2010 Mercedes-Benz C-Class is leather-clad luxury

The 2010 Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

Really, it's not even a ton of money needed to wrap yourself in a leather-clad class. It's the least expensive Mercedes available -- but by no means is it cheap; it's refined through and through.
Cruising along in the C300 4Matic all-wheel drive Benz is like talking with a well-dressed old friend. Every part of the car seems familiar and comfortable, but there's something kind of formal about the occasion.


One day, during my testing, I was going to run to the store and realized I was wearing shorts and a T-shirt. I felt underdressed to drive the car, as well as get out of it and walk through a Meijer parking lot.

There are just some cars that demand a little bit more out of their owners: A Mercedes does that, even the C300.

Nothing is over the top with this car. The way the optional 7-inch color navigation screen moves out of the dash when you start it up seems almost magical. It whirs quietly and efficiently. It's simplicity and artistic.

The leather seats (and leather-wrapped steering wheel) feel comfortable enough for long road trips or daily commuting.

There's a German sensibility to this car that caters to your slightly frugal side -- it starts at $34,000 -- as well as the air of luxury that comes with the Mercedes badge.

The loneliest Mercedes

In car-loving Los Angeles, red, mid-engined sports cars barely raise an eyebrow. But the one I’m driving is causing a stir.

Burly men in huge pickup trucks goggle through smoked glass windows and make thumbs up signs. At every stop, people cluster round the tiny car. “That’s cute,” says one bystander. Another reckons she’s never seen anything like it.

And she would be right, because the car, a 1935 Mercedes 150H Sport Roadster, is unique. It’s not known how many were built, but it’s between two and 20, and this is the only survivor.

After Mercedes bought the car back from a private owner in the 1950s with just 44km on the clock, it sat in a German museum. Suggestions about bringing it back to life were greeted with stern head shaking by Mercedes management. The car was precious, and taking it to pieces to restore it could damage parts that would be impossible to replace. Apparently, the powers that be were worried that they’d end up with an expensive pile of bits.

Their change of heart represents a startling turnaround. Not only is the car now very much alive, but it’s also being driven on public roads, mixing it with towering yellow school buses and gawking commuters. And, as a huge act of faith, Mercedes invited journalists to get behind the 150’s slim, spoked steering wheel and take it for a spin on Los Angeles’ sun drenched streets.

Valuing the 150H is tough because there isn’t another one to compare it with. But a Mercedes chaperone described it as, quite literally, a million-dollar car. Anyone wrapping it round a mailbox wouldn’t be popular.

Kicherer Mercedes SLS AMG With 620 hp

German tuner Kicherer released a new tuning package for the great Mercedes SLS AMG, which unlike their first attempt is actually very nice. They call it the supersport black, and while, mercifully, they have not done much to the body, its matte black finish is just awesome. It makes the SLS to look even more mean and nasty!

Kicherer provides the car with a front spoiler lip, and a new rear diffuer, probably to improve the car’s aerodynamic’s efficiency. And that’s kinda necessary because they’ve tweaked the engine as well and gave it a whole lot more power.

The car’s 6.3 liter AMG V8, which recently won the award as 2010 best performance engine, is upgraded from 571 hp to a massive 620 hp. The standard unit sounds really dirty, you can imagine how cool the roar of this beefed up version would be!

The tuner also hooks you up with a set of three-piece RS1 20-inch wheels with performance tires which provide extra grip. These wheels are painted in black with silver outer lip to cope with the swell style of the Black.

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG E-Cell Prototype breaks cover

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG E-Cell Prototype

So you think Porsche has the hottest plug-in hybrid electric supercar (the 918 Spyder). Well you may have forgotten, but shortly after the 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG supercar made its debut, the Stuttgart automaker confirmed that it will do an electric-version, scheduled to debut in 2015. Well, here is the prototype of the electric Gullwing.

Known as the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG E-Cell Prototype, the electric SLS AMG is powered by four electric motors that pump out a total of 526-hp with a maximum torque of 649 lb-ft. The four motors are positioned near each wheel with a transmission on each end to transfer power to the road. That gets the SLS AMG E-Cell to be as fast as its V8 sibling going form 0-60 mph in just 4 seconds. While not confirmed, previous reports suggest a total driving range of 110 miles.

“With the SLS AMG with electric drive, we wanted to redefine the super sports car,” said Volker Mornhinweg, Chief Executive Officer of Mercedes-AMG. “For us, it is not just about responsibility. We attach just as much importance to excitement and classic AMG performance.”

We’ll grab you more details when Mercedes-Benz officially drops the press release (oh, and yes, we’ll grab you high-res photos for your desktop needs).

Mercedes equips dealers with iPads

Those are the words most car buyers dread. They come just before figures are pulled out of some accountant's bottom (drawer) in a room adorned with pictures of large people playing golf.

I can offer you a smidgen of joy, should you be wishing to waft into a Mercedes dealership this Memorial Day weekend.

It seems certain of these exalted places are being equipped with iPads, so your friendly dealer can inspire you to closure without the smell of leather ever leaving your nostrils.

"So my iPad tells me that you can drive this baby away right now for just 45 grand a month!"

According to the Wall Street Journal, 40 Mercedes dealerships will enjoy iPads, whose cool they can adopt in order to produce the most radically inviting digits, while you continue to stroke the steering wheel and dream of a love life you can actually tell your friends about.

"It just gives us more of a sense of credibility," Bernie Moreno, an Ohio Mercedes dealer told the Journal.

It is surely an indication of just how much technology is taking over as society's barometer when it takes an iPad to give a car dealer credibility. And you thought it was only honesty that could do that.

MERCEDES-BENZ - RARE SL NIGHT EDITION

Each SL350 Night Edition has an MLP of $246,000 regardless of paint finish. The Managing Director, Mercedes-Benz Cars, Mr Horst von Sanden said “With the SL being the longest running continous nameplate in the automotive industry, there have been many special SL’s produced over its 57 year run. We have during the last 57 years debuted some very special features on SL-Class and the Night Edition continues that tradition to start off the next 57 years of SL” With the SL 350 Night Edition we have used the opportunity to provide a unique encompassing of the SL core values of luxury, safety, dynamics, performance and exclusivity.

We have been able to secure twenty five of this truly limited run SL for our local customers, half of which will be painted in the stunning designo magno Night black.”

The SL 350 Night Edition is truly an exclusive and bespoke vehicle”

The additional equipment features have been drawn from across the SL range.

Exterior Appointments

- Choice of exclusive designo magno Night black special paint or Obsidian Black metallic paint

- Sporty 19-inch AMG 5-spoke light-alloy wheels, painted titanium grey with a highsheen finish

- Silver-painted brake callipers with Mercedes-Benz lettering at the front with perforated front and rear brake discs

Mercedes-Benz E-Class earns this year’s Top Safety Award

Both large luxury cars Hyundai Genesis and the Mercedes E Class were awarded the 2010 top safety pick awards by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. This award distinguishes top vehicles that gets the best rating of good for front, side, rollover and rear crash protection. It also needs to have an electronic stability control which is one of the many features of both cars. Hyundai officials are very happy as they were recently awarded with the top safety pick for their luxury sedan. What made the occasion more thrilling is that they shared the award with their much expensive rival, the Mercedes E Class.

While the Genesis cost a lot less than the Mercedes E Class, this is the first time the E Class model earned the top safety award. Earlier this year, minor modifications were done to the padding in the front door to increase their protection when a side impact crash occurs. According to the Insurance Institute Highway Safety, the Genesis, who underwent some structural changes this year has also enhanced its roof for more protection in rollover crashes. The recent top safety pick award applies to Genesis models that were made since January 2010, and also the award that pertains to the E Class model are the cars that were built since March 2010.