Cls550 Navigation Heated Cooled Seat Push 2 Start Harman Kardon Carfax Certified on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2016 Mercedes-Maybach S600 Review [w/video]

"Hindsight is 20/20" is a handy yet disingenuous cliche. The flaw is that hindsight is only instructive up to the moment you would have made a different, perhaps better, decision. At the moment of that deviation the past goes in another direction, one that you can't peer back into because you didn't experience it. So when we say we wish Karl Benz's eponymous firm had produced the Mercedes-Maybach S600 in 2002 instead of the gilded blunder of the separate Maybach brand and its 57 and 62 sedans, we just can't know if the formula would have worked 13 years ago. But we do know the formula adds up superbly right now. A little history: Wilhelm Maybach helped Gottlieb Daimler build a high-speed, four-stroke internal combustion engine in 1885. Eventually Maybach went to work for Daimler's new car company and designed the first Mercedes, the 1901 35-hp model considered the world's first modern car. Maybach left the company after Daimler's death, started a company building zeppelins, then joined his son to start the Maybach car company. Together they developed super luxury cars including the DS8 Zeppelin models that competed with Rolls-Royce. A reviewer in 1933 wrote, "The Maybach Zeppelin models rank among the few cars in the international top class. They are highly luxurious, extremely lavish in their engineering and attainable only for a chosen few." It's a whopping 28 inches shorter than the departed Maybach 62, but 8.2 inches longer than a standard S-Class. As is this Maybach S600. It's a whopping 28 inches shorter than the departed Maybach 62, but since it's 8.2 inches longer than a standard S-Class, there's a very different driving experience. Two-thirds of a foot isn't much, but the Maybach is 639 pounds heavier than an S550, or 231 pounds heavier than a standard S600. From the driver's seat we could feel every additional pound and inch over those other models. It is as if Mercedes threw out the aluminum and steel and chiseled this sedan from basalt. We've driven scanty few cars where we've been genuinely glad for blind-spot detection and 360-degree cameras – this is one of them. The Maybach's wheelbase is four inches longer than that of a Bentley Mulsanne, even though the overall car is almost five inches shorter than the Big B. That long wheelbase translates into tranquil steering response – the S550, S600, and Maybach S600 all have the same 2.3 turns-to-lock, but this sedan feels like it takes more effort. It even looks heavy.

Mercedes C-Class coupe spied undisguised

The closer that it gets to an official unveiling, the more camouflage the Mercedes-Benz C-Class coupe is stripping off. These latest spy shots show the two-door with a largely undisguised front end, but the rear is still concealed. In general, the C-Class coupe looks quite similar to its four-door counterpart, but the two-door wears some unique parts to make it appear a little sportier. As with the previously spied example, the designers move the side mirrors to the doors, instead of the corner of the A-pillars, and there's a single-bar grille up front. Despite the camouflage, these shots give a clear view of the model's sleeker silhouette, as well. At the rear, you can also spy the narrower, wraparound taillights to replace the squarish units on the sedan. Mercedes will reportedly debut this longer, lower take on the C-Class model line at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, and sales in Europe will reportedly begin in December. This isn't the last variant to come along, though. Spy shots already show an AMG version of the coupe and a convertible under development. Related Video:

2016 Mercedes CLA and GLA get more power, quicker

Unlike in Europe, Mercedes-Benz doesn't have hyper hatches like the Audi RS3 to compete against in North America, at least not yet. However, the company isn't letting its high-performance compacts get behind the times anywhere in the world with the announcement that the CLA45 AMG and GLA45 AMG in the US are getting practically the same raft of upgrades as the ones across the pond. Both models go on sale in October in US dealers. Like its European counterpart, the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder in the diminutive AMGs receives upgrades to produce 375 horsepower and 350 pound-feet of torque (the 381 hp rating over there is in metric ponies). That's an impressive 20-horsepower and 18 lb-ft bump over the current version of the mill. Beyond just the boost in output, quicker acceleration comes from revised, more aggressive ratios in third through seventh gears. The latest AMGs make great use of their upgrades, too. The 2016 GLA45 now clocks the run to 60 miles per hour in 4.3 seconds, a staggering half-second quicker than the 2015 model. The CLA45 slices 0.3 seconds off its time to make the sprint in 4.1 seconds, which gives the sedan the same acceleration as a SL63 AMG. In addition to the powertrain tweaks, the 2016 models get a few other added luxuries. As in Europe, they receive the Dynamic Select System that uses a rotary knob select from multiple driving modes. Inside, there's standard keyless start, dual-zone climate controls, and Mercedes' latest infotainment unit. A "Turbo 4Matic" badge on the fender now hints at the vehicles' performance potential. The new Dynamic Plus Package is the major addition to the options list. It combines a limited slip differential at the front, AMG Adaptive Suspension, Race Mode, Performance Steering Wheel, and pushes the top speed to 167 mph. At the same time, the AMG Driver's Package is discontinued, and the AMG Performance Studio Package is dropped on the CLA45. Related Video: