Mercedes-Benz GL500 News

Now for a small sporty coupe-like SUV from Mercedes-Benz.

Mercedes-Benz new GL-Class, “serious” off road machine has arrived from the USA factory to take on the likes of Toyota landCruiser, the new Nissan Patrol and the Lexus LX570.The model range includes a diesel --  the established GL 350 BlueTEC and two petrols -- the GL 500 BlueEFFICIENCY and a performance model called the GL 63 AMG.Benz pitches the GL-Class as a luxury SUV combining cutting-edge technology and driver assistance systems with high levels of comfort.It's comprehensively equipped with safety and convenience features that provide value to customers in this segment.The big Benz is a handy device in a multitude of different driving conditions right through to rock-hopping, stump pulling mud plugging duties. Then hose it off and cruise down the motorway in luxury.This second generation GL-Class is a more handsome customer than before thanks to its more pronounced frontal look and sleek side style lines. The rear end is also attractive.Though on the huge side, the new GL offers both significant reductions in fuel consumption and improved performance. The GL 350 BlueTEC is equipped with a turbocharged V6 diesel BlueTEC engine and ensures smooth ride comfort while consuming 7.7l/100km (combined).The imposing road presence of the GL 63 AMG is underlined with the 5.5-litre AMG bi-turbo petrol V8 engine, which delivers a maximum output of 410kW and up to 760Nm of torque. It's capable of 0-100km/h in 4.9 seconds.In the middle is the GL500 offering nearly the same performance as the AMG model but with a softer, more comfortable focus.All variants provide a lavish, spacious interior with dynamic on/off road capabilities along with ease of operation.A host of features are standard on the new GL including 4MATIC all-wheel drive, Easy Pack tail gate, Easy-Entry third row access, Airmatic package with air suspension and Adaptive Damping System, Comand Online, Thermotronic, front and rear automatic climate control, Intelligent Light System, glass electric sunroof with slide/tilt function and an electric parking brake.The new GL-Class also incorporates a host of standard safety equipment such as Attention Assist, Pre-Safe, 360 camera, Distronic Plus cruise with braking, Brake Assist, Active Blind Spot Assist and Active Lane Keeping Assist.Prices start at $129,900 for the GL 350 BlueTEC.

...the final item with just the mildest tapework to disguise the final details. The front end shares the latest chunky look from the E Class, but the hulking family wagon is much more thuggish with the promise of 3 and 4- litre diesel engines as well as a 5.5-litre petrol V8 in early 2012.

Currently priced from $173,200 in Australia, the GL manages to outdo the benchmark Toyota LandCruiser and the newcomer promises even more with a better looking body and everything up to an AMG power pack.

The big brother to the Mercedes-Benz ML shares a similar chassis, stretched out for seven-seater space.Carparazzi says the frontal treatment will be similar to the latest E Class and GLS, with engines from the ML including the 3.0- and 4.0-litre diesels and a 5.5-litre petrol V8 with Benz’s seven-speed 7G-Tronic transmission.

Having largely eschewed mid-life refreshes of models, successful or not, Mercedes has opened the floodgates with a range of largely cosmetic external and internal tweaks for its ML, GL and R-Class models.The updates were revealed in concert with the launch of Benz's BlueTEC diesel engines in the US last week. Australia will get the refreshed cars _ but not the engines _ in September.“It's something of a new strategy that started with the substantial refresh of the SL range,” Mercedes-Benz Australia spokesman Peter Fadeyev explains.“Previously, it was more usual to allow the product to run a cycle without really changing the look. That meant owners of cars bought early in the cycle retained the look of a current car longer.“This time, the external changes bring the look of the cars into line with our new styling directions, but the interior changes were largely driven by customer feedback.”The M-Class features a new- generation telematics system, developed by Mercedes, which offers a range of integrated features including a hands-free telephone system based on Bluetooth technology (something Mercedes has been slow to adopt) and an auxiliary-in connection for mobile audio devices, such as iPods.Likely to be optional is a full media interface that will integrate all the functions of an iPod or other MP unit into the on-board electronics and control system, giving a full information display on the centre console and control via the steering wheel-mounted audio buttons.For the first time in an ML, the voice-operated Linguatronic control system will be offered as an option, along with a new style of rear passenger DVD screen.Unlike the previous system, where the screens were integrated into the rear of the headrests, the wireless DVD will be a bolt-on to the back of the front seats, allowing it to be offered as a retro-fit or dealer option.New, sportier seats and a new four-spoke steering wheel with standard shift paddles complete the interior improvements.The exterior look is most evident in a more aggressive front end with redesigned bumper, recontoured headlamps and a larger, more dominant grille. The rear view also sports a new-look bumper with integrated reflector strips which emphasises the vehicle's width.There is also a new range of 17-, 18-, 19- and 20-inch rims.The hero of the range will again be the AMG 63 model, with a 6.2-litre V8, 6.3 badging and a maximum output of 375kW and 630Nm.On the road, there's precious little that isn't visual to set the revised M-Class apart from the previous version _ 300,000 of which have been sold since its release in 2005.The steering on the test fleet sampled in Vermont was noticeably lighter and more nervous than that on Australian MLs, but Mercedes engineers were quick to point out that this steering feel was specific to North America. Cars bound for Europe and Australia will retain a more connected feel.There is a marginal improvement in fuel economy _ around 0.4 of a litre per 100km _ but as the launch-drive cars were all fitted with BlueTEC diesel engines, comment on the petrol models bound for Australia was impossible.The interior improvements give the ML a more refined feel; the new seats are supportive and comfortable, particularly when fitted with the optional adjustable lumbar support.The telemetrics are highlighted by intuitive controls and a clear screen, with the adoption of Bluetooth hands-free technology for the phone a long-overdue step.If the changes to the ML are subtle, those to the GL and R-Class are even more so _ to the extent that only train-spotters are likely to pick them.All three models will be available here in September, and a “small” price increase is predicted.BlueTEC diesels could be bound for Australia within 12 months of the technology's availability in Europe later this year.Although Mercedes-Benz Australia is maintaining the line that there are no firm plans to bring the advanced engines here, the attraction of being the first company to market a Euro 6-compliant vehicle _ a step that would put Mercedes almost a decade ahead of proposed government regulation _ is almost irresistible.“It's something that is under strong consideration, and certainly something we would like to resolve as quickly as possible,” Fadeyev says.“Our philosophy is always to be first into the market and not wait until government regulation requires it.”Australian regulations require vehicles to meet Euro 4 emission levels, with a move to Euro 5 in 2015. The diesels Mercedes now offers in Australia will meet the Euro 5 regulations, but a jump to Euro 6-compliant technology would be a huge selling point in a market that is increasingly environment-aware.“As much as we would like to have BlueTEC now, there are a couple of issues we are still working through _ but I don't believe they will be insurmountable,” Fadeyev says.It is understood the two key sticking points are cost _ BlueTEC would add around two per cent to the price of the ML, GL and R-Class models it would immediately be available on _ and a requirement for a heat shield over the particulate filter to protect against accidental ignition of dry grass under the vehicle.Michael Angel, who is responsible for managing worldwide emissions regulations and market confirmation for Mercedes, says he's aware of the need for a heat shield but doesn't see it as a deal-breaker.“I don't think it's a major problem ... it's just a piece of material,” Angel says. “There is no great complexity or technology involved.”Paradoxically, the BlueTEC system is already available in Australia in three Mercedes-Benz trucks _ the Actros, Axor and Atego models. The system was launched to meet new government regulations for heavy-vehicle emissions.BlueTEC is best described as a modular system for treating exhaust gas _ in particular, for reducing the nitrogen-oxide levels from diesel engines. Nitrogen oxide is the only exhaust-gas component that remains higher in diesel engines than in petrol engines. 

It's the sort of odd-couple relationship that really shouldn't work ... but does. North America's eternal fascination with giant trucks and muscle machines continues

Mercedes-Benz swamped the Frankfurt Motor Show with a range of eco-friendly cars, including seven hybrid cars, eight ultra-clean diesel Bluetec models and several new engines that meet Euro 5 emissions targets due in 2009.However, show goers were stunned by the striking F700 concept sedan, which uses an innovative DiesOtto and hybrid drive system that uses just 5.3 litres per 100km and delivers 127g/km CO2 emissions.The DiesOtto engine, housed in a sleek luxury body called the F700 research vehicle, is claimed to provide the best elements of both diesel and petrol engines. The engine is mated to a new hybrid starter/generator and seven-speed automatic transmission. It is a four-cylinder, 1.8-litre two-stage charging petrol engine that Mercedes says combines the frugal virtues of a diesel with the low emissions of a petrol engine.It can deliver 175kW with the electric motor producing an extra 15kW while torque is 400Nm.Mercedes executives say the car will accelerate to 100km/h in 7.5 seconds and has a top speed of 200km/h. Apart from the engine and powertrain, the F700 has a sophisticated suspension that uses two laser scanners to view the road ahead and adjust the suspension.The luxury Mercedes also uses a new “human machine interface” with a virtual operating assistant called the avatar which can assist the driver with specific functions, such as adjusting the airconditioning or dialling a phone number.Visually, the F700 is based on the S-Class sedan but has an extra 285mm built into the wheelbase. The rear doors are rear hinged to allow for easy access to the roomy cabin.The big Merc is one of the varied ways carmakers at the show are attempting to create greener machines. Car industry green expert Ted Grozier says the show illustrates how the industry is faring in its efforts to reduce its reliance on gas-guzzling larger vehicles.“The conventional wisdom is that the US will go hybrid and in Europe the diesel is being challenged,” says Grozier, of Green Order, a New York-based advisory group that counts General Motors, among others, as clients for its advice on how to make cars cleaner. “This may be a pivotal year for the industry in the battle for greener cars and the gloves have come off.”Indeed, BMW, Porsche, Volkswagen and DaimlerChrysler are among those showing cars with low-emission diesel engines and hybrids, featuring electricity to augment traditional fuel motors, as well as hydrogen fuel cell concepts that BMW is researching. It is all part of the effort to make high-mileage, cleaner cars that also meet drivers' expectations for performance.Nissan showed its Mixim concept car, an electric car powered by lithium ion batteries, with the driver's seat in the middle and steering controls inspired by video-game controllers.Unsurprisingly, it is geared toward younger drivers who spend a lot of time behind a computer keyboard. Ford showed off the current models under its ECOnetic label that produces a lower level of emissions.France's PSA Peugeot-Citroen has its 308 BioFlex compact at the show. The car uses biofuels, or fuel obtained from crops. GM goes a step further with a car powered by a hydrogen fuel cell. The show is also a chance for carmakers to explore new concepts and designs that may or may not take shape on the assembly line. Ford is eager to pique consumer interest in its new subcompact concept car, the Verve.If successful, it could be the basis of a new small car for global sales. It would come to Australia as the next generation Fiesta.Designed in Europe, the Verve concept has a rounded design and is demonstrably smaller than most cars on US roads.The president of the German Association of the Automotive Industry Matthias Wissmann says 1081 companies are at the Frankfurt Motor Show.In total, 88 new models are debuting at the biennial event which runs until September 23.