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Updates from February, 2012

  • 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL 550
    The next-generation 2013 Mercedes SL 550, which receives its Canadian premiere in Toronto, offers agile, sporty handling and a highly rigid all-aluminum body. With unmatched ride comfort, a luxurious interior and a host of groundbreaking new innovations, Mercedes says this iconic two-seater is poised to continue to establish new standards in the luxury roadster class.

    Handout

    The new 2012 Mercedes ML 63 AMG sets new benchmarks for performance, exclusivity and efficiency in its segment.

    2012 Mercedes-Benz ML 63 AMG
    Also receiving its Canadian premiere, the new 2012 Mercedes ML 63 AMG sets new benchmarks for performance, exclusivity and efficiency in its segment. The basis for the exemplary fuel consumption and top-class performance is provided by the AMG 5.5-litre V8 biturbo engine. Plus, the vehicle’s dynamic handling has been further enhanced with the newly developed Active Curve System that provides active roll stabilization.

    Handout

    Straightforward operation, a low weight, excellent ergonomics and a practical stowage space concept all contribute to making the Smart ebike a fun-to-ride intelligent mobility solution.

    Smart ebike
    A pioneer of local emission-free electric mobility, Smart is continuing to redefine urban transportation by expanding its e-product portfolio with the Smart ebike. Straightforward operation, a low weight, excellent ergonomics and a practical stowage space concept all contribute to making the ebike a fun-to-ride intelligent mobility solution.

    Handout

    The versatile B-Class represents the first new model in the next generation of compacts, offering an abundance of space combined with impressive performance and low fuel consumption.

    2013 Mercedes-Benz B-Class
    The versatile B-Class represents the first new model in the next generation of compacts, offering an abundance of space combined with impressive performance and low fuel consumption. Highlights include an all-new 7G-DCT dual-clutch transmission, standard Eco start/stop function and a level of safety equipment that Mercedes says will establish a new benchmark in the segment, including a sophisticated new radar-based collision warning system that will significantly reduce the risk of rear-end collisions.

    Inside, the spacious and refined interior of the B-Class will also define a whole new standard in the compact segment with high-quality materials and finely structured surfaces.

    Related



    2:04 pm on February 16, 2012
     

  • Santa Barbara, Calif. • Floor the loud pedal of the new-for-2012 Mercedes-Benz ML 63 AMG and the turbocharged 5.5-litre V8 will pin you back in the driver’s seat like an airliner on takeoff, thanks to maximum torque being made available at low rpm.

    Related

    Keep your foot in it and this new über-SUV will take you to 100 kilometres an hour in a scant 4.8 seconds, even though it weighs in at 2,345 kilograms. Of course, this kind of full power takeoff is very wasteful fuel consumption akin to tossing a handful of loonies and toonies out the driver’s side window at every green light, but who’s counting?

    Power is addictive and the German automakers are in an all-out battle in the low-volume but very profitable niche segment that is the performance sport-ute. And so enter the new ML 63 AMG, ready to go head to head with the X5M and X6M from BMW as well as the Porsche Cayenne Turbo.

    Mercedes-Benz actually shot the opening salvo in the über-performance SUVs war with the ML 55 AMG, which was released just before the new millennium.

    Back then, it was powered by a 5.5L V8 good for 342 horsepower, which was a big deal at the time but now seems so 1999 in light of the fact that the current ML 350’s engine is rated at 302 hp and the ML 550 at 402 ponies. Between then and now, the goalposts have been moved and 500 hp is now the de facto minimum to play in the performance SUV game.

    That’s no problem for the newcomer with 518 ponies on tap, 550 if you ante up to the AMG Performance Package, which increases turbocharger boost from 1.0 to 1.3 bar, shaving one-tenth of a second off the sprint to 100 km/h in the process.

    AMG engineers claim that fuel consumption has been reduced by 28% over the previous model, thanks in part to an automatic start/stop system that automatically shuts off the engine when the vehicle is stationary, only to re-fire it as soon as the driver releases the brake pedal. The ML 63 AMG is rated at 11.8 litres per 100 km on the EU fuel consumption cycle, but we averaged 14.8 L/100 km on our spirited test drive through the canyons northwest of Santa Barbara.

    Cutting through canyon roads, one can only be amazed at the composure and the road holding of this more-than-two-ton SUV. Simply put, the ML 63 AMG can hold its own against many performance cars. The AMG engineers have done a tremendous job in making it handle as well as it does. The electromechanical rack-and-pinion steering is very accurate and provides a fair amount of feel and the brakes always felt strong and powerful.

    Standard on the ML 63 AMG is the Active Curve System, which automatically adjusts the front and rear anti-roll bars to effectively limit body roll in corners. This system, combined with ultra-wide high-performance tires riding on 21-inch wheels, explains why the cornering speeds can be so high.

    When the vehicle is driven in a straight line, the anti-roll bars are decoupled to improve the ride comfort. With three different settings (Comfort, Sport and Sport Plus) for the air suspension system as well as for the drivetrain (Controlled Efficiency, Sport, Manual), the ML 63 AMG’s driving character can be altered at the touch of only two buttons. Relaxed cruising or sports car handling is therefore available to the driver at all times.

    Inside the cabin, you will find very supportive electrically adjustable front seats as well as a four-spoke performance steering wheel. Sadly, as is the case with all Mercedes-Benz vehicles, the ML 63 AMG is equipped with an infotainment centre screen with old-school graphic displays that pale in comparison with the more vivid and accurate graphics featured in Audis or BMWs.

    The 2012 ML 63 AMG will be available in Canadian dealerships in February or March. Its price starts from $99,900.


    2:00 pm on January 25, 2012