitt. Ours was a brash combination of black and brown leather. You may have grown tired of the mossy accumulation of faux suede in modern interiors—you won't find even a tuft of it in the E53. There is one optional interior with Dinamica suede, but our $100,160 test car was broad color blocks of leather everywhere. Mercedes's art-deco metal speaker covers and turbine-engine air-conditioning vents look a little anachronistic against the more modern door panels and carbon-patterned aluminum dash trim, but the overall effect is one of quality and confidence. The design elements continue through the whole of the cabin, with the back seats treated to the same motif: Everyone gets a big chunk of brown leather to rest an arm against. It's also very comfortable, although more so in front than in the back. There's plenty of headroom back there despite the arched coupe roofline, but legroom gets tight as the front seats go back, particularly at the foot box. As in most coupes, the rear is best saved for short journeys and people you don't like, although the lack of a B-pillar does lend an old-school Chevelle-like airiness to the back seats. We also wouldn't give it high marks for ease of child-seat installation, as there's a lot of quarter-panel between you and the LATCH anchors. This is a car for commuting and date night. Leave the kids at home.
2021 mercedesamg e53 coupe

LOWS: Fussy interior controls, occasional recalcitrance from the nine-speed transmission, can top six figures with options.

 The refreshed E53 gets the glitzy Mercedes MBUX infotainment system. A 12.3-inch center touchscreen merges with the digital dash in a wide sweep of glass that's impressive enough to elicit gasps from passengers who aren't used to such futuristic cockpits. It's controllable via touch, console touchpad, steering-wheel touch, and voice. The system is great—quick, clear, and compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto—but we'd happily trade the haptic steering-wheel pads for old-fashioned buttons. The digital dash offers seemingly endless info and layouts, and we saw them all in rotation, thanks to accidental thumb swipes across the touch sensor every five minutes. It's a case of too many options just because you can. Similarly flashy and of dubious usefulness is the center screen's habit of displaying the view from the front-facing camera at stoplights. Thanks, Mercedes, but there's a little thing called a windshield here—we can already see what's in front. Precious seconds were lost switching it back to the CarPlay screen to see the next turn. A few more seconds will be spent fumbling to find the tiny Park button on the wee shifter lever. We can only imagine that the interior-design team at AMG consists of one designer with hands the size of dinner plates—they did the thick tree branch of a steering wheel—and another who is an actual fairy, responsible for the miniscule steering-wheel buttons and the delicate shifter stalk buried behind the big wheel.

2021 mercedesamg e53 coupe
After you've found the shifter and put it in Drive—a pinkie-out activity if ever there was one—the gentle part is over. It's not that you have to muscle the E53 around, but it lets you play rough with it. There's a tendency to say that any good-handling car feels lighter than it is. That's not the case with the E53. It feels every bit of its 4511 pounds, but it's a controllable weight, turning in smoothly while feeling planted. Comfort mode is a little soft and sluggish, but Sport feels excellent, firm enough for aggressive cornering, sharp in the steering, and upping the feline growl of the engine; we recorded an invigorating 85-decibel snarl at full throttle. Sport+ is the top option, but it makes for a less comfortable ride and mostly just ratchets up the harshness. As the 4Matic+ badge indicates, it does use the AMG-tuned version of Benz's all-wheel-drive system, which can send as much as 100 percent of the torque to the rear axle.

Shod with 20-inch run-flat Pirelli P Zero PZ4 Run Flat summer tires, our test car’s 0.87 g of skidpad grip couldn’t quite match the 0.91 g posted by a similar 2019 model we tested, and its so-so 172-foot stop from 70 mph was a few feet longer than that previous car's effort. More impressive is that the E53's performance is accompanied by a solid 32 mpg on our 75-highway test, a 4-mpg improvement over its EPA estimate.

2021 mercedesamg e53 coupe
If you're looking for a car to charm strangers and start conversations at gas stops, this isn't it. The Mercedes-AMG E53 coupe does not make friends. When we parked it in the cute hippie mountain town of Wrightwood, California, a couple of teens on bicycles immediately glared at us. "Gentrifiers," one whispered to the other. Okay, maybe not, but they thought it, and they weren't wrong. This car's appearance in a neighborhood means home prices are about to go up. It exudes the same elegant menace as the molten ball of mercury in Terminator 2, right before it morphed into a killing machine. It's intimidating on the road and when parked, which is good—a Mercedes should not endear you to people. It should make them think you're going to represent their corporate enemies in court and win. This is a winner's car. No wonder it's grinning.
 
(https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a37049268/2021-mercedes-amg-e53-coupe-drive/)
Published in Mercedes

Mercedes driver Lucas Auer won at Assen ahead of AF Corsa driver Liam Lawson and BMW driver Mark Whitman.

According to Serbiaring, Auer started the race from the first starting position in the "Mercedes AMG", ahead of Whitman and the two Ferraris, Liam Lawson and Alex Albon. Audi runner Kelvin van der Linde entered the race from fifth place. The visiting driver, Italian Mirko Bortoloti, was the best placed Lamborghini driver at the start, in sixth place.

Auer held the lead, ahead of Whitman, while Albon overtook his teammate for third place. Kelvin van der Linde dropped eighth place after being overtaken by Bortoloti and two "Mercedes" by Maximilian Goetz and Daniel Huncadella during the first lap.

Due to a flat tire, Ezme Hoki gave up in the first lap, because parts of the tire damaged his "Lamborghini". Auer, Lawson and Goetz did their tire change at the end of the fifth lap. Whitman and Albon did the same lap later, but Lawson managed to overtake Whitman immediately due to better heated tires, while Albon remained stuck behind the BMW. After his stop, Hunkadelja returned to the track in the fight between BMW and Ferrari, where he found himself in front of Whitman.

Albon put pressure on Whitman during almost the entire race, and in the 19th lap, Getz and Bortoloti approached them, which turned two duels into a four-pointer. Lower in the standings, Esteban Mut, behind the wheel of the "Lamborghini" T3 motorsport, reached 15th place, overtaking Christian Klin. Kelvin van der Linde completed his stand at the end of the 20th lap, and managed to get back on the track between Whitman and Albon, which helped the two-time DTM champion separate himself from the competition behind him. The Mercedes driver, Philip Ellis, performed a pirouette on the track and lost four positions.

Van der Linde began to put serious pressure on Whitman, with one slight contact in an attempt to attack. After that, Whitman separated from "Audi" again. In the 29th round, the current runner-up Nico Miller reached the 10th place, overtaking Vincent Abril. In the same round, Sheldon van der Linde's "BMW" withdraws from the race. In an attempt to overtake Kelvin van der Linde at the beginning of the 31st lap, Albon hit the back end of the "Audi R8 LMS". Both drivers continued the race unhindered, but their incident was under investigation. Mike Rockenfeller was the last to change the tires, in the 33rd lap, and the technical problem left Hunkadelin's "Mercedes AMG" by the track.

Lucas Auer was the first to cross the finish line, ahead of Lawson and Whitman. The fourth to see the checkered flag was Kelvin van der Linde, who finished the race ahead of Albon, Goetz and Bortoloti. Nico Miller, Vincent Abril and Esteban Mut completed the top ten.

In the general classification, Lawson leads with 175 points, ahead of Whitman who has collected 165 so far, and Kelvin van der Linde has 160 points. Goetz is fourth with 155 points.

The DTM season continues on October 2 and 3, when the program will feature two races at the Hockenheimring, before the season finale, which takes place a week later at the Norrisring.

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Saturday, 18 September 2021 06:35

Mercedes-AMG One postponed for next year

Some media published unofficial information that AMG will not start delivering its super car One before the first quarter of 2022, most likely because it still has to solve "certain hardware problems".

The Mercedes-AMG One combines a 1.6-liter V6 turbo engine from an F1 car, four electric motors, lithium-ion batteries, all-wheel drive and an automated 8-speed manual Xtrac transmission.

The combined power is 746 kW / 1014 hp, although some unofficial information says that it is actually 895 kW / 1216 hp.

Only 275 pieces will be made, at a price of 2.7 million dollars, and all of them were sold in advance, according to earlier information.

 

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It seems that the German brand does not know what will happen in the next decade.

Electrification is changing many rules in the automotive industry. Electric cars do not have as many parts as their SUS counterparts, and the powertrain is far smaller in size, which gives designers more freedom and opens up new room for maneuver.

We read yesterday that Daimler doubts that the traditional sedan will survive the transformation or the transition to electric mobility. We’ve seen it with their EQE and EQS models that don’t really look like the sedans we’re used to seeing with the three-pointed star sign.

Now we hear that they also doubt the bright future of the caravan. So says Marcus Schaefer, one of the board members of Mercedes. “The problem with caravans is the high pressure of the SUV segment. We have to see how that class will develop, technically everything is feasible ", said Schaefer.

And indeed, there are very few electric caravans on the market. Tesla, which is the world leader in the EV sphere, does not offer any caravans, and it is similar with other brands. One of the exceptions is the Porsche, whose Taycan has a Cross Turismo variant, which can be placed in the station wagon category.

We will find out in ten to fifteen years whether electrification will really be the end of caravan vehicles, until then there will be an opportunity to enjoy their charms…

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You don't have to be an expert in the automotive industry to predict that the future of the German Mercedes is strictly electric, writes Motor1.

But what does that direction mean for company design? If we ask Daimler's head of design, Gorden Wagener, this whole process means that we will soon see the end of the traditional limousine. And judging by the EQE and EQS electric vehicles, it seems that the new wave of high-tech electric vehicles from Mercedes will be shaped as a mixture of sedan, hatchback and probably coupe.

"Electrification will kill a three-volume sedan for several reasons," Gorden Wagener told TopGear during the Munich Motor Show.

"Aero is one. Secondly, with a six-inch battery, the three-volume sedan just doesn't look good, it looks s ***. You have to do something that visually increases the height. "

Although the transition to electric drives generally gives designers more options, there are some limitations. What Wagener is talking about is the fact that the top EV sedans need a large battery and that destroys the elegant proportions of a traditional sedan.

The solution? "That's why we came up with that bold design with EQ models, because it looks stretched, it looks elegant. So [electrification] will change the proportions of the car. We have to make sure that not everyone looks the same, but that fear has existed for about 30 years. We have managed to make them different and I am convinced that we can do that in the future. "

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Will he be successful? The Germans believe that they want and show the concept of their cult electric SUV - Concept EQG. This is the biggest transformation of the cube legend since it was sold, more precisely since 1979. The concept was unveiled at the Munich Motor Show, which opens to visitors tomorrow. At the same time, Mercedes also unveiled a new version of the conventional G-Class.

A few months ago, we discovered on our portal what an electric G-Class might look like, and now we have official photos of the concept from the Munich Motor Show, where the EQG was shown.
The current G-Class has been on the market since 2018, when the electric version was not yet in the plans, but over time, the electrification of the complete range of the German manufacturer had to include Mercedes' cult 4 × 4.


And what did we get? Visually, the car is just as square as the existing G-Class with rustic details like door handles and turn signals on the fenders and recognizable round headlights. On the other hand, the concept is shown with side lighting strips and a characteristic grille from the EQ model, so the front grille and star are bright, writes Auto Klub.
The rear door now opens classically, and there’s a fifth spare wheel. Or so it seems because the box is square, so there are probably cables for charging the batteries inside. The concept EQG is mounted on 22-inch wheels that are similar to those from the Maybach model.
As for the chassis, the EQG uses the same as the current model with independent front support and a rigid rear link, so, as they say in Mercedes, it is a "real off-roader". So far, no other technical data has been revealed, such as battery capacity, range or performance, but it is certainly expected to be better than the conventional but most powerful version of the G-Class - AMG G63 with V8 engine and 577 hp, which reaches "hundred" for 4.5 seconds.


More precisely, and as they say from the company, "the electric version of the G-Class will improve the field possibilities." Power will come from 4 separate engines mounted on wheels, while the transmission, in addition to the standard ones, will even offer slow speeds. The instant power provided by the electric motors will provide incredible acceleration but also traction, making the EQG ideal for steep and difficult terrain, as well as for transporting heavy loads. "


It is expected that serial production should start in 2024, by which time all technical details will be known.

 


It is a more robust version for the field in "Copper Orange" color. Comes standard with headlight grilles, front and rear fenders, as well as 18-inch off-road tires. It can be additionally equipped with supports, a tent on the roof, a spare wheel box and other equipment that will make it easier to stay in nature.

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The Mercedes-AMG GT 63 SE PERFORMANCE is the first sports plug-in hybrid of the Mercedes-AMG brand to enter series production and rely on Formula 1 technologies. Under the hood are a 4.0 V8 biturbo engine as well as an electric motor, and the total power is 620 kW (843 hp), while the maximum torque is greater than 1,400 Nm. So, the driver and passengers in this rocket are literally expected to launch up to 100 km / h, which takes only 2.9 seconds.

The layout of the internal combustion engine on the front axle and electric drive on the rear, offers numerous advantages, say from AMG. Namely, optimized weight distribution, the best possible use of torque and very fast power delivery promise driving dynamics at the highest level. Added to this is a high-performance battery that has been developed internally, and has twice the power density of conventional propulsion batteries and, like many other components, is inspired by Formula 1 technology, says Jochen Hermann, Chief Technical Officer of Mercedes-AMG GmbH.
The striking design with a low front end, muscular body, low cab and the shape of the fastback vehicle emphasizes the sporty genes of the four-door coupe. Another striking feature is the front bumper, which is based on the design of the AMG GT with two doors. It looks like it was cast from a mold. The air intakes are wider, and the air flow is directed towards the wheels by means of three vertical flaps.
At the rear, the bumper has an integrated battery charging port and the model designation is marked in red. With the hybrid, the AMG also features trapezoidal double exhaust pipes. The "E PERFORMANCE" symbol indicates a hybrid drive.


As the brand's new flagship, the AMG GT 63 S E PERFORMANCE is specially equipped. It received all the latest upgrades, such as AMG RIDE CONTROL + suspension, and the standard equipment includes AMG ceramic brakes (dimensions 420 x 40 millimeters on the front axle and 380 x 32 millimeters on the rear) and MBUX multimedia system with special screens.


The cab has a standard built-in Widescreen Cockpit display that features an MBUX multimedia system with AMG hybrid-specific displays and functions. On the instrument panel, the driver can monitor the electric range, energy consumption, power output and torque of the electric motor and the temperature of the battery and electric motor. It is interesting that this information is also available to passengers sitting in the back and who can follow it on their screens.
The standard AMG Performance steering wheel also offers tangible and visible added value, with its distinctive double-spoke design and seamlessly integrated buttons. As a new feature, it is possible to select the recovery levels of the hybrid drive using the buttons on the steering wheel, and for the first time there is the selection of the electric driving mode.


The new model is powered by a 4.0-liter V8 biturbo engine combined with a synchronous electric motor, a high-performance battery developed in Afalterbach, and all-wheel power is sent by a 9-speed AMG Speedshift transmission. Otherwise, the drive is a fully variable AMG Performance 4MATIC +. The combination of a 4.0-liter V8 biturbo engine and electric motor generates 620 kW (843 hp) and a maximum torque of more than 1,400 Nm.


The driving performance of the most powerful production vehicle from Afalterbach so far is impressive: acceleration from standstill to 100 km / h takes just 2.9 seconds, and 200 km / h is achieved in less than 10 seconds. Acceleration ends at 316 km / h.


The 150 kW (204 hp) electric motor is positioned on the rear axle, where it is integrated with a two-speed transmission with an electrically controlled limited-slip rear differential in a compact drive unit (EDU). Experts call this arrangement the P3 hybrid. A lightweight, high-performance battery is also located in the rear of the rear axle.


There are as many as seven AMG DYNAMIC SELECT driving modes: "Electric", "Comfort", "Sport", "Sport +", "RACE", "Slippery" and "Individual" are precisely configured for the new drive technology and thus ensure that driving can be highly efficient, but also very dynamic.

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Mercedes-AMG GT63 E-Performance
The car will be part of the AMG E-Performance strategy, and according to some information, it will carry the designation Mercedes-AMG GT63 E-Performance (some sources mentioned the name Mercedes-AMG GT 73e).

Either way, it’s a Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe that got a Plug-In Hybrid drivetrain with a combination of a 4.0-liter V8 twin-turbo petrol, electric motor, lithium-ion batteries and all-wheel drive.

The propulsion system will have a combined disposal of up to 600 kW / 816 hp and 1001 Nm, and acceleration from 0 to 60 miles per hour (96 km / h) should be less than three seconds.

It has not been announced yet how much autonomy there will be in Electric mode, but earlier announcements mention 50-60 km.

This model will, among other things, have a refined aero body kit, lighter wheels, as well as "V8 Biturbo E-Performance" markings.

The driver will be able to choose between five driving modes: Electric, Comfort, Sport, Sport +, Race and Individual.

After the premiere on September 1, this car will be exhibited at the Munich Motor Show (September 7-12).

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Although Mercedes is one of the smallest SUV models in terms of dimensions, the GLB brings convenience for the whole family. The version we tested with the 200d designation provides enviable comfort, decent performance and moderate consumption.

The Mercedes GLB, which is produced in Mexico, is mounted on the MFA2 platform that it shares with the A-Class, but which has been slightly extended to provide a greater wheelbase.

With a spacing of 2,829 mm between the two axles, it brings much more cabin space than the competition, including the Audi Q3, BMW X1, and Land Rover Discovery Sport.

Although it has a length of 4,634 mm, which places it between the GLA and GLC models, the modern platform has enabled the engineers of the German company to install a third row of seats, which is available as an option.

Third row - only for children

Technically, an adult can be placed on the seat in the third row, but the approach itself is complicated, despite the fact that the second row can be moved by 14 cm. The shape of the body itself allows enough space for the head, even for adults of average height.

However, the position of the legs is quite unnatural, and when we take into account the fact that there is not much space for the knees, we come to the conclusion that the third row is designed primarily for children. As for the trunk, it is practically unusable when the third row of seats is in function, but when they fold, you get 565 liters of space.

G-Class in small

In terms of design, the Mercedes GLB is more about the past than the future, because its body shape resembles the legendary G-Class.

The robust shape along with the modern elements of the German company's design vocabulary make this model very attractive. Unlike most modern SUV models, it does not try to look sporty, but emphasizes practicality and usability.

Range of 1,000 km

Although it looks bulky, the Mercedes GLB 200d weighs only 1,600 kg, which in combination with the diesel engine makes it quite efficient in terms of consumption.

On the open road, we recorded a figure of about 5 liters, and if we take into account the fact that the volume of the tank is 52 liters, in principle, it is possible to cross 1,000 km without refueling. The eight-speed transmission allows similar consumption when driving at 130 km / h, while in urban conditions GLB consumed between 7 and 8 liters of diesel.

Premium interior quality

As might be expected from Mercedes, the GLB also got a modern MBUX multimedia system, with two 10-inch screens. As we are used to with other models of the German company, both screens are operated very simply, and the easiest way is through the touch buttons on the steering wheel.

The options of the MBUX system can also be controlled via the touch surface located between the seats, by voice, but also via the screen itself. As for the finishing, it is at the highest level. The upper part of the cabin is lined with quality materials, but there is still some harder plastic under the center console. The seats are very comfortable, hold the body well in curves and do not tire at all during longer trips.

Harmony of engine and transmission

The tested model marked GLB 200d was powered by a two-liter diesel engine with 150 hp and 320 Nm of maximum torque, which is available from 1,400 rpm.
This means that power is never lacking, and by depressing the accelerator pedal, the eight-speed automatic transmission finds the speed you need very quickly. From standstill to 100 km / h the Mercedes GLB 200d accelerates in about 9 seconds, while the top speed is 204 km / h. However, it should be noted that the transmission at lower speeds can be confused when changing gears.

Comfort ahead of dynamism

The diesel unit in the tested model transmitted power to the front axle, which will probably be the choice of most customers. Although the Mercedes GLB is robust in appearance, it is not designed to have the function of an off-road vehicle, but all-wheel drive is available as an option.
As a real family vehicle should be, it is very comfortable on the road, the suspension is a bit softer, so when driving dynamically around curves, the body tilts slightly.

Which version to choose?

For fans of sporty driving, the GLB 35 AMG is also available, which is more tuned, while the tested GLB 200d is still more intended for safe and comfortable transport from point A to point B. For those for whom 150 horsepower is not enough, there is a more powerful version of the same units with 40 hp more.

A 1.3-liter petrol engine is also available, coming with 136 hp and 163 hp. The starting price for the Mercedes GLB is 44,134 euros, while for the tested model with a slightly better equipment package, it is necessary to set aside 52,492 euros.

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