Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class 2016 News

Imagine yourself in a life-or-death confrontation with an oncoming car, but as you turn the wheel away from danger the car wants to go back into the shooting line. It happened to me in Italy a while back, driving a then-new Mercedes-Benz CLS. And it was scary. But it will never happen again, to me or anyone else, thanks to revisions to Benz's electronic lane-keeping assistant. In case you need a reminder, this safety technology is still on its way down to your car, the 'active' lane-keep assist is intended to intervene if it detects you wandering off the road. It's one of the latest electronic countermeasures to fight fatigue and distracted drivers. At first, the lane-keeper system wobbled the steering wheel as if you were running over a string of cats eyes, then it moved on to a system which brakes the inside-front wheel to straighten the car for you. A bit like electronic stability control, with a twist. That's fine - unless you have deliberately eased away from danger and the car thinks you've dozed off. The Carsguide crew reported the glitch to Benz after the CLS drama and, to the company's immense credit, it reacted quickly and positively. I was soon on a flight to Germany to re-create the situation on a frozen airfield and other journalists were quizzed about their experiences with the CLS, including one who had nearly bowled a motorcycle who was riding in the car's blind spot at the rear three-quarter. Then, at the global preview of the flagship S-Class I am reminded of Benz's safety-first approach to motoring when a new-and-improved Active Lane Keeping Assist system is introduced, complete with revisions from the Carsguide experience. Instead of just checking to see if the driver is signalling a lane change, or that they are applying more than 10 degrees of lock on the wheel, it now uses front and rear scanners before activating the lane-keeper. One system looks far ahead for a potential collision target and another looks behind to ensure there is nothing in the blind spots. It's great, because it's a good idea that just needed some tuning. Even better, Benz admits there was room for improvement - and that Carsguide triggered the changes. “Yes, you can claim the credit,” says Benz's latest safety guru, Jochen Haab, as I climb from the S-Class. He explains the changes and the process, as well as the trickle-down effect that will take the system from the S-Class down into the E-Class and beyond - and even into other brands, as Mercedes-Benz has always been happy to share anything on the safety front. “It's a lot more intelligent now. It has the same name but it monitors a lot more inputs,” Haab says. “If we find these things, we incorporate them.” This reporter is on Twitter: @paulwardgover  

After giving Australian journalists a look at the Shooting Brake overseas, Mercedes has revealed details of the high-powered AMG version.Under the bonnet it packs one heck of a punch with a 5.5-litre V8 biturbo engine with a power output range of 386-410kW and an AMG SpeedShift MCT 7-speed sports transmission and AMG Ride Control sports suspension.That generous boot allows up to 1550 litres of storage space, while the stylish interior will have many second guessing the practical nature of the Shooting Brake – and just to confuse you further, look out for the wooden luggage compartment flooring.The proportions still aim to make it carry a coupe style. Glance at it again and you’ll notice there are five practical doors. But with an AMG workover, this is a sports car with five seats and plenty of bootspace – sting, style and a sensible package.Mercedes-AMG GmbH Chairman Ola Kallenius claims the Shooting Brake will follow the company trend of creating a new market segment. "After the successes of the CLS 55 AMG and CLS 63 AMG, with the new CLS 63 AMG Shooting Brake we are consistently pursuing the philosophy of offering our customers unrivalled, exciting high-performance cars.”While Mercedes are eager to attract new buyers, Kallenius says existing customers will be equally delighted. “The CLS 63 AMG Shooting Brake is establishing a completely new, small and select niche sector, and is expected to delight new customers just as much as it will existing AMG enthusiasts. The combination of performance, style and usability is unique."Sitting between the coupe and wagon markets, the Shooting Brake currently has no direct competition. However, a sporty, spacious and curiously good-looking car such as this will be highly appealing – young families are an obvious target, yet you’d expect interest from a range of other groups as well. 

It was previewed as a motor show tease in 2010 and is now almost ready for showrooms, as this Carparazzi picture shows. The design is more about style than carrying space - a bit like the Holden Commodore Sportwagon - and it's a good looker that increases Mercedes-Benz's model lineup at the top as it also grows its A-Class family at the bottom. Look for it in Australia from late in 2012.

More importantly, the new A7 Sportback comprises the essentials of the new generation A6 sedan and wagon, which will in turn be revealed at the Geneva Motor Show next March. Visually the striking the four seat A7 is at 4.9m by 1.9m (but only 1.4m high) a longer and wider version of the A5 Sportback, built on a lengthier version of the MDS platform that debuted in the A5 Coupe and underpins in various configurations the A4, A8 and Q5 ranges. While Audi Australia is negotiating price and specification, two engines are certain for Australia; the 3.0 TDI V6 turbo diesel and the 3.0 TSFI which uses the supercharged V6 petrol unit from the S4/S5. An entry 2.8 naturally aspirated V6 petrol, as is found in the outgoing A6, is being considered and would lower the guestimated starting priced. All Australia bound models will have quattro all-wheel-drive with torque vectoring and a seven-speed S tronic dual clutch transmission. Audi spokeswoman Nadine Giusti says the front wheel drive multitronic version on offer in Europe is not on the local shopping list in the immediate term. All engines feature thermal management, start-stop system and energy recovery. A Bose sound system is standard, as is Valcona leather and either wood grain or aluminium finish. So too is MMI navigation with touchpad and 8-inch display, convenience key, a three spoke steering wheel with shifting paddles and four zone air conditioning. Options include Quattro sport differential at about $3000, sports air suspension, which is an extra $2200 in the new A8 sedan, side assist, adaptive cruise control, Bang and Olufsen sound system, and an S line sport package with lowered suspension, 19-inch alloys, sports seats and bespoke trim. The brands first self-reverse parking function is also on the options list. Audis first heads up display is a possible standard option, but its online services, including a sat-nav function that integrates a Google Maps display, is unlikely for our part of the world. Significantly, in terms of the A7s relevance to the sedan and wagon, the A6s project manager Burkhard Wiegand was present at the launch in Sardinia. Both ranges are integral to Audis plan to have on sale 40 distinct variants by 2015.  If you have children and want to drive a coupe that is more elegant than hatchback, the A7 is perfect, he says. And despite attempts to name rivals as diverse as the CLS and BMWs 5 Series GT, Wiegand says: I think it is a unique concept (in this price range). Perhaps it seems similar, but they are very different.  Asked if the lack of a V8 in the current range pointed to an S7, Wiegand says only: In the future we will see. He is, however, more forthcoming on continued criticism of Audi steering. Despite employing a revised system that is linear and accurate, the A7s continues the trend of most Audis in lacking feel something of a drawback in a brand that so readily proclaims its sportiness. The weighting depends on the speed, he says. You can choose the mode with Drive Select. Our sense is the customer wants this. At least the A7 promises a dynamic fillup for the forthcoming A6 which cannot come fast enough for Audi. As a rival for BMW and Mercedes-Benz, the oldest current Audi is a non-starter selling only 354 units in the year to August, while 120 5 Series and 172 E-Classes sold in that month alone.

And the Carparazzi picture car this week is being hussled at high speed around the Nurburgring in Germany.  And the curvy roofline and low-to-the-road suspension settings do suggest something similar to the BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo. But this is actually an Audi, and the newest segment-buster from the German brand.  The test car is the A7, which arrives in 2011 as a sporty alternative to the A8 luxury limousine at the top of the family tree. The design is a lot like the A5 Sportback — and the car is expected to be called A7 Sportback — but it picks up its inspiration from the Mercedes-Benz CLS and is likely to be shopped against BMW's new 5 Series GT. Carparazzi shooters report the A7 is as big as the A8, but with a much more rounded roofline and a hatchback rear end. With some of the camouflage stripped away it is much more dramatic, too, than the A8 with a chiselled look and sports-set suspension. The A7 is likely to be revealed at either the upcoming Moscow Auto Salon or the Paris Motor Show in October, with Australian sales in the second half of next year.

The Mercedes-Benz Shooting Break concept has aired ahead of its debut at Auto China in Beijing. Although Mercedes executives aren't revealing too much, the Shooting Break shows off the future direction if the German carmaker chooses to make a station wagon version of the CLS. With Audi’s A7 hatchback arriving soon and BMW’s recently introduced 5-Series GT, a CLS wagon could be on the cards. Even though the Shooting Break is a concept the long, low and sleek design looks production ready with a roof that tapers towards the rear of the car, providing an almost coupe-like shape. At the front the grille and headlight treatment borrows some cues from the SLS AMG. The grille is flanked by LED headlights on each side - the first time Mercedes has used LED technology to such a dynamic effect. The side profile and shoulder line is sharp and leads down to a Pontoon-style curve above the rear wheel arches at the rear doors. The coupe-like profile is emphasized by the shallow window design. Inside the concept gets plenty of wood and leather and an eye-catching full-length centre console, which dictates that this is a four-seater only. The wooden floor of the luggage area gets contrasting silky oak highlights and aluminium highlights and protective strips. Powering the Merc is one of the next-generation V-engines.

After successfully combining a four-door sedan with a curvy coupe to create the top selling CLS, the development team at Mercedes-Benz has now rammed a wagon into the back of a two-door coupe.The result is called the ConceptFASCINATION and it's an odds-on bet for a new place in the silver star family.Officially, the radical new two-door is only a 'design study' but it will be under the spotlight at the Paris Motor Show in a fortnight and is likely to be in showrooms within three years.Why? Because Benz can and because it should.The ConceptFASCINATION — another morph — shows there is plenty of life in the old-fashioned British 'shooting brake', originally a luxury sedan modified with a station wagon tail so the upper classes could shoot small, feathered-and-furry creatures.We've seen something similar with the Volvo C30, but the new Benz is much bigger and much more elegant.It also comes at a time when Mercedes-Benz is about to change its name game — the next CLK will be called the E-Class coupe — in a move which clears the way for something new."The ConceptFASCINATION is a vehicle that's pretty much unique," says David McCarthy, the spokesman for Mercedes-Benz Australia."It is only a concept. But if it was to come to market it would be likely to sell very well."You only have to look at the CLS, which was totally new. Since its introduction we've sold over 150,000 worldwide."The ConceptFASCINATION is about the same size as a CLK coupe, but sits much lower with a dramatic sweep from nose to tail.Benz claims it is emotional, practical and elegant and the Paris Show car has a combination of wood, aluminium and smoked glass to give it an upmarket look. As well as a giant sunroof.But don't expect the fridge or cigar humidor in the concept car to make it to showrooms.Instead, the ConceptFASCINATION will combine a four-door coupe cabin with a truly useful luggage space beneath its upright rear hatch."Station wagons are huge in Europe. We are even seeing it here with the take-up on the C-Class wagon," says McCarthy."This concept is a vehicle that is similar to some vehicles in the past, not from us, that have definitely struck a chord with buyers. It's looking at the needs of a particular section of the market."McCarthy says it will be ideal for the cashed-up 20-somethings who have also been fans of Benz's B-Class hatch."The B-Class has been very successful for us in Australia. This is different, of course, and is between C and E in size."Full details will be revealed in Paris but Benz is already wittering about a load space that "develops organically from the exciting and elegant lines of this lifestyle coupe" as well as "elegance, savoir-vivre and exclusivity of the highest level".The design includes a new take on the company's corporate 'face' including the sort of LED running lights which are now commonplace on prestige cars, as well as a tail with a forward sloping glasshouse.But the emotion is obvious and Benz could easily have another winner, particularly as the ConceptionFASCINATION is already being touted for a full-scale AMG makeover if — when — it goes into production. 

Mick Doohan worked hard to earn his fun. He spent 11 years putting his body on the line in the cut-throat 500cc World Championship motorcycle racing circus. He amassed an incredible five world titles in the sport's premier class despite receiving terrible injuries that left permanent scars.So it's hard to begrudge him his fun, even when it comes in the form of a $297,990 Mercedes-Benz AMG sports sedan and a helicopter worth $2.9 million. To celebrate that it is almost 10 years since he claimed his final 500cc world title at Phillip Island, he decided to cut loose at the classic grand prix venue in his two favourite toys.Doohan has been an international ambassador for AMG since 1996 and enjoys the perks of the job. Only 55 examples of the IWC Ingenieur were built and only seven came to Australia. Doohan's AMG role helped make sure he was one of the lucky few.After manhandling the world's fastest prototype motorbikes, the Mercedes and the Eurocopter are toys for Doohan. Magnificent and expensive toys, but still toys for a man who won 54 grands prix.The CLS 55 IWC Ingenieur is the result of a collaboration between AMG and Swiss watchmaker IWC Schaffhausen.As you'd expect from a joint effort between a German car company and a Swiss watchmaker, attention to detail is immaculate.The car is finished in a dark titanium-grey metallic paint. Every exterior element is colour matched in a matt titanium finish, including the radiator grille, fog-light rings, side-window bezels and doorhandle inserts.The car sports 19-inch AMG wheels, also in a titanium finish. The treatment also carries over to the inside. The instrument cluster was redesigned to match the limited-edition IWC Ingenieur AMG watch the company produced as part of the deal.The dashboard gauges are black with silver needles and white lighting and the cluster is ringed with titanium.The seats are finished in dark nappa leather and have matt titanium AMG badging on the backs to continue the theme.Doohan liked the look of the CLS so much he had his Eurocopter specially finished in the same colour. With an imposing 350kW of power and a staggering 700Nm of torque, a racetrack is the only place Doohan can explore the car's limits.The Eurocopter is the AMG's airborne cousin. It is one of the fastest helicopters for sale to the public. With its high-load capacity and high rate of climb, it is an incredibly flexible helicopter and can be used in a wide range of conditions.It is fitted with the latest hi-tech digital engine control system and multi-function dashboard. The instrumentation means that the pilot can glance at the chopper's critical information on a dual LCD screen.“The CLS 55 AMG and the Eurocopter AS350 are a perfect match,” Doohan says. “They're at the high-performance end of their respective spectrums and, as you can see, they're a lot of fun."“They both change direction quickly and accelerate with a fair bit of force. Sure, they're the same colour, but there are more similarities than just their paint finishes.”Doohan is no stranger to aircraft. Since retiring from racing he has established a successful corporate aviation charter business called Global Jet International.But that's business and the Mercedes and Eurocopter are all about fun for one of Australia's most successful motorsport stars. SnapshotMercedes-Benz CLS 55 AMG Price: $297,000Body: 5-seat sedanEngine: 5.5L/V8 350kW/700Nm  Eurocopter AS350 B3  Engine: Turbomeca Arriel 2B turbine 623kWTransmission: main gearbox and one in tailPerformance: range: 650km, rate-of-climb 12.1m/sec, top speed 259km/h (140 knots)