Mercedes-Benz new video - "Sorry"

In traffic, precarious situations can come unexpectedly: before you know it there is an uninvited passenger. But with the brake assistant BAS + in the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class you can even trick the reaper.

Mercedes-Benz at the 2010 Geneva International Motor Show: Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet

The highly appealing and emotionally charged Cabriolet is the latest addition to the successful Mercedes-Benz E-Class line-up. The open-top two-door model features a classic fabric soft top, making for a stylistically pure cabriolet feeling. Viewed from the side, the new model is an intriguing proposition – with clear proportions and a flawless cabriolet silhouette.

In keeping with the motto “four seasons, four passengers”, all-year-round suitability was right at the top of the developers’ list of priorities. With the new E‑Class Cabriolet, the open-top season lasts the whole year because, while many cabriolets tend to disappear from the roads of Western Europe in the autumn, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet (length/width/height: 4698/1786/1402 mm) continues to provide driving pleasure and comfort at this time of year.

New features include:

*AIRCAP® automatic draught-stop: always on board and easily controllable at the push of a button, it reduces turbulence substantially for all four seat occupants
*Modified AIRSCARF® neck-level heating system
*Acoustic soft top fitted as standard

The soft top can be opened and closed fully automatically within 20 seconds – even when driving at speeds of up to 40 km/h. The cabriolet roof is stowed in a special compartment behind the rear panel. A retractable cover separates the soft-top compartment from the boot area; it must be closed in order to close the soft top. If the roof is to remain closed, the cover can be slid rearwards, in which case the boot capacity is increased by 90 litres to 390 litres. A through-loading feature is included as standard for the new Cabriolet, as is EASY-ENTRY – a manually operated entry and exit aid for the rear passengers.

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Source: www.emercedesbenz.com

The Long Game: 18 holes, 850 miles in an E-Class Diesel

Think "extreme sports" and you probably imagine mountain climbers without safety lines, skiers diving down vertical cliffs or base jumpers toppling off freshly finished skyscrapers. And when you think "golf?" That's right: badly coordinated clothing and a very long walk to get a gin & tonic.

It's a safe bet that you don't think of wombats, dive-bombing crows, water hazards that may contain deadly poisonous snakes, and a journey to the next tee that could be hundreds of miles. But then, you've never played golf Australian style. Oh, yes, it's extreme.

The Nullarbor Links is an 18-hole, par 72 golf course that starts at Kalgoorlie in western Australia and traverses some 850 miles to Ceduna in southern Australia. I'm going to need a bigger golf cart. Six-inch wheels and a nice frilly sunshade on top just ain't going to cut it.
A Mercedes-Benz E250CDi, on the other hand, looks like a much more tempting solution. And as it's diesel-engined, the fuel tank range should be huge. Range is important out there.

As we pick the car up from a local Mercedes dealer, he imparts a warning that serves as a good indication of the journey ahead: "Whatever you do, avoid hitting wombats. They'll rip the front of yer car off. Imagine hitting a cement-filled water trough -- I've seen a good wombat strike write a car off."

So we'll be avoiding wombats, then. As we set out for Kalgoorlie, the Merc settles into a relaxed but quick-ish gait. Even a couple of years ago, this Merc's performance would have been unbelievable -- here is a small displacement four-cylinder diesel that generates 204 hp, hits a top speed of nearly 150 mph, and goes 0-60 mph in a shade under 7.7 sec. For those who remember the bad old days of bad old diesels, these are phenomenal figures. The real kicker is, the Merc manages to do all this and remain refined. Sure, it'll never be as whisper-smooth as a good gas V-6 or V-8, but once it's rolling, you'll forget there's a diesel under the hood.
Problem is, even in the vastness of the Nullarbor Plain, we can't exploit the car's performance potential. If I had my way, we'd be cruising at 100 mph-plus, but the cops are everywhere -- in the air, hiding in bushes, lurking in unmarked cruisers. And they really take it personally if you speed, which seems ridiculous in this landscape of unreachable horizons.



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Source: MotorTrend