2010 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG Sedan - Auto Shows

Our recent drive of the 2010 Mercedes-Benz E550 confirmed the latest E-class as being a near-perfect luxury sedan. It’s creamy where it counts and even more refined and involving than the previous generation. Some of us are starting to appreciate the new styling, and we’re slowly coming to grips with the newest electro-nannies, which include a somewhat-silly drowsiness detector that flashes a coffee-cup icon to signal that it’s time for a break. A cup of joe might be a satisfactory wake-up for the sleepy E350 or E550 driver, but it’s a safe bet that pilots of the forthcoming AMG-massaged E won’t need a caffeine injection to stay alert at the wheel. Should the sandman start to work his magic, they’ll simply need to roll down the windows for a dose of 6.2-liter V-8 howl.

The E with the Heart of an SL

The 63-series motor is a favorite engine around our office. We were fans of the last E63, especially in wagon form, which we used to humble the Audi R8 at the drag strip. The engine is fundamentally the same in the new car, but is now tuned to match the output of the latest SL63 roadster: 518 hp, an increase of 11 hp over the last E63. Torque stands unchanged at 465 lb-ft.

The new sedan also benefits from the MCT seven-speed automatic heretofore only seen in the SL63, which has a wet clutch installed where a torque converter normally sits. There are four shift programs to choose from—C (Controlled Efficiency), S (Sport), S+ (Sport Plus), and M (Manual). The engine computer can interrupt ignition and injection during full-throttle upshifts, facilitating 100-millisecond gearswaps in M mode. Barking, throttle-blipped downshifts and a launch-control mode, dubbed Race Start, are among the transmission’s bag of tricks. Mercedes claims the new E63 hits 60 mph in 4.4 seconds, but we hope that’s a conservative estimate, as we ran the previous E63 to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds during a comparison test. Top speed is once again limited to 155 mph.

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2009 BMW 750Li vs. 2009 Mercedes-Benz S550 - Comparison Test

So you had to say goodbye to the Gulfstream, the corporate retreat in the Napa Valley, and your custom wastebasket—the decoupage job trimmed with pages from a Gutenberg Bible. Times are hard, and it just won’t do to be perceived as excessively self-indulgent—especially if you’re high up in the echelons of a publicly held corporation.

The new corporate Puritanism extends to automobiles, too, but in this area you have a little more latitude. Consider these two execucruisers. Yes, they’re flagship sedans with prestige brand names. But even in an age of austerity, top execs are still allowed some personal-transportation indulgence. You don’t want to be flaunting it with a Bentley, of course. But they don’t expect you to drive an econocube, either. We admit that greenies won’t approve. Both cars carry gas-guzzler taxes, and their mpg during our test—17 for the Mercedes, 16 for the BMW—is pickup-truck poor. And yes, pricing for both cars is a little high for public approval—more than $88,000 base, well over 100 large as tested—but who knows that?

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2010 Mercedes-Benz S-class / S400 BlueHybrid / S550 / S600

It’s only been three years since Mercedes-Benz redesigned its flagship, but 2010 will see an updated look for the S-class—if only slightly. The big news for the big luxury barge in 2010 is the addition of a hybrid model and a raft of new safety features; the styling changes are mild and will only catch the attention of the most dedicated onlookers.

The most—and perhaps only—noticeable change outside is up front, where the grille is honed and stretched to a slightly pentagonal shape echoing the redesigned E-class, wherein the lower lip of the grille is pulled downward just so, forming a subtle point. Flanking the grille are headlights that retain the lens of the current car but shuffle the internals around to make room for bi-xenon headlamps and LED turn signals. A new bumper houses LED driving lights, while new mirrors feature redundant indicators. LEDs arrayed in a double-C shape now make up the taillights.

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2010 Mercedes-Benz ML450 Hybrid - Auto Shows

With hybrids still nabbing most of the fuel-efficiency headlines in the U.S., even the most committed members of the oil-burning diesel cabal are resorting to the battery-electric solution to sell greater fuel efficiency to the American public. Witness Mercedes-Benz, longtime diesel devotee, and its 2010 Mercedes-Benz ML450 hybrid unveiled at the New York auto show.

Beneath the ML450’s unique hood rests a 3.5-liter Atkinson-cycle V-6 producing 275 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. Supplemented by a pair of electric motors and a 2.4-kWh nickel-metal hydride battery, the powertrain manages a maximum of 335 hp and 381 lb-ft.

The ML450 hybrid will send power to all four wheels through the two-mode hybrid transmission developed in cooperation with General Motors, Chrysler, and BMW—and found under the hoods of the Tahoe/Yukon/Escalade hybrids, the late Durango/Aspen hybrid, and upcoming X6 hybrid. The magic of the transmission is its ability to function as either a conventional fixed-gear automatic or a CVT, as both offer fuel-economy benefits in different driving conditions. Mercedes claims fuel economy of 21 mpg in the city and 24 on the highway, its own ML320 BlueTec diesel by 3 mpg in the city while matching it on the highway.

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2010 Mercedes-Benz GL-class / GL350 BlueTec / GL450 / GL550 - Auto Shows

Entering its fourth model year, the 2010 Mercedes-Benz GL-class receives a minor refresh as it debuts at the 2009 New York auto show. All GL-class models—GL450, GL550, and GL350 BlueTec, which, along with all 2010 diesel-powered Mercedes in the U.S., are now badged as 350s instead of 320s—are treated to new bumpers, chrome front and rear skid plates, chrome tailpipes, and new aluminum-alloy rolling stock ranging from 19 to 21 inches. Additional bits include standard chrome roof rails, brushed aluminum beltline trim, and LED fog lights that double as daytime running lights. GL taillights are also now filled with LEDs as standard equipment.

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Mercedes-Benz E250 BlueTec Concept - Auto Shows

There was a time when a higher number on the back of your Benz meant elevated status. Things change, and it now seems that lesser figures and fuel-friendly names may help your street cred. To that end, Mercedes has conceptualized a small-engined diesel E-class that keeps the power but decreases the thirst for fuel, giving the illusion that its driver has sacrificed some form of personal satisfaction for the greater good. Dubbed the E250 BlueTec, it will be displayed for the first time at the 2009 New York auto show.

A Four-cylinder E-class?

The E250 BlueTec concept is, according to Mercedes, aimed at the North American market, and is motivated by a revised version of the 2.2-liter four-cylinder turbo-diesel offered by the company in Europe and elsewhere. In its tweaked form, the four-banger develops 204 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque, no small feat for such a little oil-burner, especially when compared to the E320 BlueTec V-6’s 211 hp and 398 lb-ft figures. Working in concert with the tried-and-true Mercedes seven-speed automatic, the car will return an estimated 28 mpg in the city and 39 on the highway.

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2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Gullwing - Official Photos and Info

The car didn't appear at the Geneva auto show—it will instead debut at this September's Frankfurt show—but Mercedes-Benz nevertheless used the Swiss event as an excuse to release some tantalizing details regarding its long-rumored, new-generation Gullwing supercar. At the 2009 New York auto show, the automaker went one further and unveiled how the two-seat, carbon-fiber-laced interior will be configured

The Cadillac of Names

First of all, the remixed icon won’t be called the Gullwing or even the SLC as we had believed; its official name is Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. (That said, Mercedes does refer to the car as the “new Gullwing” in its press materials and also confirms the car will utilize the unique door configuration.) We’re wondering if Cadillac will object to the SLS moniker, but we doubt anyone will confuse this super-Benz with a full-size, four-door Caddy. This might be a good time to mention that we don’t yet know what the SLS will look like. Mercedes is holding back on releasing official exterior pictures of the car, but expect to see images surface early this summer. For now, information from Mercedes-Benz is limited to what’s under the SLS’s skin. Judging by the underlying structure, the car appears as if it will have proportions drawn directly from its 1950s forebear. Even the angles of the front and rear window openings look similar. The gullwing doors will pop off in the event of a rollover to allow occupants to escape.

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