Mercedes-Benz M-Class 2012 News

The Mercedes-Benz ML 500 has undergone surgery to insert the 285kW V8 petrol engine under its more shapely hood. Benz claims the new powerplant is more refined and produces more power using less fuel. The 5.5-litre V8 engine has an extra 60kW of power and 60Nm of torque over the outgoing 5.0-litre engine. The seven-speed automatic transmission remains unchanged but the 0-100km/h time has dropped to 5.8 seconds and the governed top speed is 210km/h. Benz says the new drivetrain combination also returns better fuel-economy figures of 12.9 litres per 100km, down from 13.4 litres per 100km. The rest of the M-Class features remain unchanged, with a double-wishbone suspension using the Airmatic air system. The ML500 has the 4Matic all-wheel-drive system as standard; with traction and stability control or, for the more serious off-road driver, the car can be optioned up with the Off-Road Pro engineering package. This package adds two manually selectable differential locks; a low-range transfer case and a reinforced rear-axle differential. The M-Class range has anti-lock brakes, eight airbags, active head restraints and the brand's award-winning Pre-Safe occupant protection system. Mercedes-Benz says the M-Class is the first car in its class to offer this life-saving technology, which uses its ABS and stability control sensors to detect an imminent impact before it occurs. The car then prepares all of its passive safety features, primes the airbags and seat belts, and closes windows and the sunroof to maximise the level of occupant protection. More than 18,000 M-Class SUVs have been sold in Australia since 1998. So far this year, more than 1800 have been sold, making it one of the top-selling luxury SUVs behind the Lexus RX and the BMW X5. The only ML model above and beyond the $120,874 ML500 is the stove-hot $160,874 ML 63 AMG, which is anything but an off-roader. Packing AMG's first effort at a stand-alone engine, the ML 63 offers 375kW of power and 630Nm of torque, which equates to a five-second sprint to 100km/h and an electronically-limited top speed of 250km/h. The ML 63 gets the AMG high-performance brakes as well to haul it back to a standstill quicker than your average 2.3-tonne 4WD. It sits on 19-inch wheels with 45-profile tyres. There's no OffRoad Pro package option box to tick; you can't get the proper 4WD goodies on this hot rod. With a claimed average of 16.5 litres of fuel for every 100km travelled and a 95-litre tank, the range off the beaten track is not going to be great either. Does the new ML500 sound appealing? Does it need a bigger fuel tank to be practical?

Mercedes-Benz almost apologised for the delay in releasing its BlueTec technology — which uses ammonia to erode nitrogen-oxides from the exhaust — but blamed ongoing research, hiccups in Australia and demands from bigger markets in the US and Europe.BlueTec is available on the E320 diesel that went on sale in the US late last year. Later this year in the US will be BlueTec versions of the M-Class SUV, R-Class people-mover and GL-Class 4WD.Early in 2008, the BlueTec version of the new C-Class, the C220, will be launched in Europe.Some of the problem for a delayed Australian release of BlueTec can be aimed at government and also industry.BlueTec technology requires diesel fuel to have a sulphur content of 5 parts per million or less — the standard in the US and Europe. Australia only recently reduced its sulphur rate to 50ppm which is too high to allow the BlueTec system to operate.A second issue is the additional catalytic converters. Australian Design Rules require these converters to each have a heat shield — unlike other countries — but Mercedes quietly said that this impost was very expensive to design, engineer and produce.The third issue is the size of the Australian market compared with diesel-hungry Europe and the potential of huge diesel sales in the US.BlueTec technology, which is licensed to other manufacturers including the Volkswagen Group, was introduced in Mercedes trucks in 2005 and is basically additional cataytic converters.A BlueTec engine has a primary converter — common in all new petrol and diesel-engined vehicles — to reduce emissions of carbon-monoxide and hydrocarbons.A second converter makes ammonia that goes into the third converter to react with the exhaust and specifically target nitrogen oxides. The result is that 90 per cent of a diesel engine's nitrogen oxides are chemically changed into nitrogen and water vapour.As nitrogen oxides are reduced, the soot particles visible from a diesel exhaust are similarly diminished.Original BlueTec technology had a cannister of ammonia — it was coloured blue, hence the name — to be replaced every time the vehicle was serviced.The C220 version has an onboard self-generating ammonia system.Mercedes said the BlueTec C220 meets Euro-6 emission standards that apply in Europe from 2015. Australia this year adopted Euro-4 emission standards.The C220 turbo-diesel produces 125kW and 400Nm and sips fuel at 5.5-litres/100km.