2013 Mercedes-Benz A Class

The new Mercedes-Benz A Class just made it's international debut at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. The model is miles apart from the current models. It has a more aerodynamic and more aggressive look which Mercedes calls "emotive design". The roof is also lower but has a sporty, high-quality interior.



It will compete against the BMW 1-Series, Audi A3 and Lexus CT 200h.

The car will come in several gasoline and diesel engine options, ranging from a 1.8-liter turbodiesel with 109 horsepower, to the 211-horsepower A250 with its turbocharged gasoline four-cylinder.

The car comes with adaptive headlights, speed limit assist, blind-spot warning, a reversing camera, collision-prevention, and "PRE-SAFE" occupant protection. PRE-SAFE means that in the case of an accident, the car is in the most suitable state possible for protecting the occupants closing windows, pulling the seatbelts tighter and more.

This will be the first A class Mercedes to go in sale in the US market.

More exclusive info here

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Mercedes Benz - the luxury brand

Brands sends different messages to consumers and when I think of luxury car brands, among the first images to come to mind is the three-pointed star Mercedes-Benz logo. It is one of the most recognizable and timeless logos. The German car brands have built up a reputation for good engineering, quality, design and service quality. However, unlike BMW, VW or Audi, most consumers automatically associate Mercedes Benz with prestige and luxury.

However, when people think of safety, Volvo is the brand listed on top. While the Japanese brands are listed high for Quality and BMW comes on top for performance (according to The Consumer Reports National Research Center). The only This is really interesting because Mercedes Benz does make high performance and sporty models (for example, the SLK range) and are also among the safest cars around (according to Euro NCAP results). Despite this, Mercedes-Benz remains as one of the top most desired brands among customers around the globe.

Mercedes-Benz SLK 200 BlueEFFICIENCY Sport-Paket AMG (R 172)

Despite the perception the Mercedes-Benz cars are expensive, you will be surprised to learn that you can actually get used models at really affordable prices. However, maintenance can be an issue as spare parts can be expensive. As always I only recommend that you use the genuine parts recommended by the manufacturer. It can also prove to be quite hard to find parts for older models. You may need to find a reputable spare parts dealer.

If you live in the US and are looking for Mercedes Benz Parts, I recommend that you check out German Star's Mercedes Parts Catalog. With 25 years experience in the Mercedes Benz parts business, they have and extensive inventory with parts parts listed by chassis or engine type.

Even if the parts you seek are not listed, you can contact them via email or on their site using their Online Quote Form. You can also drop a line in their Discussion Forum where one of their staff will respond promptly.

If you are not really sure about your chassis type. the site has a Mercedes Model Info form for quick reference.

I was quite impressed when I read that orders are shipped via UPS or FedEx and received within 2 to 3 days. There is not much information on the site but they also serve international customers.

Mercedes-Benz E220 Estate Diesel review

I recently had the opportunity to try out the Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate E220 and took it for a long trip to Ayr, Scotland - a distance of around 315 miles. Another family (husband and wife with their son) also accompanied us.

The car comfortably seats 5 adults and with the extra rear facing seats (an extra option), an extra 2 kids or small adults can fit in the car. Without the rear seats up, the boot is enormous and you can fit in several suitcases.

The car has a diesel engine and was fully automatic. The ride was really quiet and smooth - definitely made me question my preconceived notions about diesel engines. The suspension was also terrific and we hardly felt the bumps on certain parts of the road.

Initially I only had some trouble getting used to the foot-operated parking brake but it came naturally after a while.

The engine was quite efficient and taking over slow trucks and cars on the road was not a problem. It has been quite a while since I last drove an automatic car and I have to say, I got spoiled - I want an automatic car as well. Despite the long distance I was not as tired as I had been the last time I drover to Edinburgh in my old Volvo S40.

It has to be one of the best estate cars I have ever driven till date.

Thanks to Eju and Muz.

David Coulthard drives the SLS AMG

Former F1 driver, David Coulthard takes the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG for a spin around the Isle of Man. Check out the drifts and handbrake-turns. Lucky fan, Carl Borthwick got the chance to ride along. I heard Coulthard took the car up to 160mph.

Check out the video:

Inside the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

Here's Nikki's in the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. She said she was holding on for dear life but she did get some amazing footage. You can almost get a feel of how fast the car is doing.



Thanks for the link Nikki.

Check out the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG blog for more info about this amazing car.

Latest car test results from Euro NCAP

Test results for 6 cars were released by Euro NCAP yesterday:

In the Supermini category, the Daihatsu Materia and the Mazda 2.

In the Small Family Car category, the Honda Civic

In the Large Family Car category, the the Mercedes Benz C Class, the Renault Laguna and the Volvo V70

Out of these, four cars received five stars in adult occupant protection. These were the Mazda 2, the Mercedes Benz C Class, the Renault Laguna and the Volvo V70.


Mazda 2

During the trest, delay in the deployment of airbags was detected in the Mazda 2 and the Volvo V70 even though they were not part of Euro NCAP tests.

In the frontal impact test of the Mazda 2, a small disturbance shortly before impact led to a delay in the firing of the airbags and protection of the front seat occupants was compromised. Although these disturbances are not part of Euro NCAP’s tests, they could occur in real life accidents. In the case of the Volvo V70, curtain airbag deployment was delayed in the side pole test.

Both manufacturers have taken steps to rectify the problems.

Read the full press release here: "Euro NCAP - up to speed on testing".

New Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

Mercedes-Benz has put motor racing technology (modern Formula 1) into it's latest high-performance SLR McLaren Roadster. The car is made entirely of carbon-fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) apart from two aluminium engine frames. It is powered by an AMG V8 compressor engine which is coupled to an AMG Speedshift R five-speed automatic transmission. The front-mid-engine delivers 460 kW/626 hp, is 332 km/h and and a maximum torque of 780 Nm. The Roadster can go from zero to 100 km/h in a mere 3.8 seconds.

The design borrows a little from it's heritage - in the distinctive lateral louvers, side pipes behind the front wheels and the wide-opening gullwing doors similar to that of the SLR legend of the 50s.

Roof
The fully retractable top blends harmoniously into the flowing lines of the SLR McLaren. The roof opens and closes semi-automatically in less than ten seconds. To open, the roof merely needs to be disengaged from the windscreen frame and briefly raised, after which it folds away electro-hydraulically.

Safety
A high level of safety is assured by the unique steel-reinforced A-pillars and two fixed roll-over bars. It also features adaptive airbags, knee and side airbags as well as seat belt tensioners and a tyre-pressure monitoring system. The car is equipped with high-performance carbon-ceramic brake discs.

Extras
The exclusive standard equipment includes semi-aniline-leather-upholstered carbon-fibre bucket seats which can be individually adapted to the driver and front passenger by means of differently sized seat pads; dual-zone automatic air-conditioning; a high-quality BOSE premium sound system; a multifunction sport steering wheel with gear-change paddles, and a navigation system with integral radio and CD player.

The new Mercedes-Benz SLR Roadster, is produced at McLaren's Formula 1 factory in Woking, England, and will be available as from September 2007.

According to their website, they will also market its SLR McLaren roadster with a top.

More powerful Brabus

BRABUS pumps out more power from the Mercedes 63 AMG models with its new tuned B63 S engine. This boosts power output of the high-revving 6.2-liter V8 to 550 hp / 404 kW and peak torque to 650 Nm.

A Mercedes CLS 63 AMG with B63 S tuning goes from 0 to 100 km/h in just 4.3 seconds and attains a stunning top speed of 330 km/hr. On the other hand, the ML 63 accelerates from 0 -100 km/h in 4.9 seconds and reaches a top speed of 275 km/h in combination with the BRABUS V/max unit.

The power kit comprises newly programmed engine electronics with special mapping for injection and ignition. The intake side features a sport air filter for improved supply of combustion air.

Of course, along with the powerful engine, they have made the necessary modifications to tires, suspension and brakes to ensure maximum control.

The car comes with a control module for the ABC suspensions that lowers the ride height by some 20 millimeters. Sport stabilizers reduce body roll and optimize turn-in.

Their high-performance brake system includes 380 x 36 millimeter discs and 12-piston aluminum fixed calipers for the front axle while the rear is fitted with six-piston fixed calipers and 355 x 28 mm brake discs. A special version with ceramic discs is also available on customer request.

There is a long list of exclusive interior accessories and that's not all. Exclusive custom made interiors (made from soft yet durable Mastik leather and Alcantar) are available on customer request from the company's own upholstery shop.

The Brabus people have also made sure that the tuned V8 engine meets stringent EURO IV emission limits using high-performance metal catalysts with low back pressure.