Mercedes-Benz S-Class 2006 News

6149 vehicles have been recalled including the Mazda RX-8 and new Volkswagen Tiguan.

A vote by 75 motoring journalists from 22 countries has awarded the compact prestige car the World Car of the Year award for 2015.It finished on top of a 24-car field and eventually beat the two other finalists, the Ford Mustang and Volkswagen Passat.The other big prizes for 2015, Green Car of the Year and Performance Car of the Year, went to the plug-in hybrid BMW i8 and the Mercedes-AMG GT coupe.The winners were announced at the New York Motor Show today at an event hosted by Bridgestone Corporation and Autoneum at the culmination of a six-month voting process.The C-Class delivers levels of refinement, luxury, safety, ride and handling that challenge best-in-class.The awards are in their 11th year and previous winners include the Audi A6, BMW 3 Series, Lexus LS460 and Volkswagen Golf, Polo and Up.To be eligible for the overall World Car award, candidate cars must have become available for sale on at least two continents between January 1, 2014 and May 31, 2015.The WCOTY wins by Mercedes-Benz follow its victories in the Green Car contest in 2007 with the E320 Bluetec and 2012 with the S 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY and its Luxury Car success with the S Class in 2014.“We are extremely delighted of winning the honour of World Car of the Year,” says the chairman of Daimler, Dr Dieter Zetsche.The WCOTY victory follows a similar success for the C-Class in the CarsGuide Car of the Year award.The WCOTY judging panel says: “Taking its design and technological cues from the S-Class, the C-Class employs an all-new aluminium/steel hybrid platform and updated rear-drive powertrains that delivers levels of refinement, luxury, safety, ride and handling that challenge best-in-class.” WORLD CAR OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2015Overall winner: Mercedes-Benz C-ClassGreen Car: BMW i8Performance Car: Mercedes-AMG GTLuxury Car: Mercedes-Benz S CoupeDesign: Citroen CactusPREVIOUS WORLD COTY WINNERS:2014: Audi A32013: Volkswagen Golf2012: Volkswagen Up2011: Nissan Leaf2010: Volkswagen Polo2009: Volkswagen Golf2008: Mazda22007: Lexus LS4602006: BMW 3 Series2005: Audi A6

Tired of returning to hot car? You need one that cools itself before you get in it. A day at the beach no longer means returning to a stifling hot car and seats that can burn the back of your legs. A new smartphone app can switch on the air-conditioning up to 10 minutes before you're ready to get in the car. There is just one catch: for now the technology is only available on a Mercedes-Benz limousine that's expected to cost $310,000 when it goes on sale next year. But it will be available on more affordable models within two years. The feature is standard on the company's first ever plug-in hybrid car, the Mercedes-Benz S500 Plug-In Hybrid. It can travel 33km on battery power alone before the petrol engine takes over for a further 800km of driving. The technology has created a new dilemma: save the planet with petrol-free driving range, or save your skin?  The same car also has technology that teaches you how to drive economically.  A radar system can tell if you're too close to the car in front and will 'pulse' the accelerator pedal to tell you to back off.  "As our flagship model, the S-Class always has our leading technology but you will these features on other models over time," said Mercedes-Benz Australia spokesman David McCarthy.The Mercedes-Benz S500 is not the first car to cool itself, however. In the 1990s Mazda introduced a car with solar panels in the sunroof to keep the car cool while parked. Mazda abandoned the technology, but Toyota reintroduced it on the most expensive version of the latest Prius hybrid introduced five years ago. However, unlike the Mercedes system, the Toyota Prius keeps the cabin at an ambient temperature whereas the Mercedes will cool the car to a chill.

THE Audi A3 small car -- which owes much of its DNA to the Volkswagen Golf -- has won the 2014 World Car of the Year, as voted by 69 jurors from 22 countries. The luxury hatch toppled the widely-tipped favourite, the Mazda3 from Japan, in the awards announced at the New York motor show today.The Audi A3 was among five German cars that took out a cleansweep of the 2014 World Car of the Year categories, and it was Audi’s second win in 10 years, having won the inaugural award. Indeed, German cars have won seven of the past 10 World Car of the Year awards, Japanese brands have won the remaining three.Accepting the award on behalf of the company, Audi's North America president Scott Keogh said: “The Audi A3 has only been on sale three weeks and already it’s off to a flying start.”Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of Audi, said: “This major award win is an achievement that the whole company can celebrate.”The Audi A3 was among 24 finalists that included the BMW i3 electric car, which won the Green Car of the Year and the Car Design of the Year. The Mercedes-Benz S-Class was the Luxury Car of the Year while the Porsche 911 GT3 was awarded top performance car honours.But the Mazda3 had emerged as an early favourite for the outright World Car of the Year award following rave reviews globally since it went on sale late last year. The previous generation Mazda3 has been Australia’s top selling car for two of the past three years, and was the vehicle that ended the Holden Commodore’s record 15-years as the market leader, in 2011.The Mazda3 is returned to the top of the sales charts so far this year -- after being overtaken by the Toyota Corolla in 2013 -- and is likely to take out top-seller status this year buoyed by the new model which went on sale in January.World car of the year winners2014 – Audi A32013 -- Volkswagen Golf Mk72012 -- Volkswagen Up2011 -- Nissan Leaf2010 -- Volkswagen Polo2009 -- Volkswagen Golf Mk62008 -- Mazda22007 -- Lexus LS4602006 -- BMW 3 Series2005 -- Audi A62014 World Car of The Year category winnersGreen car of the Year -- BMW i3 electric carCar Design of the Year -- BMW i3 electric carPerformance Car of the Year -- Porsche 911 GT3Luxury Car of the Year – Mercedes-Benz S-ClassThis reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling 

Mercedes-Benz has retraced the steps of the first car journey -- when Berth Benz set off in her husband's new invention -- with an autonomous S500. Watch video here.

The V8-powered 2014 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG has been revealed and is on track to make its official debut this September at the 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show.

It ranks among the most prestigious car brands in the world, but an Adelaide chauffeur claims that there is nothing luxurious about Mercedes-Benz's after-sales service. Adam Litchfield is suing the car maker's Adelaide dealership, claiming it reneged on its warranty when his S350 sedan's transmission suffered a “massive failure”, costing almost $16,000.Mercedes-Benz has counter-sued, saying that Mr Litchfield's warranty was never valid and he therefore owes the dealership $1300 for earlier repair jobs. Mr Litchfield, who owns Platinum Car Hire, has filed legal action in the Adelaide Magistrates' Court. He is suing Mercedes-Benz Australia Pty Ltd and BEA Motors on Sir Donald Bradman Drive, Mile End.BEA Motors has sold Mercedes-Benz vehicles in Adelaide for 60 years, formerly operating from a Flinders St showroom complete with grand marble and chandeliers. In his statement of claim, Mr Litchfield says he bought a pre-owned S350 from BEA Motors on November 15, 2010, for $95,350. He says it came with a Mercedes-Benz approved two-year warranty.“I am engaged in the business of providing a chauffeured vehicle service to the public at large,” he says. “I informed BEA of the nature of my business… The sales consultant represented that use of the vehicle as a chauffeured car would not cause any problem with the warranty.” Mr Litchfield says he took possession of the car on November 26, 2010, and drove it without incident for almost five months. “Prior to April 2011, I identified various works which were required to be performed,” he says.“BEA performed the works and delivered to me an invoice requiring nil payment.” Mr Litchfield says the car developed extensive problems one month later. “Prior to May 25th, the vehicle suffered massive transmission failure (and) BEA refused to cover the works pursuant to the warranty,” Mr Litchfield says. “BEA invoiced me $15,973.35 for the replacement of a faulty automatic transmission...In order to minimise loss to my business, I paid the invoice.” Mr Litchfield asks the court to force BEA and Mercedes-Benz to reimburse the $15,973.35. “(They) made false representations about the warranty (and) their representations were misleading and deceptive,” he says. In their defence papers, Mercedes-Benz and BEA say Mr Litchfield's purchase was not covered by its warranties. “The warranty states that it `will be void and automatically cease to operate if the vehicle is being used for hire',” they claim. The dispute has been listed for a conciliation conference.

The death of $1 million-and-more Maybach has opened the door for a wide range of new S-Class based luxury Benzes. The all-new S-Class that hits Australia late this year is now the starting point for everything from a new-style S-Class coupe to a fully-armoured flagship and a six-door Pullman model. Some of the cars have already been caught testing in Europe and will soon be put through a sign-off drive in the US led by the chairman of Damiler, Dr Dieter Zetsche, around the upscale Los Angles and Palm Springs regions. The first of the newcomers expected in showrooms is a very long-wheelbase S-Class that moves directly into Maybach territory, but likely with similar equipment and a pricetag less than half of the failed flagship. There were two Maybach models, the 57 and 62 named after their lengths in decimetres, but they failed to fire against the hulking Rolls-Royce Phantom and were also shunned by shoppers who also preferred the idea of a Pullman with a three-pointed star. “We are flat-out now working on the derivatives. We have a full order book for the next four years,” the head of overall S-Class testing, Uwe Hornig, tells Carsguide at the press preview of the S-Class in Canada. “Yes, there is a coupe and a Pullman.” The extra-long S-Class never really went away, but was put into the background begin the Maybach and mostly supplied with a full ‘armour’ protection package. A bulletproof S-Class is already ready for action as Benz begins a rollout that includes a range of hybrids and development on a self-driving car that uses sensors which already ensure the car will stay inside its lane on well-marked freeways. The flagship hybrid will be presented in September at the Frankfurt Motor Show, with a plug-in package that drops fuel consumption to little more than 3 litres/100km. “The S-Class… is also an important pacesetter on the road to local zero-emissions driving,” says Dr Uwe Ernstberger, vice-president of the S-Class development program. “The S500 plug-in hybrid will be the first luxury sedan in the world to emit less than 75 grams of CO2 per kilometre. Plus, we already have prototypes that can drive far more autonomously than is currently permitted on public roads.”  

The Lexus SC430, the drop-top coupe from the Japanese luxury brand, has just picked up knee-protection airbags.BMW is touting the night-vision system in its flagship cars and the Honda Legend comes with an active all-wheel-drive system.It all sounds great if you have at least $80,000 in your new-car kick, but there are bigger benefits than a few cashed-up car owners with new bells and whistles.What they are driving today will eventually be fitted to ordinary cars for ordinary showroom shoppers.There was a time when only the most exotic cars had electric windows and mirrors, but now they are common. Parking sensors is still considered a semi-luxury feature, but is standard on the $13,990 Proton Savvy.We should all be keeping an eye on breakthroughs at brands such as Mercedes-Benz, which led the car world into the anti-skid braking era in 1978 - when only planes had the systems.It has recently previewed a range of safety systems that will trickle down to the rest of the car business. Its "Pre-safe" innovation, which senses an impending crash and moves the seats back and pre-sets the airbags and belt tensioners, is one of the best.Mercedes-Benz Australia says Night Vision Assist has been a hit this year, even if it is only available on the super-luxury S-Class - starting price $187,900 - and is pushing ahead with the second generation of its radar cruise system."More than one-third of our S-Class customers have taken Night Vision Assist. That's about 170 cars since the start of the year," Mercedes-Benz Australia spokesman David McCarthy says.But it's not cheap."It's $4090 on the S-350 and $3590 on the S-500. It's standard on the S-600," he says.But that figure will fall as technology and mass production cut the unit costs."People recognise the benefits of technology from a safety perspective and it also makes driving less stressful. That's the same whether it is night vision or parking radar or Distronic Plus cruise control," McCarthy says.The latest version of Distronic will be available soon. It intervenes with more braking power if a vehicle ahead slows suddenly and can also bring a Benz to a complete stop and keep pace with stop-start traffic.And what's around the corner? Better radar parking systems, for a start, which tap into the low-speed engineering in the new version of Distronic. Benz is working on more and better airbags, with fuel-cell electric cars also on the program.

That means people in the market for a new GPS can now get up-to-date maps.The previous version contained data 18 months out of date.Whereis 13 was released by Sensis in March and Voxson was the first to convert the data, test it, and release products with the data integrated into the Voxtrack 500 and Voxtrack 800.With more than 1000 vehicles sold with GPS systems each month and an explosion in aftermarket sat nav, many drivers are becoming frustrated with outdated mapping software.Every year, thousands of new streets are constructed around Australia, quickly making software outdated.On a recent national launch of the Mercedes-Benz S Class, the sat nav equipment showed the vehicle driving through a green field when we were actually on the new Hume Highway bypass.Voxson CEO Andrew Longginou said that with more than 1.3 million Australians having GPS on their shopping list, in-car navigation was their biggest growth area.Voxson, which began manufacturing car radios and audio systems 35 years ago, can also upgrade current customers to the latest Whereis software.Product design engineer David Hendriks said there would be a new version of the maps in 12-18 months.Upgrade maps will cost about $200 and come on an SD card."The user simply purchases the new map card and swaps it into their unit," Hendriks said.International maps can also be bought in this form.The Voxtrack 800 includes voice and visual prompts, plus a video player, MP3 player and jpeg picture viewer for $799.It quickly attaches to a mounting bracket that has a strong suction cup connector that will not only stick to shiny surfaces but also some hard vinyl surfaces.Some of the handy functions are audible alerts for fixed speed camera zones, red-light cameras and a predetermined speed limit; flashing light prompts for turns; and an illuminated anti-glare touch screen which worked well in all lighting conditions.I'm not sure why anyone would want a picture viewer function, but it's simple to operate and download pictures from a laptop via the provided USB cable.Similarly, videos and MP3 files can be downloaded. The unit comes with 256Mb map cards.The software and map data take up about 100Mb leaving enough space for about 50 songs or a short movie."We advise customers to use their own SD cards (the unit will accept up to 2Gb cards) for copying their music or movie files so as to limit the chances of corrupting or accidentally erasing the map data," Hendricks said."When copying movie files users generally use what's known as transcoders to convert the file to the correct format and screen size."As the screen resolution is quite low compared to that of a DVD, the video file can be significantly compressed with the transcoder and the final file size is quite reasonable."Voxson cannot supply transcoder applications with the unit due to licensing restrictions.However they are readily available online and anyone making movie files is often already using them.There is an audio output for headphones or connection to your car stereo if it has a headphone or auxiliary input jack.The Voxtrack 500 also has voice and visual prompts bracket system, illuminated anti-glare touch screen and costs $699.Visit: www.voxson.com.au; whereis.com.au