Inside Line put four V8-powered luxury sedans to the test. Jaguar XF Supercharged vs. Audi A6 4.2 vs. BMW 550i vs. Mercedes-Benz E550.

Which one would you buy?

Read the V8 Luxury Sport Sedan Comparison Test on Inside Line.

Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor

Feeling the increasing pressure of social responsibility, AMG, Mercedes-Benz's in-house performance arm, will no longer be chasing just ultra high horsepower numbers. Instead they will be balancing high performance with a degree environmental restraint with their future powerplants.

Their current top engines, the 6.2L V8 and the 6.0 V12 twin-turbo engines will eventually be replaced with a smaller 5.0 V8 twin-turbo. The 6.2 engine reportedly get miserable mileage under full throttle, and has less low-end power than the previous supercharged 5.5L unit.

Full story here.

We tested two of the most fuel-efficient full-size SUVs side by side, the Chevy Tahoe Hybrid and Mercedes GL320 Diesel.

Well, relatively fuel-efficient anyway.

Which do you prefer?

Read the Comparison Test on Inside Line.

Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor

 

After seeing the lackluster lines of the Audi Q5, the sharply creased sheetmetal of the 2010 Mercedes-Benz GLK actually looked pretty good. When we first saw this new compact SUV as a concept, it looked a little overstyled, like Mercedes was trying too hard to give it some personality.

In person, however, the GLK works. Instead of looking like a shrunken down M-Class, the GLK has enough original lines to keep you interested. Even if you don’t come to like it, there’s no doubt it has something going on. Compare that to the Audi which just sits there and hopes you’ll like it because it’s an SUV, and the GLK is the clear winner. -- Ed Hellwig, Lead Senior Editor, Inside Line

OK, that Ford neo-Thunderbird image was posted to get your attention. Guess what... it's one on the list.

So David Kinney, a guy who follows old cars, and who's the publisher of Cars That Matter Price Guide, has listed six now-cheap cars that he guarantees will raise in value over the years.

"I will guarantee that every one of these cars have done better than the stock market has since the beginning of the year," states Kinney.

Curious? Read on.

How about that GT-R?

But wait, we also have a full test on the new Mercedes C63 AMG.  Can you believe it's quicker than the last BMW M3 we tested? Zero to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds and it reached the quarter mile in 12.5 seconds at 113.7 mph.

Yowza! 

Read the Mercedes C63 AMG full test on Inside Line.
 

Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor

 

Because of tougher emission requirements and more stringent fuel requirements, both here and in Europe, BMW is ending production of their V8 diesel. They also feel because of turbocharging and direct injection, that 6-and 4-cylinder diesels will be more than adequate for those customers. Mercedes-Benz is also rumored to be following this same path, although nothing officially has been announced yet.

Full story here.

If Bluetec was upstaged by Sheryl Crow last night, Mercedes-Benz officials were resolutely on-message today. At no point was diesel ever not part of the discussion at this morning's press conference at New York's Javits Center. "At Mercedes we believe that Bluetec and soon Bluetec hybrids will keep the luxury SUV alive and kicking," Ernst Lieb, president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA, told the crowd.



Accordingly, the 2009 Mercedes-Benz M-Class has license to get a little more adventurous with its styling. "The updated M-Class appears even more confident," Lieb noted, pointing out the larger, more unsettling front fascia on the 2009 Mercedes-Benz ML320 Bluetec next to him.

On the way up to the stage, we passed by a 2009 Mercedes ML63 AMG, which takes the aggression even further.

Continue reading...

On the eve of the 2008 New York Auto Show, Mercedes-Benz revealed its three 50-state-legal Bluetec diesel trucks at an event that could only be described as, well, loud.

Sure the three V6-diesel-powered trucks (GL, ML and R) were in attendance. But really, they were the sideshow. On center stage was Sheryl Crow and her acoustic guitar. What the songstress has to do with diesel-powered passenger vehicles is not entirely clear, but she was good. Also in attendance was Christian -- winner of the most recent season of the Bravo television program Project Runway -- who flitted about looking fierce. What any of this has to do with diesel-powered light trucks is not entirely clear. It's show business, baby.

Anyway, Sheryl played a selection of hits and impressed the masses by making a few urea jokes. It is the urea-injection system (recently approved by the EPA) that reduces NOX emissions and allows Mercedes to sell the diesels in all 50 states. There is, we're reliably informed, no truth to the rumor that Mercedes keeps in northern Germany a vast herd of diuretic-addled reindeer to supply the urea -- a component of urine. And there wasn't the faintest whiff of pee at the event -- at least not from the trucks.

The trucks -- the GL320, ML320 and R320 -- go on sale this fall for an undisclosed price and will return 23-24 mpg, highway. --Daniel Pund, Senior Editor, Detroit

Maybach's sustainability as a brand is much in doubt. Last year they sold only 146 units worldwide, which is only 10% of what was expected. This is especially grim news when you consider the record amount of Rolls-Royces being sold. Besides the ultra-limited-edition Landaulet, there are no other new models scheduled for introduction.

While this news is not a surprise to readers of Straightline, I for one would be sad to see Maybach disappear, as I think there's always a need for these über land yachts; if for no reason other than to push the limits of wretched excess. Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche has said that a decision about Maybach's future has not been made but that it will come in the next two years.

Full story here and here.