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2017 Mercedes SL gets more beauty, power, and equipment

The first gestation of the R231-generation Mercedes-Benz SL-Class was appreciably better than the excellent R230 it replaced, it just didn't look nearly as good. Answering for one of its rare design sins with a facelift for the 2017 model year, Mercedes succeeds in restoring the skin-deep glory the R231 SL deserved from the beginning. They didn't stop at the skin, either, giving buyers plenty of additional technical reasons to make the upgrade. The new design establishes its new beauty with the grille and headlights. The grille has essentially been flipped upside down - it is now wider at the bottom than the top. It is flanked by sleeker headlights pulled out to the edges, and now full-LED lights are standard. The front fascia below gets much more pronounced, especially on the AMG versions with their larger intakes and chrome-trimmed A-wing motif across the horizontal span. Brilliant Blue and Designo Selenite Grey Magno join the color palette. The SL400 becomes the SL450, its 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 juiced up from 329 horsepower to 362 hp, and 354 pound-feet of torque to 369 lb-ft. Both it and the SL550 shed their seven-speed automatics for the new 9G-Tronic automatic. Inside, new designs for the gauge cluster look back at the driver, ambient lighting options have expanded to include polar blue and polar white, and the center console storage ambient lighting throw a brand logo on the two USB ports fitted inside. The roof can be opened at up to 25 miles per hour now, and the trunk separator automatically gets out of the way when you put the top down - no more having to do that yourself beforehand. Turning the page on performance, non-AMG models come offer Mercedes' curve-tilting function with Active Body Control. It counters cornering forces by tilting the body up to 2.65 degrees into a turn; choosing it removes the Eco function from the five Drive Select modes, replacing it with Curve mode. The AMG SL63 and SL65 models come with a mechanical rear differential lock standard - formerly part of a $9,000 upgrade package, an updated seven-speed transmission, and faster shifting via aluminum shift paddles. We'll get looks at the AMG SL63 and SL65 at the LA Auto Show, the refreshed range hits dealerships in late spring next year. Mercedes has a lot to tell you in the press release below, so dig in.

Mercedes spotted testing hardcore AMG GT at the 'Ring

Mercedes has showcased its new AMG GT in both base and S trims, it's rolled out the GT3 racing version and the Formula One safety car. But we're only beginning to see the extent of the variants that the German automaker is expected to spin off of its new sportscar. And here is the latest. Spied undergoing testing at the Nurburgring is what appears to be an even more performance-focused version of the Mercedes-AMG GT. It seems to be packing an upgraded aero kit – complete with front splitter and rear wing – as well as larger rolling stock. You can bet there's an even more potent version underhood of the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 that's already producing over 500 hp in the existing model. Whether Affalterbach deems it worthy of the Black Series label or not is another question, but what's clear is that AMG is gunning for the Porsche 911 GT3 with the performance model you see here – however disguised it may be from our prying eyes. Related Video:

US buyers show little interest in big hybrids

The idea of producing large, luxury-vehicle hybrids is turning into a "what were they thinking?" exercise in futility, USA Today reports. General Motors is discontinuing hybrid versions of the Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon SUVs, while Mercedes-Benz and Toyota's Lexus division are doing the same with their S-Class hybrid and LS hybrid sedans, respectively. The culprit? Big price increases for fuel economy improvements that border on the unimpressive. Granted, the Escalade hybrid gets 31 percent better fuel economy than the standard version, but that still maps out to a combined fuel-efficiency rating of just 21 miles per gallon. That can be seen as a worthwhile increase, if it didn't cost over $8,000 extra. The 2014 Escalade Hybrid, for example, starts at $74,425 while the non-hybrid can be had for $66,295. Meanwhile, the Lexus full-size hybrid costs $6,000 more than the regular version but only gets 1-2 mpg better combined fuel economy. The result of all these high costs? Low sales. Through April, GM sold 82 of its hybrid SUVs and pickups, down from 541 a year earlier. And the LS hybrid sales were in single-digit territory for April. That isn't stopping Lexus from promoting its hybrids as the right solution (with the wrong facts), though. There are still automakers giving big hybrid vehicles a shot, though. Nissan's Infiniti division is selling a hybrid version of its QX60 and says an impressive 10 percent of QX60 buyers choose the hybrid, which costs just $3,000 more. Looks like money talks. Featured Gallery 2015 Cadillac Escalade: First Drive View 35 Photos News Source: USA TodayImage Credit: Copyright 2014 Brandon Turkus / AOL Green Infiniti Lexus Mercedes-Benz Hybrid lexus ls gmc yukon mercedes-benz s-class infiniti qx60 chevrolet tahoe