2006 Mercedes Benz Cls500 With Cls 63 Amg Sarona Body Kit Only 48k Miles Hid on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Mercedes-Benz releases US-spec 2014 Sprinter details

Last week, Mercedes-Benz released the details for the updated 2013 Sprinter intended for global markets, but this week it has announced what changes are being made to the US-spec version of the van for the 2014 model year, including the Freightliner model. As expected, most of the changes made to the European model will be present on the 2014 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter when it goes on sale in the US, which is expected to be this fall.
The biggest difference between the Sprinter announced last week and the one headed to our shores is what is found under the hood. While European Sprinters will come with diesel engines and offer the availability of a supercharged four-cylinder gasoline or CNG engine, US Sprinters will still offer the 3.0-liter V6 BlueTEC diesel. This year's Sprinter now comes standard with a new base engine, the 2.1-liter four-cylinder BlueTEC diesel. This smaller engine will produce 161 horsepower and 265 pound-feet of torque, and will be paired to a seven-speed automatic transmission; the optional 3.0 V6 puts out 188 hp and 325 lb-ft of torque, and will be mated to a six-speed auto.
Fuel economy for the new Sprinter has not been announced, but Mercedes-Benz has made numerous changes with the goal of improving efficiency. To this end you'll find a new, low-friction rear axle and the optimization for the generator, fuel pump and power steering pump.

2015 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 4x4 First Drive [w/videos]

On the flight out to Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, I thought I had a pretty good idea of what to expect on the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 4x4 launch. I figured I'd drive down gravel and dirt roads, and then I'd take a Sprinter on a brief, pre-planned, crawling off-road course with Mercedes guides helping me along, Perrier water and fresh pastries at every third checkpoint. I've done off-road drives before, and while they do a perfectly nice job of showing the capability of a vehicle and its four-wheel-drive system, they're usually somewhat predictable and, I guess, safe. I also knew I'd be going to the middle of nowhere, but I assumed that'd just be a small town nestled in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. You know, a city anchored by its ski resort, but with all the amenities of a fully functional community. Something like Revelstoke, BC, where I spent my first night on the trip – kind of out in the wilderness, but a place where my iPhone could still pick up a solid 4G signal. But 24 hours later I found myself in a truly remote, off-the-grid part of the world, faced with a route that was anything but pre-arranged. And I wasn't in a G-Wagen, or some other off-roader – I was going to do all of this in a Sprinter van. Of course, this wouldn't be the first time Autoblog has taken a Sprinter far, far off the beaten path, and isn't the first time we've driven this generation of Mercedes' van. Home base was the CMH Monashee Lodge in Mica Creek, BC – a location so out-there that, according to Wikipedia, it "is no longer incorporated as a village." I had lost cell signal some 50 miles back, and the lodge was the only thing around, with its small staff, my fellow journalists and the Mercedes handlers the only human beings inhabiting the area. (Wait, haven't I heard this one before?) The drive from Revelstoke to Mica Creek was easy – 56 miles, all on Canada Highway 23 that runs alongside the Columbia River. It was breathtaking, with mountain forests still covered in snow from the winter, and the (mostly) thawed river flowing peacefully to my left as I drove north. There were no telephone poles, no stoplights and no traffic save the occasional logging truck. The road signs didn't point to exits toward other towns, but instead warned of possible run-ins with moose or bears, and let me know not to stop on specific parts of the highway unless I wanted to experience an avalanche up close.

Best car infotainment systems: From UConnect to MBUX, these are our favorites

Declaring one infotainment system the best over any other is an inherently subjective matter. You can look at quantitative testing for things like input response time and various screen load times, but ask a room full of people that have tried all car infotainment systems what their favorite is, and you’re likely to get a lot of different responses. For the most part, the various infotainment systems available all share a similar purpose. They aim to help the driver get where they're going with navigation, play their favorite tunes via all sorts of media playback options and allow folks to stay connected with others via phone connectivity. Of course, most go way beyond the basics these days and offer features like streaming services, in-car performance data and much more. Unique features are aplenty when you start diving through menus, but how they go about their most important tasks vary widely. Some of our editors prefer systems that are exclusively touch-based and chock full of boundary-pushing features. Others may prefer a back-to-basics non-touch system that is navigable via a scroll wheel. You can compare it to the phone operating system wars. Just like some prefer Android phones over iPhones, we all have our own opinions for what makes up the best infotainment interface. All that said, our combined experience tells us that a number of infotainment systems are at least better than the rest. WeÂ’ve narrowed it down to five total systems in their own subcategories that stand out to us. Read on below to see our picks, and feel free to make your own arguments in the comments. Best infotainment overall: UConnect 5, various Stellantis products Ram 1500 Uconnect Infotainment System Review If thereÂ’s one infotainment system that all of us agree is excellent, itÂ’s UConnect. It has numerous qualities that make it great, but above all else, UConnect is simple and straightforward to use. Ease of operation is one of the most (if not the single most) vital parts of any infotainment system interface. If youÂ’re expected to be able to tap away on a touchscreen while driving and still pay attention to the road, a complex infotainment system is going to remove your attention from the number one task at hand: driving. UConnect uses a simple interface that puts all of your key functions in a clearly-represented row on the bottom of the screen. Tap any of them, and it instantly pulls up that menu.