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Mercedes-Benz G-Class News & Reviews

   2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK revealed ahead of Geneva

Formula 1 has long been a test arena for all things automotive, and the big players who not only race on Sunday but sell their

The 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK gets an all-new nose that should be more appealing than its predecessor overall. (Photo: Mercedes-Benz)

brands on Monday have often benefited from applying state-of-the-art technologies to their road cars. But sometimes what works on the track doesn't translate so well to the street. Styling is high on the list.

Pick a least favourite Ferrari, from a design perspective, and the F1-inspired Enzo will shoot to the top of the list amongst purists. And what about Mercedes-Benz, also a serious contender in motorsport's pinnacle series? Many will argue that the outgoing SLK, with its Eddie Jordan-sized schnoz, is the least appealing sports car to wear the three-pointed star in decades (other than the SLR McLaren that partially inspired it), and these critics will be glad to see that its replacement has been updated with a more classic M-B grille.

Introduced this week in Stuttgart, the 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK looks positively conventional, albeit in a very good way. It pulls styling cues from its larger SL sibling, as well as the company's new flagship SLS AMG sports coupe, the latter especially apparent in its protruding grille. Mercedes has integrated engine vents to the side fenders too, a nice retro touch that's also shared with the SLS. Longer and wider than the car it replaces, the new model <Read More>

   Mercedes confirms CLS Shooting Brake production

Sometimes a car is so pretty it simply has to be built, which was the case when the first Mercedes-Benz CLS was confirmed for production.

The CLS Shooting Brake is one hot wagon. (Photo: Mercedes-Benz)

Now, with the second-generation CLS upon us, news comes in that Mercedes' beautiful CLS Shooting Brake concept will find its way to production in 2012, opening up the world of wagons to an entirely new level of design and sophistication.

Mercedes-Benz deserves credit for keeping the wagon alive when other brands left it by the wayside for newer trends, but while an E-Class Wagon is extremely nice, the CLS Shooting Brake is in an entirely different league.

First of all, a shooting brake isn't a normal wagon. If you're not familiar with the term, think of a luxury coupe with wagon-like rear quarters. Some examples from the past include the somewhat unloved BMW Z3 Coupe, formed from the Z3 Roadster, or, <Read More>

   2010 Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid Road Test Review

Meet the new base S-Class. Yes, Mercedes has certainly taken a different approach with its first hybrid-electric model than Lexus

The S 400 Hybrid is the base model? How's that for a paradigm shift! (Photo: Automotive Metrics)

did when introducing its full-size LS 600h hybrid flagship. The Japanese brand was already two hybrids deep by then, with the RX 400h and GS 450h, and chose to continue an ideology that has resulted in hybrid models being the top performers in the Lexus lineup. The S-Class hybrid, on the other hand, is mostly about fuel economy. There are other differences too, mind you.

First off, Mercedes chose to go the mild-hybrid route, making its electric motor more of an assistant to the 3.5-litre V6 than capable of motivating the drive wheels. Lexus, on the other hand, allows the electric drive system to silently go where no luxury car has gone before; zero emissions territory. Other than ear candy and seat of the pants eeriness, does this actually do anything towards the end result of reduced emissions and fuel consumption? Only the numbers tell the truth.

Granted, <Read More>

   2010 Mercedes-Benz E 350 Coupe Road Test Review

Beautiful? Gorgeous! The new Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe takes my breath away. It literally stops me in my tracks, as it did

There's nothing quite like the new E 350 Coupe. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

to many I drove by during my test week, and partly because of its absolutely original design. Truly, never before has any two-door coupe looked even remotely the same.

It's the way the sharply angled rear quarter window points deep into the C-pillar, the car's swooping beltline rising up from front fender overtop the rear to visually meet curvaceous haunches before melding into the rearmost portion of the aft quarter panel just ahead of the taillight. Interestingly, it's one of the first coupes in a long time to pull sedan characteristics into the two-door segment, again the long rear window and tiny quarter window responsible for the unorthodox appearance.

Mercedes-Benz has a long history of four-seat two-door hardtops, with some, like the 1968 through <Read More>

   2010 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500 Passenger Van Road Test Review

At 6'9" tall and close to 270 pounds, I'm no small guy.  I've been called every name in the book over my 50 years on Planet Earth,

Goliath... meet your match! The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500 Passenger Van is a heavyweight contender. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

including Jolly Green Giant, Sasquatch, Eiffel Tower and Goliath.  Goliath was eventually felled by the smaller David with a mere slingshot.

Well, I've been felled by smaller cars. Mazda Miata?  Only if surgery to remove my legs is on the docket.  Porsche Cayman?  Ditto.  Sadly, I'll never drive either of these excellent sports cars.  So when my neighbor strolled into my driveway and pronounced "so Brian, I see you've finally met your match," I had little to say, as the test vehicle he was referring to was the colossal 2010 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500 Passenger Van.

Folks, this thing is huge, take a look in the photo gallery that follows and you see it lined up with the Hyundai Tucson CUV for reference.  Another neighbor, certainly trying out for the comedy slot on late night television, <Read More>

   2011 Mercedes-Benz R-Class Road Test Review

During a press event in Hoboken, New Jersey, automotive media had the chance to drive the updated 2011 Mercedes-Benz R-Class.

Much-improved styling should help the R Class lure in more would-be buyers. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

This was a highly anticipated event for me, as I have always been a fan of the R-Class' impressive interior layout. Driving one was like piloting a private luxury jet, as each seating position offered business class accommodations.

I was never thrilled, however, by the exterior design of the "R," notably the front-end treatment with oval headlamps and a generally soft look. So Mercedes-Benz did the wise thing: They updated the interior to make it even more luxurious and user friendly, and they redesigned the exterior to make it more rugged looking. The result is a crossover SUV that should finally make a dent in sales numbers for the company. Whereas the old R-Class was "droopy," the new model can definitely be called "swoopy."

Mercedes calls the redesign "a new, self <Read More>

   2010 Mercedes-Benz C300 4Matic Road Test Review

In the car business, "entry-level" is a relative term. One person's entry level sedan is a Kia Rio, while another's might well be

The best looking compact premium sedan? That's subjective, but most would agree that Mercedes has a good thing going when it comes to design. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

my recent tester – the Mercedes-Benz C300 with all-wheel drive known as 4Matic. Each is intended to bring a customer aboard the brand, to woo that customer with satisfaction exceeding expectations, so the next purchase will be up the ladder in the same family. 

Each entry-level car has its own attractions. In the case of the Mercedes, they are many and varied. First, there is the silver three-pointed star known from Rangoon to Romania, calling up images of power, prestige and suave sophistication. Driving behind that logo automatically gives one a leg up. But if that is all there were to these cars, far fewer would buy them. Most folks spend their hard-earned cash on a Mercedes-Benz because the vehicles from Stuttgart have demonstrated leadership in technology innovation, safety, performance and reliability. They buy because their doors slam with a satisfying "thunk," not a tinny "clink," even on the tiny B-Class. <Read More>

   New Mercedes-Benz Direct Injection, Multi-Spark V6 and V8 Engines Revealed

With the automotive world turning to direct-injection for fuel economy and performance benefits, it was only a matter of time

Direct injection will be added to Mercedes-Benz' new lineup of engines. (Photo: Mercedes-Benz)

before Mercedes-Benz, a leader in diesel engines, which first received direct injectors, modified the technology for gasoline engines like so many others have now done.

Direct-injection will soon be applied to a new family of V6 and V8 powerplants set to launch in the flagship S-Class sedans and CL-Class coupes this fall. V6 and V8 engine displacements will be 3.5 litres and 4.7 litres respectively, while piezo-electric injectors used on the latest diesel engines will get the nod for the new gasoline powerplants.

Direct-injection is more efficient because it allows for greater fuel delivery precision and a charge cooling effect that increases torque output by allowing for a higher compression ratio. <Read More>

   2011 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet Road Test Review

Cabriolet was originally a term that meant "to cavort" or "cut a caper."  In the 1700s, the term came to be used to describe a

Lined up and ready for romping through the mountains, the new E-Class Cabriolet makes for a fun play toy. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

two-wheeled horse carriage with a folding leather top.  Later, any carriage for hire became known as a "cab," hence today's synonym for a taxi. 

In the late 1800s, the first motor vehicles were all open cars, with no tops at all.  As automobiles developed in the early 1900s, most were still convertibles. 

As the automotive industry evolved through the 1900s, the term "Cabriolet" acquired a specific meaning – a convertible that seats at least four people.  While Mercedes-Benz produced some of the world's most collectible convertibles and Cabriolets across a 120-year history, its modern era began with the launch of the 1993 E-Class Cabriolet, its first four-seat convertible in several decades.  A slightly smaller CLK Cabriolet followed in 1999, and a second-generation CLK Cabriolet line was offered through the 2009 model year.

It was <Read More>

   2011 Mercedes-Benz R-Class Gets Extreme Makeover

The current R-Class was never touted as a particularly pretty crossover, unlike the ML or, in its slightly more rugged way, the larger GL,

Mercedes has given the next-generation R-Class a bolder more masculine look that should be more appealing overall. (Photo: Mercedes-Benz)

but as far as interior roominess goes it's one heck of a practical family hauler.  The 2011 model, however, will retain the functionality of the first generation R with the added bonus of attractive styling. 

New is a deep, wide grille that's much more masculine than the current car's, while it's nose is taller, more upright and less homely, with a bolder more assertive appearance that is bound to attract those who want an SUV for the rugged go-anywhere appearance but would rather live with the user friendliness and lower ride height of a car. 

While <Read More>