Mercedes Benz SL550 Night Edition 2011

Mercedes Benz SL550 Night Edition 2011
Mercedes announced a special limited edition SL550 Night Edition for the 2011 SL coupe/roadster line-up (limited to 100). The 2011 Mercedes-Benz SL550 Night Edition is painted in matte-finish designo Magno Night black with a black premium leather interior. On top of all the SL Line-up features, the SL550 Night edition features two-tone finish of its 19 inch AMG 5-spoke light-alloy wheels, sliver front brake calipers and darkened headlights and tail lights.

[Source: Mercedes]

Mercedes Benz SL550 Night Edition 2011

The 2011 Mercedes-Benz SL coupe/roadster line features the limited-edition SL550 Night Edition, which is painted in matte-finish designo Magno Night black with a black premium leather interior. Only 100 of this exclusive model are available in U.S. showrooms.
Specially developed for the SL550 Night Edition, the designo Magno Night black paint highlights the dramatic lines of the SL body. The Night Edition is also identified by the two-tone finish of its 19-inch AMG five-spoke light-alloy wheels, as well as silver front brake calipers with "Mercedes-Benz" script and darkened headlights and tail lights.
A striking contrast of dark black premium leather and bright chrome trim fills the interior, with the sports steering wheel, shift lever and roof lining trimmed in black. Newly-designed seats have eye-catching arrow-type stitching and contrasting silver accents, including the vents of the AIRSCARF� system, which bathes occupants' neck area with warm air in cooler weather when the convertible top is down.
All 2011 SL coupe/roadster models now come with an enhanced tire-pressure monitoring system, HD radio and a satellite navigation system with SIRIUS real-time traffic information. Non-AMG SL models are also equipped with Direct Steer, which uses variable-ratio gearing in the steering rack to provide impressive on-center steering feel, with even higher responsiveness beyond the first five degrees of steering angle.
SL Lineup Offers a Choice of V8 or V12 Power
A direct descendant of the legendary 300SL Gullwing of the 1950s, the current SL roadster line-up features the V8-powered SL550 (382 horsepower, 391 lb.-ft. of torque), the high-performance V8 SL63 AMG (518 hp, 465 lb.-ft.) and the V12-powered SL65 AMG (604 hp, 738 lb.-ft.).
The latest SL roadster lineup features dramatic styling with fenders that incorporate sharp, angular headlights and modified gill-type air outlets behind the front wheels. A front hood with two power domes (AMG versions have a large, single dome) and a bold single-lamella grille emphasize the width of the body and make a symbolic visual connection to the famous 1954 300SL, while larger side mirrors reveal built-in arrow-shaped turn signals.
At the rear, an air diffuser in the bumper adds a motorsports touch, and trapezoidal exhaust tips emphasize its width and suggest all the power on tap. The cockpit includes a three-spoke multi-function steering wheel and an instrument cluster with eye-catching red tachometer and speedometer needles that swing to the max position and back to zero whenever the ignition is turned on.
AIRSCARF Around the Head and Neck
All Mercedes-Benz SL roadsters are available with AIRSCARF, an innovative feature that can extend the open-air driving season into the cooler months. Another first from Mercedes-Benz, AIRSCARF is an extra heating system built into the driver and passenger seats.
The AIRSCARF neck-level heating system blows warm air from the head restraints of the driver and passenger seats, allowing occupants to cruise comfortably with the retractable hardtop open in cooler temperatures. Testing revealed that warming just a relatively small area around the neck dramatically improves comfort in cooler weather.
Standard on the SL65 AMG model (and optional on the SL550 and SL63 AMG), the AIRSCARF heating system even compensates for changes in air temperature and vehicle speed. AIRSCARF uses a heating element made of barium titanate, which heats up in a matter of seconds when electrical current is applied.
From Coupe to Roadster in 16 Seconds
At the push of a button, the SL's retractable hardtop can be fully opened or closed in just 16 seconds, dramatically transforming the car from a quiet, weather-tight coupe to a top-down, open-air convertible. A hydraulic pump and 11 computer-controlled hydraulic cylinders power the system, and roof operation is controlled by a switch on the center console. Its folding "clamshell" design allows for a cargo area of 7.2 cubic feet when the top is down. With the top up, the trunk holds 10.2 cubic feet.
The World's Safest Convertible
Widely acclaimed as one of the world's safest convertibles, the SL provides sports car performance with all the built-in safety that's expected from Mercedes-Benz. Since an open car can leave its occupants vulnerable in a rollover, Mercedes engineers met the challenge in the SL with the world's first automatic roll bar. If sensors detect an impending rollover, the padded, leather-covered bar pops up, locking in place in a third of a second. It can also be raised or lowered by a console switch.
Shoulder belts are integrated directly into the seats for greater occupant protection, especially in rollovers. The Mercedes SL was also the first car with side airbags, which are part of a Supplemental Restraint System (a phrase first coined by Mercedes-Benz) that includes dual front airbags and emergency tensioning retractors that tighten the seat belts in a collision.
In Command with COMAND
A standard COMAND system includes a 6.5-inch color display screen, a hard-drive-based GPS navigation, an in-dash six-disc CD/DVD player and a four-gigabyte Music Register that holds around 1,000 MP3 tracks. This year, the SL audio system adds HD radio, and its navigation system comes with SIRIUS real-time traffic information. Music titles can be viewed on the COMAND display in the center console as well as a smaller display in the instrument cluster, and they can be selected with the buttons on the multi-function steering wheel. A convenient media interface makes it easy to connect an iPod, USB stick, memory card and other devices
Major Stopping Power for All SL Models
Excellent stopping power for the SL is provided by large, four-wheel disc brakes enhanced with four-channel ABS anti-lock control. The SL550 is equipped with vented 13.8-inch front and solid 12.6-inch rear discs. Matched to its power and speed capability, The SL63 AMG comes with even larger 14.2-inch vented rotors up front and 13.0-inch vented rotors at the rear, while the SL65 AMG boasts vented discs that are another 1.2 inches in diameter.
ABC Active Suspension Gives Cat-Like Agility
The SL chassis uses a double-control-arm front suspension and the patented Mercedes-Benz five-link rear suspension. All SL models come with Active Body Control (ABC), the Mercedes-Benz active suspension. Virtually eliminating body roll in cornering, squat under acceleration and dive during braking, ABC active suspension solves the usual tradeoff between ride comfort and handling, so SL roadsters offer excellent comfort and league-leading handling.

Mercedez C300 Avantgarde Test Drive

Mercedez C300 Avantgarde Test Drive for the first time, C300 Avantgarde is the sporty sedan with premium taste.



In Mercedes C-Class Car, the C300 is a type of top. C300 Avantgarde released at a price of $79,000 (off the road), or more expensive at around $4000 million from CGI C250 Avantgarde AMG variants. Therefore, it offers the sensation was quite different, Especially from behind the hood. C300 Avantgarde bring the kitchen runway 3,000 cc V6-powered 231 HP at 6,000 RPM and 300 Nm of torque at 2500 RPM. Cash, the equivalent figure is made of this variant is more driver oriented.



As if not enough, C300 avantgarde also packed with the latest transmission 7G-TRONIC 7-speed. Can be played with the manual mode, shiftronik or paddle-shift. There is also a Sport mode option, which simply activated from buttons on the center console. In this mode, the characters felt more violent sport.



"with All black interior, sporty feel bad." honest visitors who are curious to try the C300 Avantgarde. Also concluded, "most brought Stable cornering speed." This is not because the existence of Avantgarde features adjustable suspension, fashion, Sport or Comfort.

In addition, the C300 Avantgarde has adopted the Electronic Stability Program (ESP) with Acceleration Skid Control (ASR), Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) and Brake Assist (BA). with cheap car insurance for all risk, this car is wonderful to buy as part of your styles.

Mercedes Benz Brabus

Mercedes Benz Brabus , as usual, a very nice stand with almost the whole range on show.Several of the cars were equipped with this engine, Brabus�
version of the twin-turbo V12 called SV12, first introduced in the
Maybach but also powering Mercedes� 600-models. Brabus has increased
the displacement from 5,5 litres to 6,3 litres which is achieved through
the installation of a unique steel-billet crankshaft, larger diameter
lightweight alloy pistons and precision-balanced connecting-rods.
The engine is also fitted with sport camshafts, precision-machined
cylinder heads, a high-performance sport exhaust system and reprogrammed
engine electronics. The engine is amazingly powerful, 640 bhp at 5100
rpm and a maximum torque of 1026 NM from 1750 rpm. This engine is
available for the SL-, CL- and S600 and the upgrade costs 44900 EURO
plus an installation cost of 1980 EURO. But it is also available in
the E-class in a model called EV12. The EV12 is only available as
a complete car, built in exclusive small-series production, which
means that you can�t upgrade your standard E500 with the V12-engine,
you have to buy the EV12 directly from Brabus. It is one of the most
amazing 4-door cars ever built.

Mercedes Benz Brabus

2009 Audi A4 vs. 2008 Mercedes-Benz C350

Mercedes Benz C350 VS 2009 Audi A4

With the overhauled 2009 Audi A4, the temperature is rising in the compact quasi-luxury sedan class. We recently tested the all-new A4 for the first time and came away impressed. Increases in length, wheelbase and interior space make it a close match to the Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

Although the Mercedes-Benz C350 trailed the BMW 335i in our last comparison test, the C-Class in its current guise represents an exclamation point of goodness in this market segment. Besting the C350 requires a car with enough talents to achieve critical mass.

And so it came to be that we tested a 2008 Mercedes-Benz C350 equipped with the Multimedia and Premium II Packages, TeleAid and slick-looking 18-inch AMG wheels with summer tires, a pricey $45,275 package that nevertheless fairly represents the fullest expression of C-Class goodness.

The 2009 Audi A4 with which we were provided by the manufacturer for this test turned out to be a German-specification car, which apparently means very little since U.S.-spec cars will differ only in the deletion of the front parking sensors and power-folding mirrors found on our test car, plus minor rejiggering of the options groups. Our A4 was equipped with 18-inch wheels and all-season tires.

Pricing of the new A4 has not yet been released, though Audi representatives have told us not to expect significant changes from today's A4. Based on this assurance � plus consultations with the magic bones and some scrutinizing of groundhog shadows � we estimate that this 2009 A4 3.2 Quattro test car will sticker very close to $45,000.

Both the Audi A4 and the Mercedes-Benz come only with automatic transmissions in the trim levels we tested. more

Mercedes CLK 2009, 3-series, A5, SC

2009 Mercedes CLK
The next generation Mercedes-Benz CLK, currently �in works�, will be a lot more ostentatious, displaying a dynamic look with angular lines, refining the visual language of the new C-Class sedan. Official launch is expected for 2009, sales beginning later.
With components from both C-Class and E-Class (to save costs), the 2009 CLK will compete with Audi A5, BMW 3-series, and Lexus SC.
The �nice guy� attitude of the current Mercedes-Benz mid-size coupe will be completely dropped, as the next-gen CLK will want to play with the �bad boys�. In order to do that it will feature an all-new design line, with angular strokes and aggressive accents. The four front lights layout will be kept, but this time they will no longer be round. In addition to that, the fog lights will use LEDs as most of the new vehicles will.
The rest of the body will borrow the aggressive wheel arches and body creases from the C-Class, but will have them refined in an elegant manner, proper for a coupe.
The aggressive esthetics will be backed by an all revised engine range. An important novelty will be the entry level 2.2 liters diesel that will offer a highly advanced depollution system and will provide a respectable power output of up to 204 bhp. As for the gasoline engines, they will feature direct fuel injection to improve efficaciousness. All engines will be available with the optional 4Matic, all wheel drive system. Hybrid versions are also expected to be developed later.



The 2009 CLK line-up is expected to be: CLK350 powered by a 272 hp V6, CLK500 powered by a V8 engine with an output of 388 hp. Later on, there will also be a CLK63 AMG powered by a 6.2 liter V8 engien with an output of 503 hp. A hybrid version may also be available.
The new CLK will be available on showrooms starting the summer 2009, and will feature technologies like: Presafe II, night vision, Command II, and the Distronic Plus adaptive cruise control system.
The computer generated images show you an envision of the next Mercedes Benz CLK based on available information and future tendencies in the design of the German brand.

Mercedes-Benz CLS550 and CLS63 AMG

The Different Between Mercedez CLS-550 and CLS-63

Mercedes Benz Made Recalls The 2007 GLX164 Version

Mercedes Benz USA, LLC. announced that they will be recalling certain models of the 2007 GLX164. They stated that on certain passenger vehicles equipped wit diesel engines, the crankshaft sensor could fail due to a separation of bond wires from the lead frame in the sensor. This results in an interruption in the electrical connection in the chip housing of the sensor.

When this happens, the vehicle may loose power rather than enter a limp home mode. In addition, the vehicle cannot be restarted after failure of the electrical connection in the sensor, increasing the risk of a crash.

Dealers will replace the crankshaft sensor. The recall is expected to begin during Febuary 2008. Owners may contact Mercedes Benz at 1-800-367-6372.

Mercedes CLC

Not Another Hatch > Mercedes CLC

Where's the trunk?

Americans seldom take kindly to hatchbacks. And who could blame us? What, when we have the open roads, the wherewithal, and - until recent times - the least expensive gasoline in the civilized world to spread out?

No fat jokes, please.

Moreover we expect - nay - demand that anything with a luxury moniker have either a trunk (a.k.a. "boot") or the closing hatch of an SUV or wagon.

There are certain chic exceptions. The MINI surely ranks not only as new cult classic, but Cinquecento-sized car that boasts Hummer-sized cach�. And on the detour that is the Fiat 500, I'm sure if Fiat, SpA could get it's collective act together and sell Stateside, there'd be plenty of American car buyers that would embrace Italy's hot little number.

That said, for some unfathomable reason Mercedes-Benz feels that it can sell a hatchback C-Class to us gullible Yanks. It's sales logic that on its face is almost as dumbfounding as the Northeast media's smug lean toward Hillary Clinton.

This time they're calling it the CLC. As if that's somehow supposed to entice buyers here that a $30K hatchback - or in truth a full two-door that looks like some drunk October-fest goer came back to the factory after hours and took a saw to the trunk.

I guess it makes a certain economic sense. According to CAR, 320,000 of those infernal predecessor "sports coup�s" have found new homes worldwide since 2001.

And true to trends unfolding at auto shows this world round, there seems to be a design movement that seeks to phase out the trunk for space considerations; the protruding boot's exit is nigh.

Still, I pause to rejoice that I live in a land that -for the moment- doesn't have to settle for a less-is-somehow-more definition of luxury. Mercedes-Benz can keep the CLC on their side of the Pond. We'll take the C-Class in sedan form, thank you.
source

Another Benz Refit

Another Benz Refit > The SL

Looking new and doubtless improved.

Pictures of yet another Benz refit have splashed over the homepages of blogs and car sites across this great world-wide-web of ours. This time, it's the SL roadster and part of me wishes that the Tri Star just left well enough alone.

And another part of me says that those SLK-esque hood flairs are supafly.

As is the emboldened grille now with just one cross member and a more prominent Star to take center stage on the consummate boulevardier's prow.

There's a big mouthed, quad headlamped, R107 retro-chic swagger there that I really dig.

That which doesn't mix well with the new company of flutes, vents, and wider apertures are those signal indicators that are tacked on top of the headlamps.

BURSTING BUBBLES

What we're seeing friends, is the last gasp of the bubble-headlamped design theory that has at last reached the end point of its stylistic cul-de-sac. Fear not R230 lovers, the bubble headlamps will stand out as curious footnotes in Benz history. Right alongside the old W110 Fintails of the
sixties.

The 2009 SL does break molds. And those blocky headrests with built in heaters break a few style codes, too.

We should however not hesitate to see this as the most dramatic refit of a model in Mercedes-Benz history. On the merits of this remake, the current generation SL (already six years) could soldier on for another four at least.

Understanding that, there's no wonder why this Benz that's come of age has found widespread appreciation across a blogland populated chiefly by those who haven't yet.

More Pictures >>> Autoblog

Mercedes CLS

Mercedes CLS > Face Lifts Don't Cure Ugly

CLS. Face lifted.

Taking a note from Joan Rivers, Mercedes-Benz has - after four prosperous years - elected to update its CLS-Class with a face (and tail) lift. And as is also the case for the renowned comedienne, we have yet to see the benefits that such augmentation has brought.

Somethings really are better left for time to sort naturally. It's not that the CLS looks bad now or before, per se. Coming to think of it, Joan Rivers doesn't look bad either - but let's stop that train of thought there.

It's that the sedan - no sorry - "coop-ay," is a seriously contrived P.O.S. (and that acronym doesn't stand for "point of sale")

Time and again, I fail to see the "romance" in those comic book curves. The CLS looks like something the Joker would drive if only it were sold in acid green and dark purple.

Plus, there's that mousy front airdam (which the face lift didn't help) and those amorphous yet somehow pointed headlights. Combined they give the Merc the look that an angry sewer rat might give a wayward cat.

And on the topic of Mercs, what urks me further about the CLS is that Stuttgart's arts & ideas people seemed to have drawn all their emotive inspiration from the late 1990s Mercury Sable; probably the second lamest car for a decade when FoMoCo design knew no depths.

The rear three quarter profile similarities are scarily similar. So rather than celebrate along with the rest of press for the new CLS' recent return from Palm Springs' seclusion, I'd prefer to extol the Camry-esque virtues of the platform-sharing E-Class instead.

Something tells me that Joan would, too.

Tap the Link > The Motor Report

Hemmings Find of The Day >

Mercedes-Benz 560SL

Admiring an R107 Mercedes-Benz 560SL is a very different sensation that driving one.

Like some of the most iconic Rolls-Royces, Bentleys, Ferraris, and Maseratis of yore, the two seater Benz powered by the flagship 5.5 liter V-8 of the late 80s fell someways short of the legend it espoused.

Automotive icons are seldom so long lived as the R107 which as a chassis started in the late 1960s and drove straight up to the start of 1990s. For the North American and Asian markets, the 560SL was supposed to be the grand finale that would epitomize the notion of owning a modern classic.

Yet as classic as the Benz was (and remains), it always had the feel of makeshift automobile.

How could I possibly mean that?

Don't get me wrong. As a Benz enthusiast, in my book, the R107 line (including the 560SL) ranks among the greatest cars ever made. But the panels looked like they never quite fit right, to mention nothing of the gaps that could swallow sparrows mid-flight.

What's more the car shook terribly without its top and with its roof it let in the rain through still more gaps which could be found where the window panes met the fixed glass of the removable hardtop.

Two speakers provided Mercedes' cheap excuse for a full audio system on their flagship roadster and heated seats were never made available. And on the subject of seats, the SL's were manually adjustable (minimally) and always seemed disproportionately big for the cabin.

Add some more injury, the signature helm sized steering wheel found its position fixed in the driver's lap, the trunk was good for a lady's purse, and did I mention that the interior was cramped and that the seats didn't adjust?

All of these character flaws could have been forgiven and forgotten were the 560SL's engine the same V8 found in the 560SEL flagship. But for whatever reason, the sound and performance that the 560SL gave was akin to that of the earlier 500 powerplant which featured a smaller 5.0 Liter, V8.

Straw picking? Hair splitting?

Anyone who has driven a 500 (SL, SEL, SEC) knows that as old fashioned, aluminum big-bloc V8s go, it pulled heroically, if with little drama as witnessed by a low-revving tachometer and mild engine roar.

The 560 engine as witnessed in the SEL sedan not only cut the 0-60 time from mid 8's to high 6's, it would scream like a banshee as it hit the red line.

So, one would figure that the SL - seemingly half the size of the S-Class sedan, less insulated and at least four hundred pounds lighter - would thrill the driver even more by harnessing the 560 powerplant and launching from 0-60 in perhaps six seconds flat with the roar of Wagnerian V8 chorus?

Nein!

The older 500's performance times remain along with the low drama. Sigh.

All that carping aside, the 560SL sure is pretty. About the prettiest boulevardier one could ever hope to buy for a mere $14,900 and to say nothing of getting such a low price for so high an icon.

source > Exotic Motors