Officially Official: 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS revealed before Paris debut

It seems like every automaker wants to have a “four-door coupe” in its lineup these days. Hyundai has its rakish new Sonata, Volkswagen has the stylish CC and BMW has reportedly given its Gran Coupe conceptthe go-ahead for production. This is certainly one of the hottest automotive design trends of recent memory, but we must remember that it all started with the Mercedes-Benz CLS back in 2004. The folks from Stuttgart told us that coupes can have more than two doors (though we’re still not 100 percent behind that idea), and the CLS quickly became one of the most stylish four-door vehicles on the market. Even today, the original CLS bodystyle still looks fresh, modern and sexy.

Recently, we came across some leaked shots of the 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS, showing the stylish new design that will be unveiled at this year’s Paris Motor Show. Now we have the official images direct from the manufacturer, and this car is even more beautiful in full high-res glory. The new headlight design is quite striking, and the CLS uses a full-LED setup, with a total of 71 bulbs making up the main headlamps, running lamps, turn signals and side lamps. We’re really anxious to see what this looks like in person with the sun below the horizon.

Inside, a new three-spoke sport steering wheel is on hand, and the CLS now uses a column-mounted gear selector similar to that in the higher-end CL and S-Class cars. The rest of the interior mixes luxurious appointments with modern style, and the end result is something that not only looks sporty and elegant, but immensely comfortable and cozy.

We don’t have official word about powertrains, but expect the CLS to be offered with two different gas engines when it goes on sale in North America in mid-2011. An all-new direct-injected 3.5-liter V6 is anticipated to be the base engine in the CLS350, while CLS550 models will reportedly receive a twin-turbo 4.6-liter V8 good for around 430 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. Of course, a CLS AMG will come shortly thereafter, packing lordly amounts of power.

We’ll have the official specs closer to the car’s scheduled unveiling in Paris, but for now, you can read what Mercedes-Benz has to say about the CLS in the press release after the jump and scroll through the gallery below for a few high-res shots of the svelte new Benz.

eBay Find of the Day: Porsche-built 1992 Mercedes-Benz 500E is the timewarp sleeper of our dreams

In 1992, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche briefly entered into a love affair that would produce one very special offspring: the Mercedes-Benz 500E. The car was to become the godfather of all super sedans, packing a 5.0-liter V8 with a staggering (for the time) 322 horsepower and 354 pound-feet of torque. Bolted to a four-speed automatic gearbox, the engine could scoot the big four-door to 60 mph in a mere 6.1 seconds. Something tells us that those power numbers were a little conservative. But where does Porsche come in to this dance?

Germany’s sportscar manufacturer was responsible for working the sheetmetal of the 500E into the shape you see above. Those healthy fender arches were all massaged into place by the gurus at Porsche before the body was shipped off to Mercedes-Benz for paint and final assembly. Once done, the whole kit and caboodle was shipped back to Porsche for final inspection. Needless to say, this was an incredibly limited production vehicle, with the two companies only creating around 500 examples per year.

Swedish man may pay largest speeding fine ever

Just because major portions of the German Autobahn have no speed limit doesn’t mean you can drive as fast as you want anywhere in Europe. Where there are posted restrictions, most European countries take speeding very seriously and levy hefty fines. The latest case in point is a 37-year-old Swedish man who was clocked at 180 miles per hour on a motorway between Bern and Lausanne in Switzerland.

Unfortunately for this driver of a new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, Switzerland doesn’t have fixed fines for speeding. Instead they use a formula similar to that in Finland where the fine is calculated based on the vehicle’s speed and the driver’s income. Back in 2002, Nokia executive Anssi Vanjoki had to pay a fine of $103,600 for going 47 mph in a 31 mph zone.

In this latest incident, the driver faces a penalty of just over $1 million for traveling at the highest speed ever recorded on a public road in Switzerland. Apparently the SLS escaped being clocked by several older cameras that are limited to 125 mph before finally being recorded by a new camera with a higher radar speed range. His excuse: The speedometer was faulty.

Monterey 2010: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 shines in silver

That image above speaks for itself. All you really need to know is that this isn’t Dubai, Russia or even Germany – it’s right here in Monterey for classic car week. You can probably identify the Mercedes-Benzinside that shiny wrapper on your own, but just in case you’ve recently taken an amnesia-inducing blow to the head, it’s the SLS AMG GT3 – the race version of the company’s new gullwing sports car. There’s something to be said for having a mirror with you wherever you go, but this is a bit extreme. No matter, we think it looks amazing, even if it is just a wrap and not a polished car that’s been stripped of its white paint to shed precious ounces before a race. Click on any image to see our full high-res gallery.

Rumormill: Mercedes working on B-Class-based CLC Shooting Brake

Oh, Mercedes. When will you learn that the CLC was just a bad idea? BMW did so with the chopped-trunk 318ti, but Mercedes seems determined to make its counterpart work. To that end, the Silver Star automaker is reportedly working on a new derivative.

Drawing its inspiration from the CLS Shooting Break concept (pictured above) and its underpinnings from the B-Class, the CLC Shooting Brake (hopefully they’ll get the spelling right this time) is expected to slot in below the C-Class Estate wagon, but presumably with a svelter roofline.

That doesn’t mean they’ll get the door count right though: the jury’s still out on whether it’ll be a proper shooting brake with three doors (like the existing CLC, but longer) or five doors like a conventional wagon. Engine options, meanwhile, are tipped to revolve around turbocharged fours, ranging from 108 horsepower and 1.2 liters to a 272-hp CLC22 AMG with 4Matic all-wheel drive. Sources expect the CLC Shooting Brake to arrive around September 2013.

1962 Mercedes-Benz 300SL headlines Baumberger auction

Part of the collection of the late Swiss enthusiast Peter F. Baumberger, a gentleman racer in his day and founder of the Switzerland’s Ferrari club, this ’62 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster is about as desirable as they come. It’s in pristine condition and is one of just 209 examples built with the sought-after aluminum engine. It’s also one of 19 cars in Baumberger’s collection slated to cross the Bonhams auction block on August 20 in Gstaad, Switzerland.

Baumberger’s diverse collection also includes a new Ferrari California and a highly-desirable 1973 Porsche 911 RS 2.7 Carrera, a favorite among Porschephiles. Both of those will be up for grabs as well, but the Benz roadster will undoubtedly be the most desirable, with pre-sale estimates valuing it at around half a million dollars. Have a closer look in the high-res image gallery below, and check out Bonhams’ press release after the jump.

It Will Never End: Mercedes-Benz reportedly working on nine-speed automatic

According to Autocar, an admission by a Mercedes-Benz engineer proves that the company is working on a nine-speed automatic transmission. That isn’t exactly new, since talk of such a beast has been broached before. The difference this time is that Autocar’s sources says the gearbox will be “introduced on large-capacity engines.”

With no numbers for context we can’t be sure what’s meant by “large-capacity.” However, Motor Trendreported that the baby SLS would get a nine-speed double-clutch transmission for it’s twin-turbo-V6-hybrid engine, and Automobile said that all of the next generation S-Classes, arriving in 2012, would “have hybrid powertrains and a new nine-speed automatic transmission.”

We don’t expect any of those engines to be of particularly large displacement, especially now that the SSK AMG appears to have gone from a twin-turbo V8 to a V6 twin turbo with electric assistance. Still, we have no doubt we’ll see a nine-speed transmission somewhere. And when the Mercedes engineers opine that “nine ratios is the maximum that is technically possible, as well as being the most that customers will be able to cope with,” we believe they’re wrong. A company is really going to leave double-digit transmission bragging rights on the table? Uh, no. Can I get a ten-speed… 

Mercedes-Benz’s all-conquering E63 AMG gets power bump, interior upgrades

Mercedes-Benz has released the skinny on the upgrades the company has planned for next year’s E63 AMG, at least for European buyers. According to the German automaker, the four-door will come from the factory with an extra 11 horsepower, thanks largely to new tuning. That bumps the final figure to 525 ponies, though the Silver Arrow claims that it has managed to increase the mill’s efficiency as well – cutting consumption by a full 12 percent. Of course, that’s assuming that you can keep from bumping the redline on that big 6.3-liter V8 every time you leave a stoplight, something you’re sure to want to do.

We’re not sure whether buyers will actually be able to feel that 11 horsepower bump, either, but odds are that they will notice some key changes to the interior. Mercedes-Benz is offering the 2011 E63 AMG with a slew of interior niceties as standard equipment. The company has skinned the dash and door panels in Artico leather, and the center console will henceforth be dipped in a piano black lacquer finish for good measure – both of which used to be optional. We can’t speak for the power and efficiency updates, but we have confirmed with Benz reps in the States that the interior upgrades are headed to U.S. showrooms, so chances are this is a good look at what we can expect when the 2011 E63 AMG hits our shores. Hit the jump for the official press release.

Twin-Turbo Temptresses: 2011 Mercedes-Benz CL63, CL65 AMG

How does one make the Mercedes-Benz CL-Class more exclusive than it already is? If you’re Mercedes, you unveil the gonzo AMG variants. Appearance-wise, changes are minimal for the 2011 CL63 and CL65 AMG, save for the addition of Mercedes’ new corporate face, which includes the standard LED running-light strip and some small tweaks to the rear fascia. The big news, however, centers on the changes underhood.

Gone is the naturally aspirated 6.3 6.2-liter AMG V8 in favor of a smaller and more powerful 5.5-liter twin-turbocharged mill. In base form, this V8 cranks out 536 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque (increases of 18 and 125, respectively), and with the optional AMG Performance Package, these numbers increase to an even more robust 563 hp and 664 lb-ft. Sweet stuff, and when matched with Mercedes’ AMG Speedshift seven-speed automatic, 0-60 runs will take just 4.4 seconds (4.3 if you opt for the more powerful setup). What’s most impressive, though, is that even with this added power boost, fuel consumption has been reduced by 27 percent. The range-topping CL65 AMG will carry over its 6.0-liter twin-turbo V12, though Mercedes has managed to coax an additional 17 horsepower from it for 2011. Output for the CL65 is now rated at 621 horses and 738 lb-ft of torque.

Study: Only hybrid to pay its owner back is a… Mercedes-Benz?

Despite its combined rating of 50 miles per gallon, the Toyota Prius is reportedly not the best hybrid to buy if you want to recover the extra money spent on that battery and electric motor through fuel savings. Surprisingly, that honor falls to the Mercedes-Benz S400 hybrid. How is it that an $88,000 car luxury car with a 15 kilowatt mild-hybrid system can be a better value than the $22-30,000 Prius?

As is so often the case, the answer depends on the question you ask. The question asked by the British Columbia Automobile Association (BCAA) comes down to how much extra you pay for a hybrid over its conventional gas-powered equivalent compared to how much you save in fuel over five years of ownership.

The ace in the hole for the Mercedes-Benz S400 hybrid is that it’s the cheapest S-Class currently offered in North America by several thousand dollars, which means that you save money before you even drive it off the dealer’s lot. It’s currently the only hybrid offered that is less expensive than its nearest non-hybrid equivalent. BCAA estimates that the S400 will save the owner about $5,000 in reduced fuel and purchase costs over five years, and that’s all gravy since you’re not paying a premium for the hybrid experience.

2011 Mercedes-Benz CL-Class: Details and pics aplenty

Meet the 2011 Mercedes-Benz CL-Class. The Silver Arrow has been kind enough to dish the goods on next year’s version of the company’s flagship coupe and even threw in a passel of photos to boot. So what’s new? For starters, the CL550 4MATIC now packs an all-new twin-turbo 4.7-liter V8 engine with around 429 horsepower and a beefy 516 lb-ft of torque. The keen-eyed among you will notice that the eight-pot is down in displacement by almost a full liter, but still manages to crank out 47 more horsepower and a massive 125 lb-ft of torque compared to last year’s powerplant. Isn’t progress great?

All of that extra grunt means the CL550 4MATIC can scoot to 60 mph in a scant 4.9 seconds, but that’s nothing compared to the big-boy CL600. The range-topping coupe can click off the dash to 60 mph in a mere 4.5-seconds – that’s within spitting distance of a base Chevrolet Corvette. If you’re trying to wrap your brain around how a 4,900-pound two-door can manage to bend the laws of nature, look no further than the 510 horsepower, 612 lb-ft of torque 5.5-liter V12 lurking beneath the sheetmetal. Yeah, that’ll do. Hit the jump for the full press release, and sit tight for live photos from the car’s debut at this weekend’s Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Report: Dodge originally developed SLS AMG to be next-gen Viper

There’s a lot to like about the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. After all, we’re talking about a sleek, 563-horsepower super-Benz with functional gullwing doors and a soundtrack to melt your heart. It’s the embodiment of German engineering… or is it? Inside Line cites unnamed sources who say that the SLS AMG actually began life as the next-generation Dodge Viper.

The story apparently goes like this. Dodge engineers were already hard at work on the next-gen Viper, with an aluminum chassis already completed and a new suspension on the way. Mercedes caught wind of the project and decided that the chassis would be the perfect starting point for the upcoming SLS. The two teams reportedly worked side-by-side on the project until Chrysler’s cash crunch caused the Dodge team to focus its resources elsewhere. The end result was a brand-new SLS for Mercedes and a hole in Dodge’s Viper lineup. IL bolsters its account of the Viper-turned-SLS with the fact that early SLS test mules caught by spy photogs were fitted with ill-assembled Viper sheetmetal.

While it’s hard to blame Mercedes for utilizing existing engineering work (it did, after all own Chrysler at the time) to bring the SLS to market faster and cheaper, we’re thinking it would have been nice to have a new aluminum chassis Viper on the streets. Here’s hoping that the 2012 Viper makes us forget about our loss.

2011 Mercedes-Benz CL-Class makes live debut in England

Mercedes-Benz released the initial photos and information on the 2011 CL-Class earlier today, showing off its updated luxury coupe. We were at the unveiling at the Mercedes-Benz World across from the historic Brooklands racetrack, and now have some live photos to bring you.

The big news for the 2011 CL is the updated engine offerings, which include the new twin-turbo 4.6-liter V8 producing 429 horsepower and 516 pound-feet torque in the CL550 model that also offers improved fuel efficiency. The 0-60 mph time has also been cut by half a second. The CL600 (pictured) is also still available, powered by a 510 horsepower, 612 lb-ft torque twin-turbo V12.

Additional upgrades to the CL include new safety technologies including Active Lane Keeping Assist, Active Blind Spot Assist, Adaptive High Beam Assist, Night View Assist and more. The Mercedes-Benz COMAND system comes standard, featuring USB and SD card interfaces mated to a 7.2 GB hard drive.

You can view the new 2011 Mercedes-Benz CL-Class in detail, both inside and out, in the high-res gallery below, or follow the jump to read all of the details in the official press release.

First Drive: 2011 Mercedes-Benz R-Class is better by a nose

Not too long ago, there was a time when all of the vehicles in an automaker’s portfolio weren’t required to wear the same uniform. Each model could be its own unique expression of the brand’s strengths without being forced to schedule an appointment with the corporate plastic surgeon. Granted, some marques lost a bit of identity with scads of mismatched children running around the lot, but the world’s automotive variety pack was considerably more interesting. If you didn’t like the face on one product, but wanted to stick with the brand, there were a plethora of options to choose from.

That’s not the case anymore. We live in a world of increasingly unified automotive design, and while that’s resulted in a few products missing the mark in a big way (we’re looking at you, Acura), just as many manufacturers have created some real winners by spreading the corporate face among its progeny. Dodge’sdecision to share the Ram grille across its line was one of the best moves the company has made in recent history, and Ford and Chevrolet have similarly benefited from strong familial design cues.

Now Mercedes-Benz is looking to walk down the same path by spreading its upright grille to the 2011 R-Class. The move isn’t so much of a shot in the arm as a shot of espresso for the Silver Arrow’s awkward duckling, but it should help the luxury people mover blend in amongst its more beautiful brethren.

Report: Mercedes-Benz CLC hatchback is toast

Things aren’t looking good for the CLC, Mercedes-Benz’s small hatchback based on the last-generation (W203) C-Class platform. When the current-generation CLC was introduced in 2008, it never came to North America, mostly due to the underwhelming sales numbers that the original C-Class Sport Coupé garnered while in production. These cars have been moderately popular in other markets, but new reports state that the CLC production will come to an halt at the end of this year.

Currently, the CLC is produced at Benz’s Juiz de Fora facility in Brazil, which will be undergoing changes in its production line. This plant will be repurposed to build the Actros, Mercedes’ heavy-duty commercial truck, and no plans have been made to shift CLC production elsewhere. Reports suggest that we could see an all-new version of the CLC when the next-generation C-Class drops in a couple of years (probably not slated for the States, of course), but until we get the official word from Mercedes-Benz, we wish the little hatch a fond farewell. Top tip, Rodrigo!

Pics Aplenty: Mercedes-Benz releases onslaught of 2011 R-Class images

The Mercedes-Benz R-Class people-mover gets a fresh new exterior for the 2011 model year. Not only does it incorporate the automaker’s new corporate face, with the dinner-plate-sized logo in the middle of the grille, but the rear end has been smoothed out and the whole package looks a lot sleeker (as sleek as an R-Class can be, anyway). In all, we like the refreshed appearance, as it really tones down the bulgy proportions of the big R, and if you’re shelling out top dollar for a family hauler, you’ll certainly want to look your best while cruising to Costco.

Not much has changed underhood – Mercedes-Benz is still offering the naturally-aspirated 3.5-liter V6 as well as the well-received 3.5-liter Bluetec turbodiesel. The interior gets a mild freshening, as well, and we must say, it looks like a wonderful place for long-distance cruises. Click through the gallery below to see over 100 high-res images of the 2011 R-Class.