Mercedes-benz Cl-class Cl55 Amg on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class interior caught in spy shots

With the redesigned 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class getting closer to production, the camera-wielding crew over at Autospies somehow managed to get inside of the car to snap some detailed spy shots. As the prototypes continue to shed camouflage, it would appear that Mercedes-Benz is getting closer to unveiling the car, and with the Geneva and New York auto shows coming up, it could be sooner rather than later.
From what we can see of this car's interior, the overall look of the S-Class' cabin isn't a ground-breaking departure from the current car, but it has been completely redesigned with more advanced technology. The styling is now even more upscale with larger swaths of wood, more shapely door panels (without the built-in armrest cubbies) and the concept-like two-spoke steering wheel. The highlight of this car though is probably the two massive digital screens with one being used for driver information and the other used for navigation, audio and infotainment systems. One other detail we noticed about this car is that it was equipped with the new 360-degree camera that debuted on the new GL-Class and will also be used on the 2014 E-Class. We also know that the next-gen S-Class will be getting the new cloud-based MBrace2 infotainment system.
As for the exterior design, it looks like the next S-Class will carry a similar profile as the current car, but we can see through the camouflage that the new styling will fit in better with current Mercedes-Benz products. Up front, the grille is much larger is flanked by aggressive LED-trimmed headlights, while the rear view of the car shows us the LED brake light now at the top of the rear window, a more pointed trunk opening and a more squared-off rear fascia with exhaust outlets pushed to the corners.

2014 Mercedes B-Class ED battery much bigger than previously stated

There was something unexpected hiding in the new configurator for the 2014 Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive: a $600 "Temporary range extender." Since we've never heard of such a thing, we had to click through for more. The official explanation runs like this: A suite of options to further increase your driving range includes added insulation of the doors and roof for to increase climate-control efficiency, along with an electrically heated windshield and a range-extending charge function. By pressing a button on the console prior to charging, the maximum charge level for battery will increased for the next charge cycle. The higher-capacity charge can provide up to 17 additional miles of range. The passive features that increase range should be standard in all models, we think. But we were more curious about the battery charge situation. How do you increase a maximum? And is it a good idea to do so? The configurator includes this disclaimer, after all: Range extender should only be used on a limited basis, and could shorten battery life if used excessively. How much is excessive? We investigate below. The B-Class ED has, according to the specs, a 28-kWh battery. First, let's understand what this "temporary range extender" is all about. The B-Class ED has, according to the specs, a 28-kWh battery. But Terry Wei, from the Mercedes-Benz USA product and technology communications department, confirmed to AutoblogGreen that the B-Class ED is actually hiding a 36-kWh battery, but the automaker is calling it a 28-kWh battery because that's how much energy capacity is used in day-to-day use. Most automakers publicly claim the actual capacity and then admit they use a percentage of it. The Chevy Volt, for example, has a 16.5-kWh battery pack, but a "full charge" only fills up around 65 percent of that. In the B-Class ED, the 28 kWh of useable energy provides an EPA-certified 87 miles of range. But, since there are eight kWh of reserve, the temporary range extender (we think of it as a software update accessed by a button) can access some of that and offer the aforementioned 17 miles. Now that we know what we're dealing with, this reminds us of an evolved version of the "remote wireless charging" feature that was touted in the Reva EV. Wei said that the reason the feature is optional is because Mercedes doesn't think most people will need it. Eighty-seven miles is plenty for your average EV driver, but when you want to have 100+ in the tank, you can.

Ultra-rare Maybach 57S Coupe ordered new by Moammar Gadhafi is for sale

One of Maybach's rarest 21st-century cars is for sale in Holland, and it owes its existence to one of the most controversial African leaders in recent history. Dutch exotic car dealer Auto Leitner listed a Xenatec-built Maybach 57S Cruisero coupe ordered and customized by Colonel Moammar Gadhafi but built after his death. Short-lived German coachbuilder Xenatec chose to start with the short-wheelbase 57 rather than with the longer and more stately 62. It didn't alter the sedan's length or wheelbase; instead, it created the Cruisero by extending the front doors, removing the rear doors, and adding more rake to the roof pillars. Several other minor visual tweaks set the coupe apart from the sedan, and the interior was given a more superficial makeover. Xenatec made no mechanical modifications, so power comes from an AMG-built 6.0-liter V12 twin-turbocharged to 604 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque. It spins the rear wheels via a five-speed automatic transmission. Although the coupe weighs 6,000 pounds, it takes five seconds to reach 60 miles per hour from a stop. The 57S Coupe was not a hefeweizen-fueled hack job haphazardly welded together in a shed. It was authorized by Daimler, and it was engineered to the same standards as the regular-production car. Executives were confident that they could sell 100 units to politicians, entrepreneurs, oligarchs, and other wealthy people around the world, but Xenatec filed for bankruptcy and closed after making only eight when one its main investors, a Saudi Arabia-based company named Auto Kingdom, abruptly stopped funneling money into the project. Gadhafi configured Auto Leitner's 57S Coupe, which was the fourth one built, and he should have taken delivery of it in 2012, but the Libyan Civil War that erupted in 2011 and ultimately led to his death on October 20 of that year derailed those plans. It was instead sold to another buyer whose identity is unknown. What's certain is that the person who ended up with Gadhafi's Maybach rarely drove it: its odometer shows about 1,429 miles. Highly optioned, this 57S is equipped with 20-inch wheels, soft-close doors, heated and massaging individual rear seats separated by a fridge, rear tray tables, front and rear air conditioning systems, a rear-seat entertainment system, and, for good measure a fire extinguisher.