06 Mercedes-benz M-class 4matic Damadge Repairable Rebuilder Only 81k Miles Runs on 2040-cars

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Mercedes unveils GLC350e 4Matic PHEV

Mercedes-Benz intends to introduce at least 10 plug-in hybrid models to the market by 2017, and the the Mercedes GLC350e 4Matic is the latest one to show its electrified face. It's also the second crossover from the company to offer a PHEV version following the GLE550e 4Matic. Mercedes isn't releasing all of the details about the plug-in GLC yet, but it combines an internal combustion engine making 208 horsepower and a 114 hp electric motor with a seven-speed gearbox. Total torque is 413 pound-feet. The combo is enough to get the all-wheel drive crossover to 62 miles per hour in a purported 5.9 seconds and a claimed top speed of 146 mph. Fuel economy in the European cycle is estimated at the equivalent of about 90 miles per gallon, and there's a 21-mile pure electric range for zero-emissions cruising. Based around the newly introduced GLC-Class, buyers can still order a plethora of luxurious amenities, but the plug-in powertrain also comes with a few tweaks to help drivers maximize fuel economy. There's a haptic accelerator with a resistance point to indicate the switch between electric and combustion power. In addition, the hybrid system can anticipate the road ahead through radar and GPS to manage things as efficiently as possible. One of the GLC hybrid's biggest advantages when it arrives is the small field of competitors. Neither BMW nor Audi currently have a compact luxury crossover of this size with a hybrid option in the US. That really only leaves the Mercedes to take on the Lexus NX300h with total system output of 194 hp, and that's not even a plug-in. The GLC350e 4Matic isn't part of the new model's initial launch lineup in the US. It should be coming along later, though. Key topic: Energy efficiency - Economy on four wheels A revised all-wheel-drive powertrain, the outstanding aerodynamics and the intelligent lightweight design are the primary reasons for the high energy efficiency of all the new GLC models. The conventional diesel and petrol models boast significant reductions of up to 19 percent in both fuel consumption and CO2 emissions in comparison to the previous generation, while at the same time improving performance. GLC 220 d 4MATIC GLC 250 d 4MATIC GLC 250 4MATIC Output, kW/hp 125/170 150/204 155/211 Torque, Nm 400 500 350 Fuel consumption (l/100 km) 5.0 - 5.5 (6.1 - 6.5) 5.0 - 5.5 (6.1 - 6.6) 6.5 - 7.1 (7.5 - 7.9) ? Consumption % -19 -19 -12 CO2 g/km 129 - 143 (159 - 169) 129 - 143 (159 - 169) 152 - 166 (173 - 180) ?

A car writer's year in new vehicles [w/video]

Christmas is only a week away. The New Year is just around the corner. As 2014 draws to a close, I'm not the only one taking stock of the year that's we're almost shut of. Depending on who you are or what you do, the end of the year can bring to mind tax bills, school semesters or scheduling dental appointments. For me, for the last eight or nine years, at least a small part of this transitory time is occupied with recalling the cars I've driven over the preceding 12 months. Since I started writing about and reviewing cars in 2006, I've done an uneven job of tracking every vehicle I've been in, each year. Last year I made a resolution to be better about it, and the result is a spreadsheet with model names, dates, notes and some basic facts and figures. Armed with this basic data and a yen for year-end stories, I figured it would be interesting to parse the figures and quantify my year in cars in a way I'd never done before. The results are, well, they're a little bizarre, honestly. And I think they'll affect how I approach this gig in 2015. {C} My tally for the year is 68 cars, as of this writing. Before the calendar flips to 2015 it'll be as high as 73. Let me give you a tiny bit of background about how automotive journalists typically get cars to test. There are basically two pools of vehicles I drive on a regular basis: media fleet vehicles and those available on "first drive" programs. The latter group is pretty self-explanatory. Journalists are gathered in one location (sometimes local, sometimes far-flung) with a new model(s), there's usually a day of driving, then we report back to you with our impressions. Media fleet vehicles are different. These are distributed to publications and individual journalists far and wide, and the test period goes from a few days to a week or more. Whereas first drives almost always result in a piece of review content, fleet loans only sometimes do. Other times they serve to give context about brands, segments, technology and the like, to editors and writers. So, adding up the loans I've had out of the press fleet and things I've driven at events, my tally for the year is 68 cars, as of this writing. Before the calendar flips to 2015, it'll be as high as 73. At one of the buff books like Car and Driver or Motor Trend, reviewers might rotate through five cars a week, or more. I know that number sounds high, but as best I can tell, it's pretty average for the full-time professionals in this business.

German companies team up with telecom to spur development of talking cars

With connectivity and communications becoming an ever larger part of the automotive world, German automakers Audi, BMW, and Daimler formed the 5G Automotive Association with Intel, Nokia, Ericsson, Qualcomm, and Huawei. The goal is to develop new technologies to take advantage of LTE and 5G advancements, create standards, and overcome regulatory issues. If they succeed, it will be easier for them companies to develop and implement new technologies. For instance, we could see smarter traffic management, and maybe platooning, advance further in the autonomous sector. By acting as a group, they will also be able to address regulatory issues more easily. All of these companies are capable of developing advanced vehicle communication systems on their own. Audi, in fact, has been pursuing vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) technology and launched a stoplight timer in models in some cities. Still, the alliance offers the potential to save time and develop new ideas. Related Video: Image Credit: Audi Auto News Audi BMW Mercedes-Benz Technology Emerging Technologies Infotainment Autonomous Vehicles 5g Connectivity v2v intel vehicle to vehicle communications vehicle to infrastructure technology v2i