2010 Mercedes-Benz S-class / S550 / S600

Unless you’re Rain Man—or an S-class nerd—it’s going to be mighty hard to tell the 2010 Mercedes-Benz S-class from the one that’s been on sale since early 2006. The exterior changes are essentially limited to a new front bumper and grille; an integrated exhaust at the rear; and the use of LEDs for the taillamps, daytime running lights, and as accent lights in the headlamps. But the minor aesthetic changes hide more state-of-the-art tech underneath, as well as one unwelcome mechanical change.

The new technologies found in the 2010 S, which goes on sale in August, include much of the stuff introduced with the recently redesigned 2010 E-class. That means adaptive high-beams, the addition of pedestrian detection for the Night View Assist, a lane-keeping system, and the Attention Assist system. Interior changes to the new S include a new steering wheel and ambient lighting that is now selectable to one of three hues instead of one. The 2010 model also gets updated Bluetooth functionality, an SD card reader in the dash, an iPod/media interface in the glove box, and HD radio.

Keep Reading: 2010 Mercedes-Benz S-class / S550 / S600 - First Drive Review

2010 Mercedes-Benz E550 Coupe

“A thing of beauty is a joy forever.”

We can be pretty sure John Keats wasn’t thinking about automotive sheetmetal when he penned those words in 1818. But if Keats had been scribbling just 191 years later, his inspiration could very well have been this elegant and sexy coupe.

Okay, trying to set one current Mercedes automobile above the others in terms of beauty is tough; theyall look terrific. Still, this coupe version of the latest Mercedes E-class, its sweeping roofline uninterrupted by a B pillar, is on a look-at-me par with the big Mercedes CL coupes, minus their mass and massive price tags.

Do not interpret this to mean bargain. The basic E350 coupe, with a 268-hp, 3.5-liter V-6, is $48,925. That soars to $55,525 for the E550, with its 382-hp, 5.5-liter V-8. Check all the option groups, and you wind up with a package like our test car: a cool $66,375. On the other hand, the most recent previous E-class coupe—the 1994 E320—started at $62,075. Wow.

The new coupe shares architectural elements with the E-class sedan, as well as its techno-goodies and a bevy of safety features, many of them standard. But there are also pieces from the C-class stable, contributing to much tidier dimensions. For the coupe, the E sedan’s 113.1-inch wheelbase has been trimmed to 108.7. That two-door is 6.7 inches shorter and 2.7 inches narrower than the four-door, and its 54.0-inch roof is 3.2 inches lower.

Keep Reading: 2010 Mercedes-Benz E550 Coupe - Short Take Road Test

2010 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG - First Drive Review

It’s a shame that infomercial pitchman Billy Mays passed away just as Mercedes-Benz is launching the performance version of the 2010 E-class, because he would have done an excellent job of touting the many uses for the New and Improved 2010 E63 AMG. “The 518-horsepower V-8,” Mays would say in his booming voice, “rockets you from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 4.4 seconds, making quick work of sports cars with less than half the seating. And you can still use it every day to pick Junior up from school and to drop Grandma off at the library.” Not that the E63 is the sort of car that would be hawked via cable-TV ads, but it does promise a “You won’t believe your eyes!” combination of performance and usability. There are no easy payments, however, despite the fact that when the E63 goes on sale in October, pricing should fall below that of its predecessor. Expect to pay just under $88,000 to start.

Mercedes-Benz CL loses its head

Mercedes-Benz CL-Class AMG Convertible conversion -

With every passing year, there seems to be more convertibles on the market. But if you live in a sunny clime like California's, enough sunshine is never enough. That's where convertible chop-shops like Newport Convertible Engineering step in. The folks at NCE will take just about any automobile and turn it into a custom cabrio to a buyer's specifications. The company's portfolio includes recent conversions of a Dodge Challenger, Toyota Prius, Cadillac CTS, Hummer H2, Toyota FJ Cruiser, and this Mercedes-Benz CL AMG. Unfortunately, from the photos seen here, the soft top doesn't seem to collapse quite flush with the rear deck, leaving something to be desired in terms of aesthetics - to say nothing of rearward visibility. Here's hoping there's a snug-fitting cover lurking in whatever trunkspace remains.

Best look yet at forthcoming Mercedes E-Class wagon arrives from Namibia

2010 E Class wagon testing in Namibia

We find it cool that carmakers cart their rides all over the globe to carry out the most brutal testing in the most out of the way places. They must find it a little frustrating, however, that car mavens with cameras and internet connections lurk in even in the most remote locations .
According to AB reader Tom, he spotted a pair of lightly-camoed Mercedes-Benz E-Class wagons and a sedan "on the desert gravel roads between Walvis Bay and Solitaire in Namibia." The wagons are getting ready for their debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show in a few months, and if the tailpipe application is accurate then the black one is likely a V8 - and yes, this does mean we want a blacked-out wagon E550 wagon. You can check out high-res pics of the trio below.

Mercedes-Benz C-Class gets new direct-injection engines, becomes most fuel-efficient C-Class

Mercedes-Benz unveiled three new engines with direct-injection technology that will make the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class the most fuel-efficient C-Class ever.

First up in the lineup is the new C 220 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY which is powered by a 170-hp engine with a peak torque of 295 lb-ft. That will accelerate the C 220 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY from 0 to 62 mph in 8.4 seconds while averaging a fuel-economy of 4.8L of diesel per 100 km (49 mpg in U.S. terms).

Second in line is the C250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY that makes 204-hp with a maximum torque of 369 lb-ft. 0 to 62 mph comes in 7 seconds and fuel-economy is estimated at 46 mpg.

Finally, Mercedes-Benz is offering a C 250 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY model that produces 204-hp and a peak torque of 228 lb-ft. 0 to 62 comes in 7.4 seconds with a fuel-economy of 33 mpg.

Not to break your hearts or anything but everything you just read applies only to the European markets.

Mercedes planning production E-Class shooting brake?

Mercedes-Benz Concept Fascination

Body-styles in Mercedes' staple E-Class range have been taken on a heck of a roller coaster these past few years. The original included sedan, wagon, coupe and convertible variants. Then the latter two were split off as the CLK, but after introducing the CLS as essentially a four-door coupe version of the E-Class, Mercedes opted to bring the two-door variants back into the fold for the current generation. Recent rumors have suggested that Mercedes could delay the wagon and cabrio versions, and even re-introduce the CLK alongside the E-Class Coupe, but with neither of those conjectures looking very likely, the latest report from the rumormongers at Auto Express suggest that Mercedes could be planning yet another body-style for the E-Class range: a three-door shooting brake.
For the uninitiated, a shooting brake is an old-school body-style that melds a station wagon with a coupe, traditionally, such load-lugging solutions have been arrived at by hiring a coachbuilder to turn a sedan or a coupe into a wagon. Think Chevrolet Nomad and you're not far off. And with the German auto industry playing an increasingly intricate game of one-upmanship with segment-busting body-styles, Mercedes apparently looks poised to take things one step further with a fifth E-Class form. The prospect looks even more likely when you consider that the current E-Class' design was previewed in the first place by a shooting brake show car called the Concept Fascination at last year's Paris show. If Daimler decides to give the three-door E the green light, it'd likely carry over the mechanicals and engine options from its two-door counterpart, including four, six and eight-cylinder gasoline and clean diesel powerplants. Whether an AMG version like the sedan is offered or nixed like the coupe's remains to be seen, however, but we could get a look at a production prototype as early as the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, so stay tuned.