Mercedes-Benz
Buyer’s Guide: Mid-Size Luxury Sedans
The mid-size luxury segment is nearly always a hotly contested battlefield, and these days are no exception. Over the last weeks and months we’ve spent a lot of time driving the new (or newish) entries from Acura, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Saab, and more, so we thought it high time to bring together a feature that lays bare what’s on offer. We did refrain from including the—often wildly different—performance models here (AMG, M, V, etc.). That’s a guide for a different day.
Mercedes-Benz Outlines Model Year 2012 Plans
Mercedes-Benz has released a wealth of details about the changes to the brand’s model year 2012 offerings. While some aren’t terrifically exciting, there are a few good nuggets of information pertaining to new engine options and body styles.
2012 Mercedes-Benz A-Class Or Masterful Origami?
Belgian automotive site AutoScoop.be has either gotten its hands on some early renderings of the upcoming Mercedes-Benz A-Class redux, or a very serious book about the finer points of origami.
Driven: 2011 Saab 9-4X Aero
It seems that any car-loving person over the age of 35 has an opinion about Saab. You can find all sorts of discussion about whether Saab can make it without a large parent auto company (Saab is now owned by Spyker, the supercar maker, which is about as small—and committed—a parent as you can get). Like most business situations, the issues are complex, but certainly a recent cash infusion from Chinese auto assembler Hawtai along with additional funds from Russian investors, totaling over $300 million, will help Saab in the short term.
Driven: 2011 Saab 9-5 Turbo4 Premium
Enthusiast rejoice, Saab is back! That’s right, those of you who’ve been patiently waiting for the next iteration of that most comfortable-seated, key-by-the-hand-braked, airplane-vented, griffin-bedecked sporty sedan need wait no longer.
Mercedes-Benz Concept A-Class Previews Production Model
Set for dual unveilings at both the Shanghai and New York Auto Shows is this near production-ready example of the next Mercedes-Benz A-Class. While the last-generation A-Class was more of a mini MPV (minivan-like profile, minus the sliding doors and room for five), this new model looks decidedly more like a premium compact hatch in the same vein as the Audi A1 or Mini Cooper.
Brilliant Transportation Offers Private Transport In Custom Mercedes-Benz Sprinters
We’re not shy about our love for the Sprinter, now manufactured by Mercedes-Benz. It’s no surprise, then, that our interest was piqued by the treatment given to it by Brilliant Transportation, which has created a fleet of decked-out, high-luxury Sprinters for hire.
Brabus iBusiness 2.0 Is Serious Business
Brabus has created an updated executive tuning package for the Mercedes-Benz S-Class with Apple’s iPad 2 tablet computer as its centerpiece, called the Brabus iBusiness 2.0. Plus, Brabus can drop in an 800-horsepower V-12, so you can conduct business (even video conferencing) at 219 miles per hour.
First Look: 2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe
Based on the soon-to-arrive C-Class Coupe, the two-door C63 shares its powertrain with the AMG sedan, which means a sweet-sounding 6.3-liter V-8 sits under hood. Performance should be more than acceptable, with 451 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque on tap.
Winding Road Issue 68 Is Now Available!
In this issue of Winding Road, we sample the eco-friendly and insanely stylish 2012 Fisker Karma.
Winding Road Guest Blog: What’s That In The Ditch?
Our latest Guest Blog is also our first from one of our Canadian neighbors. Correctly, then, the topic revolves around winter driving, dos and don’ts, and keeping one’s wheels safely pavement-side.
List: Five Convertibles To Bring In Spring
It may still be just a wee bit wintry where we live (okay, okay, it snowed five inches last weekend), but we can’t help but feel that spring weather is just around the corner. Good thing, then, that there are these handful of all-new droptops ready and waiting to be driven and reviewed. Here are five of the convertibles we most anticipate driving in the coming months—a group that should have you excited about top-down, springtime motoring, too.
Winding Road Guest Blog: BMW E39 Wagon Wanderings
We continue our new Guest Blog series with this piece on the search for “soul” in a car that will also haul your kids. If you’re interested in becoming a WR guest blogger, check out the details, here, and then send us your best effort at [email protected].
First Look: 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class
Today, Mercedes-Benz released photos and details of the 2012 SLK-Class roadster. Available later this year, it will be the third generation of the popular model line.
Detroit 2011: Mercedes-Benz To Drive Hydrogen-Powered B-Class Around The World
Mercedes-Benz clearly believes in the long-range viability of hydrogen technology. The company announced plans to drive its F-Cell hydrogen vehicle—based on the European B-Classs—around the world in some 125 days. (Phileas Fogg has nothing to fear from the impish M-B, it seems.)
First Look: 2012 Mercedes-Benz S350 BlueTec 4Matic
Mercedes-Benz continues to expand the S-Class family, this time bringing diesel power back to the iconic luxury car. The 3.0-liter oil-burning V-6 produces 240 horsepower and 455 pound-feet of torque, which goes to all four wheels through a seven-speed automatic transmission. According to Mercedes, that should be enough power to scoot the big S-Class to 60 miles per hour in about seven seconds and on to an electronically limited top speed of 130 miles per hour.
Quick Drive: 2011 Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG
If you ever need any hard proof of the brilliance of the AMG engineers, you should set yourself up in back-to-back test drives of a “standard” ML550, and then the ML63. Night and day. Well, night and mid-morning, anyway.
List: Ten Cars We Are Looking Forward To In Detroit
We here at Winding Road are very much looking forward to the Detroit Auto Show which kicks off this Monday. Check back here early and often as we update you about the cars and concepts as they debut from Cobo Hall.
Until then, have a look at our list of the ten cars we are excited to see at the show.
List: Ten Best Modern Day Bootlegging Vehicles
The illicit alcohol production and distribution industry of the 1930s and 1940s, coupled with the, let’s call it “irreverent,” spirit of some enterprising Southerners, helped to invent the concept of the moonshine-running car. Traditionally these vehicles were modified to offer the maximum amount of performance without changing the stock exterior appearance. A big trunk came in handy for loading in all the booze, too.
First Look: 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
The Mercedes-Benz C-Class will be getting a few significant updates when the 2012 model year hits dealerships this summer.
List: What Car Would You Buy With $100,000?
Here’s a party game to try out with all of your car-loving friends and family members over the upcoming holiday season. The scenario is this: someone hands you $100,000 in a suitcase and tells you to buy a car. You can only buy one vehicle with the money, and you don’t get to keep the change when you’re done.
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