Mercedes-Benz Messwagen: A one of a kind creation

In 1960, Mercedes-Benz designed and built a one-of-a-kind mobile test lab called Messwagen, a German term that loosely translates to “measuring car.”

The Messwagen was a 300 that was made into a station wagon in order to carry the heavy equipment that recorded information such as how much horsepower an engine was generating, how much fuel it was using, and how hot it was getting. Basically the Messwagen was a mobile DYNO. The rear bench was tossed out in order to make room for the equipment, but Mercedes installed a pair of wicker chairs so that engineers could monitor the testing process in real time.

The process began by hooking up sensors to the car being tested. Wires taped together ran out of the test car through a window and were secured to a purpose-designed roof rack, and they ran into the Messwagen through a hood scoop located right above the front seats.

The Messwagen was powered by a 3.0-liter straight-six engine tuned to generate about 160 horsepower at 5,300 rpm. The car being “tested” in the pictures below is an automatic 220S, which uses a 2.2-liter straight-six that makes 110 horsepower at 5,000 rpm. Both cars have a top speed of 103 mph (165 km/h).

Just how capable is the Mercedes Benz GL(S)?

This past June I was sent to Birmingham, Alabama to spend 3 days with Mercedes Benz at their facility. One of the things that we did while there was get driven through an off-road course that showcases just how capable the GL (now the GLS) actually is. The course was broken up into two separate segments. The first was a typical ORV path complete with steps, puddles, rocky climbs, and sharp bends. The second part was more of a mountain trail with steep inclines that wove themselves through thick forest while traversing over slippery roots, mud, and rocks. The whole course culminated in a 75% downhill slope on a gravel covered trail.

To start we went up a small hill with steps carved into it and while it was (obviously) bumpy, the GL had no issue climbing itself up the steps. After that we went onto the offset trail that is designed to make sure that at all times the vehicle is only on 3 wheels. This is to show exactly how rigid the unibody design of the GL is. At one point, with one wheel high up in the air, our driver stopped the vehicle and opened his door to show that there is no body torque or other pressure twisting the vehicle.

The next part of the first segment was all slippery slopes covered in rocks, muddy inclines, a quick jaunt through a simulated water crossing, and a rather tight rock covered U-bend. I have to admit that the turning radius of that U-bend was pretty small and my old Jeep Cherokee XJ would have had a hard time cutting through it. The GL, however, had zero issues making that turn.

The second part of the course was, as stated above, just a twisty hill climb through thick forest, the end of which was a very steep downhill slope. Check out the video below of our descent.

While I wouldn't expect anyone to be doing any rock crawling in their GL450 it is still an extremely capable off-road vehicle. I most definitely was surprised at what it was able to do. To be fair 99.9% of GL owners would never even consider going anywhere that wasn't paved, it is nice to know that they could if they wanted to.

The newest Mercedes-Benz S600 gets the premium armor treatment

Imagine you have just fought your way got elected into the Dictatorship of your very own country. Obviously all of your constituents love and adore you, but every leader has enemies. How do you not only protect yourself when you are on the move, but also do so in absolute luxury and style? The only logical answer to that question is the new Mercedes-Benz S600 with factory armor and bullet proofing. Mercedes-Benz now offers VR10 armoring on it's flagship vehicle. What the heck does that mean, you ask? Most armor is rated for small arms and rifle fire. VR10 is rated to stop a steel core assault rifle round! This protection applies to the windows as well.




As was the case with the first Guard model S class from the 90's, this latest version was designed from the frame up with the ability to add in the armor. This fact alone is what ensures that you will be comfortable in you rolling fortress. Aramid composite armor elements and anti-splintering polycarbonate layers for the inner windows are just a couple of new technologies and materials that Mercedes used. They also managed to carve out a few extra inches of rear passenger leg room by sacrificing some trunk space. After all you being able to sit comfortably in the rear of your car is of paramount importance.




So how much money would you have to divert from your countries coffers to buy one of these beauties? Not as much as you may think. The Mercedes-Benz S600 BRV (Bullet Resistant Vehicle) will only cost you around $500,000. However if you want to upgrade to the S600 Pullman Limousine then you can expect to pay around double that amount.

What does a $4.3 million dollar Mercedes Benz look like?

What do you get when you take a $500,000.00 Mercedes-Benz SLR and customize it with 500 rubies and gold plating? Well one guy did it so we can see what it looks like!

Ueli Anlicker from Winznau, Switzerland is, among other things, a Restaurateur, a night club owner, a cafe lounge owner, an owner of a modern art/design studio, and his crown jewel which is a museum dedicated to  his custom designed red and gold Motorcycles and Cars.

His custom creations make for an impressive resume but there are a few that stand out. At one point he owned a custom 550 hp Ferrari 512 BB and a custom built 180 hp Honda CBX1000. Both of which he topped out at 205 miles per hour! Of course though his prized creation is his Mercedes-Benz SLR which he calls "Red and Gold Dream".











Love it or hate it, you won't forget it.

If you know Swedish you can check out his website www.anliker-ueli.ch for more info.

How do the latest generation of Mid-Size Sedans stack up to one another?

The more reading and research I do on different vehicles, the more I wonder how each brand actually stacks up to the others. So I figured I would do some basic number crunching and do my own comparison. Once again I will be utilizing the Price Per Pony (ppp) method.

The models we will be looking at today are:

• 2016 Cadillac CTS 3.6L Luxury Edition
• 2016 Mercedes-Benz E350
• 2016 BMW 535i
• 2016 Volvo S60 T6 AWD
• 2016 Hyundai Genesis 5.0
• 2016 Audi S4
• 2016 Jaguar XF-S

The first thing I looked at was the base cost of the vehicle and the horse power you get for that amount. The vehicles break down as such:

• CTS - $53,285 @ 335 HP = $159.06/ppp
• E350 - $53,100 @ 302 HP = $175.83/ppp
• 535i - $55,850 @ 300 HP = $186.17/ppp
• S60 - $44,200 @ 325 HP = $136.00/ppp
• Genesis - $53,850 @ 420 HP = $128.21/ppp
• S4 - $49,200 @ 333 HP = $147.75/ppp
• XF-S - $63,695 @ 380 HP = $167.62/ppp

Based on the ppp score we can rate the vehicles in the following order:

1. Hyundai Genesis
2. Volvo S60
3. Audi S4
4. Cadillac CTS
5. Jaguar XF-S
6. Mercedes E350
7. BMW 535i

Now let's take it just one step further and see what each vehicles acceleration (0-60) looks like:

• Genesis - 5.0s
• S60 - 5.4s
• S4 - 4.9s
• CTS - 5.9s
• XF-S - 5.0s
• E350 - 6.5s
• 535i - 5.3s

Obviously there is more to cars than power and speed (who woulda thunk it right?) so we do need to take that other stuff into consideration I guess. Before we do that though, we need to look at each manufacturer and what it is that they actually deliver in their vehicles. 

The Genesis is Hyundai's mid level luxury performance brand. While Hyundai isn't exactly known for plush interiors, the Genesis is a luxury sedan at it's core. Volvo, to me, is more of the every-mans luxury vehicle. They tend to keep a very utilitarian air about them while keeping you comfortable behind the wheel. Audi on the other hand is a luxury vehicle through and through. Whether you are going for the entry level A4 or shooting for the Supercar level R8, the interior will keep you comfortable and never let you forget that you are in fact in a luxury vehicle. Cadillac is as luxury as you can get with a domestic vehicle so there really isn't much else to say about them. Jaguar speaks for themselves. They are, before anything else, the epitome of British luxury styling. Which brings me to Mercedes-Benz and BMW. Everyone loves to compare these two German behemoths, when in reality it is like comparing apples to pears. At first appearance they seem to be similar but the differences come when you look at the DNA ingrained in each vehicle. Mercedes is a luxury vehicle with sport added in, whereas BMW is a sports vehicle with luxury added in. When you get behind the wheel of a BMW it feels like you are sitting in a sports car and that feeling only intensifies as you drive it. Stiff throttle response and steering coupled with tight steering gives no illusions about what you are driving. Mercedes on the other hand is the exact opposite. Driving a Mercedes is as close to piloting air as you can come. It is very easy to forget that you are driving a vehicle that has a very deep history in the racing world.

That being said let's move forward.

Let's assume for a minute that money is no object, so let's just throw pricing out of the windows. If you are looking for speed off the line then the Audi S4 is going to be the way to go. If you are looking for raw power under the hood then the Jaguar XF-S is your car. IF you are going for sportiness then BMW or Genesis is the one you want. Luxury? Mercedes-Bens. So how do you decide which car is the one for you if you want everything rolled up into one? In my honest opinion, if you are looking for a vehicle that gives you power under the hood, coupled with speed off the line all while sitting inside a comfortable cockpit then I would personally go with the Genesis. It isn't the cheapest on the list, but it is definitely not the most expensive. While the 5.0 version is available as only a rear-wheel drive model, you can opt for the turbo V6 and get AWD, so you can actually drive it in the winter as well!

Germany releases pricing on the 2017 E Class... for Germany.

With the reveal of the new Mercedes Benz E Class at the Detroit Auto Show over, Germany has finally released pricing on it... in it's home market.

The "entry level" E200, available with the 2.0-liter turbocharged four cylinder, will start at €45,303 ($49,436). For those interested in the least expensive diesel option, the E220d will start at €47,124. The E350d which will be available starting in June (2017) will start at €55,602.

No pricing has been released for the US as of yet, but we do know that there will be more engine choices available than ever before. Mercedes Benz has stated that there will be a Mercedes AMG E43 with a turbo charged six cylinder pushing 402 horse power available. There will also be a more traditional V8 option in the AMG E63 that will have upwards of 600 horse power.

When Mercedes Roamed the Earth

As a fan of Mercedes-Benz, cars in general, and a huge movie buff, it is not often that I get to see or interact with something that involves a combination of the three. That being said, this past June I had a chance to visit the Birmingham, Alabama Mercedes Benz production facility for work (yes I do actually have a day job!), and while there we got to visit the Mercedes Benz museum they have on site. Among the many very cool and very rare vehicles they have on display there was a locked room that, as an employee of Mercedes Benz (dealership), we were given access to. As we walked through the now unlocked door we were greeted with a small room filled with four or five cars, all under covers. Among them were the first-off-the-line 163 chassis ML350, the concept ML that toured the show circuit, at all the way at the front of the line was a very weird looking camo painted SUV.

My eyes went immediately to this particular vehicle. Not because of how eat it looked with its camo paint job or its weird selection of accessories attached to the outside, but because it looked familiar to me. I had definitely laid eyes upon this vehicle before but for the life of me I couldn't figure out where. That was until I walked around the front of it and saw the large stuffed Velociraptor that was laying down in the back seat. Then it dawned on me! This was one of the movie props from Lost World: Jurassic Park! How freaking cool is that!?

I was able to snap a few pictures before our tour moved on and I would like to share them with you now.



If you look in the background of this picture you can see the uncovered front passenger side of the first ever Mercedes Benz ML350 to roll off of the assembly line. That black markings all over it are the signatures of every employee who worked at the plant.The Birmingham plant was opened in the US specifically for the production of these vehicles and this was the first vehicle produced here.



So how cool is this? For someone like myself who loves theses cars, and loved the Jurassic Park movies, this was my happy place!

Mercedes redesigned marque roadster is just another top notch entry in the lineup

The new 2017 SLC Roadster replaces the SLK and totally improves upon perfection.




Once again I need to give photo credit to Patrick Rall, over at Torquenews.com for grabbing these photos for me while he was covering the Detroit Auto Show.

In the spring of 1997 the Mercedes Benz SLK Roadster hit showroom floors. Since then the German brand has sold north of 600,000 units. Now nearly twenty years later, a newly redesigned, and rebadged version is hitting the showroom floors as the SLC.




The SLC has a fresh look to it including a new front splitter, bumper air vents, and a grille design. The daytime running lights are now LED's and are integrated into the headlight assemblies. The new Mercedes Benz SLC is definitely more aggressive looking than it's predecessor with an almost snarl like look. Overall the front end has a more rounded out look that seems to almost flow from the grille to hood making them look like one piece.



The rear end definitely brings a good bit of difference and style to the SLC. While the tail lights are almost exactly the same, the high mount brake light is a little less pronounced, seamlessly blending into the arch on the deck lid. The reverse lights are now integrated into the bottom of the rear lights. The lower rear fascia has an air vent sunk into each corner and a reflector added above each exhaust pipe.



Engine options are changing up with the new redesign as well. Available options will be the 2.0-liter, four cylinder that puts out 241 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque. The power is sent to the rear wheels by the 9G Trionic automatic transmission. The other option, at least for now, will be the 3.0-liter twin turbo V6 that puts out 362 horsepower and 384 pound-feet of torque. Of course the Mercedes Benz SLC300 will come with Dynamic Select drive that allows the driver to select between five different modes. The modes are: Comfort, Sport, Sport+, Eco, and individual. Also available is a dynamic handling pakage that includes adaptive damping and dynamic corner assist.When damping force is selected in Comfort, Sport, or Sport+ the damping force adjusts automatically depending on the road and driving conditions.



The SLC300 will come standard with Active Brake Assist (Collision Prevention Assist Plus). Also available is the blind spot assist and lane keeping assist. the SLC300 can also be equipped with dynamic LED headlights which automatically adjust to different lighting and driving conditions, a rear view camera, and parking assist.



Mercedes Benz has yet to announce pricing on the new SLC300 or the SLC43 however the SLK250 started at just under $44,000.00 and the SLK55 started at just under $71,000.00, so chances are we can expect the prices to be somewhere in that range for the new SLC models.

A personal anecdote on the safety of Mercedes Benz

I know that this is only my third entry but I am going to change things up a little bit and get slightly personal.

If you were to ask my wife how my driving is, she would tell you I am a horrible driver and should not be allowed to operate a motor vehicle. That being said I would like to say that I Ken Block'd the heck out of my Mercedes Benz E350 today. Early this morning I had to take my wife to the Emergency room where she ended up having to be admitted for overnight observation. Why is this relevant? because in the morning on the way to the hospital the roads looked like this:





This picture was taken around 9:00 AM. I left the hospital around 3:00 PM to go home and get my ten year old off of the bus to take her to my mothers house. By 3:15 PM the roads started to look like this:





I have lived in the Greater Pittsburgh area my whole life so driving in the snow is no big deal to me. That being said, most other drivers seem to forget how to drive in less than ideal conditions and decide they are going to drive too fast for conditions, often resulting in less than ideal results.

So there I am driving around a very sharp bend about to descend a steep hill. I am inching along at around 10 MPH in almost whiteout conditions when i round the corner and see someone sideways in the middle of my lane. I know I cannot hit the brakes so I let up off the gas and allow the 3.5 liter V6 engine braking to kick in as I gently attempt to steer the car to the left around the obstacle in front of me.

It didn't work.

All that I managed to do was get the nose of the car into the oncoming lane where I started to slide sideways. In slow motion I can see the line my precious Lunar Blue W212 chassis Mercedes Benz E Class is heading on. My passenger side rear quarter panel is going to slam flat into his rear passenger side quarter panel. As my car is sliding towards him I do the only thing I can think of. I turn the wheels down hill and punch the throttle. I feel the engine surge as the Mercedes Benz Electronic Stability Program kicks in. The car swings around, missing the stranded vehicle by what my mind perceives as mere millimeters, but I am not out of the woods yet. Now I am sideways sliding down the hill facing the other direction, only now there is a small bend coming up to the left. With as much counter steering as I can muster I attempt to get the car under control as I feather the throttle as little as possible. I manage to correct the vehicle with a final flourish of a drift around the bend.

While I would like to be able to attribute this total bit of driving bad-assery to my skills I truly cannot. Were it not for the amazing engineering under the hood of my Mercedes Benz I most likely would not be writing this right now as my wife would surely have murdered me for wrecking the car.

As a post script, about 2 miles up the road I came upon this wonderful cluster:






Stay safe out there everyone. Winter is definitely here.

The newly redesigned 2017 Mercedes-Benz E Class is everything we've been expecting and more.

As you all know, this week is the reveal of the new Mercedes Benz E Class at the Detroit Auto Show. A few weeks ago we were teased with pictures of the interior and some info about the tech that would be found inside of the new E Class. What we didn't get to see was what the outside looked like. Well I am here with some pictures for you (as well as some info) courtesy of my friend over at Torquenews, Patrick Rall, who was kind enough to snap some pictures for me while he was covering the Detroit Auto Show. 

The first thing I noticed about the new E Class was the unmistakable design cues it took from the W222 chassis S Class and the W205 chassis C Class with the longer hood, shorter rear deck lid and the swooping coupe style roof lines. All in all this is the most aggressive looking E Class to date even with the luxury styling package. The new 2017 Mercedes Benz E Class still maintains its unique class styling with the angled edges on the sides. Regardless of how Mercedes wants to redesign it, the new E Class still looks like an E Class and that is definitely OK with me. Even though the outside looks the same, the biggest changes come from the interior, where they redesigned everything down to the look of the seats. While those who have been in a W222 S Class will recognize the wrap around dashboard, that is pretty much where it ends. While the base model will come with the tablet style command unit, you can upgrade to the new style dual led screen layout that allows the driver to customize the look of the cluster with one of three different styles.

So right now you may be asking your self, "what else does the new Mercedes Benz E Class have to offer?" To start it will launch in the US with a turbocharged four cylinder that puts out 241 horse power in the E300 (this is also the same engine that will be found in the SLC300). Future models will come with the turbo charged 6 cylinder (possibly the same twin turbo 3.0 currently found in the E400), a V8 (maybe the 5.5?), a plug in hybrid, and a diesel that will get 42 MPG (highway).

Now that we have that out of the way, let's get to the really cool stuff. The new Mercedes Benz E Class will have more driver assistance options than a self driving google car (purely sarcasm, but only kind of). 

• First up is the Drive Pilot's adaptive cruise control and Steering Pilot that track the car in front at speeds up to 130 MPH and can keep the car centered in the lines up to 81 MPH. According to Mercedes Benz the E Class can track adjacent vehicles and deal with obscured lane markings. the driving assist features on the new E Class will double or even triple the amount of time that the driver can keep their hands off of the wheel and still remain on the road.
• Active Lane Change Assist is a radar and camera based system that semi-automates lane changes. When the driver activates the turn signal the car will wait 2 seconds to make sure it is what was intended, make sure the lane is clear and then move the vehicle into the lane that you designated.
• Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic function will brake the car if it detects crossing traffic that you aren't slowing for, and will initiate advance braking if it senses you've come upon the tail end of a traffic jam. Mercedes Benz states the vehicle should avoid accidents up to 43 MPH and will reduce the severity of collisions if you are going faster than the designated speed.
• Evasive Steering Assist works with pedestrian detection to help the driver steer around a pedestrian and apply steering wheel torque to recover and straighten you back out.
• One of the coolest new features of the new Mercedes Benz E Class is the Remote Parking Pilot which will pull the vehicle out of a garage or parking space using the smartphone app while the driver is standing outside of the vehicle. This lets big cars get into tiny spaces.
• If there is one thing today's modern society has taught is that we love to stay connected to one another so why should our cars be any different? Car-to-X communication will be introduced to the world in the new Mercedes Benz E Class. Car-to-X, meaning car-to-anything communication, allows the car to communicate to another connected car ahead and helps cars "see" around corners or through obstacles. The car is both the receiver and transmitter. obviously to start this wont really be a useful option, but once Mercedes Benz gets the ball rolling with other subsequent models the usefulness of this technology will be limitless.

The tech under the hood in Mercedes' latest entry is no doubt top of the line, but what you need to really ask your self is this, is this the sexiest looking E Class yet? I think it might be, but you can judge for yourself. 

With the 2017 E Class, Mercedes-Benz really has thought of everything.

With the 2017 E Class, Mercedes-Benz really has thought of everything.

Most of us know that Mercedes-Benz are among the safest vehicles on the road. This is due to the overwhelming amount of innovations Mercedes has brought to the automotive industry. Not only did Mercedes-Benz develop and patent the first automobile, but they also designed the first Four Wheel Independent Suspension, Safety Cage Crush Zones, and Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS) just to name a few. In fact Mercedes currently holds over 125,000 patents total. So it should come as no surprise that in 2002 Mercedes introduced the Pre-Safe system that helps the vehicle prepare for an accident before it happens.

Mercedes-Benz engineers are devoted to preparing for a moment they hope never occurs. Because of this, Mercedes often sets the standards that all automobiles eventually follow. With features such as Active Blind Spot and Lane Keeping Assist, Pre Safe allows you to carry whatever precious cargo you may have safely from point A to point B. So with decades of engineering in every Mercedes-Benz vehicle it makes you wonder what they will think of next. What else could they possibly come up with to keep you safe? What about your hearing? That's right. Starting with the 2017 Mercedes-Benz E Class, your ears will now be a whole lot safer.

New for 2017, your Mercedes-Benz will include Bio-Mechanical ear protection with it's already impressive list of safety features. By using its array of sensors and on-board gadgetry the 2017 E class will be able to detect a crash and along with seat belt pretensioning and Pre-Safe Brake, a sound will be emitted from the speakers that causes the stapedius muscle in your ear to contract. This automatic response by your body protects your sensitive eardrums from permanent damage. How cool is that? Also on the list for new tech is the Evasive Steering Assist which helps the driver with, you guessed it, evasive maneuvers in an emergency. The 2017 Mercedes-Benz E class will also be among the first of the brand to have the pretty cool Car-to-X Communication which allows cars with the same feature to communicate with one another to help prevent collisions and to help support other autonomous functions.

Of course there will be a whole lot more to these cars other than their safety features. The 2017 Mercedes-Benz E Class is, after all, a completely redesigned vehicle that takes it's styling cues from both it's little and big brother while still maintaining it's own pedigree among the pack. I have owned a W211 chassis, currently own a W212 chassis, and am looking forward to the fifth generation W213 chassis. I for one cannot wait for these cars to hit show room floors. However the 2016 models are out and as fun to drive as ever. If you haven't already done so, go to your local dealer and check one out. I promise you won't be disappointed.