V8 engine fitted in B 55

Mercedes-Benz trainees have constructed a one-off Mercedes-Benz B-Class B55 with a V8 engine and rear-wheel drive as a project completed in their training workshop. The idea came from Rastatt plant manager, Peter Wesp, and the brief was quite simple.

1. The spatial concept of the B-Class was to remain unchanged.
2. Only minor conversions allowed on the outside too.
3. Interior was upgraded to the new vehicle class they were aspiring too.
4. The conversion has to be suitable for day-to driving.

A standard B-Class B200 CDI was used for the project and the standard engine was replaced by a 5.5-litre V8 developing 388hp together with a seven-speed automatic transmission. Twin exhaust pipes at the rear capture the burbling sound of the V8 and the car has parts poached from the C32 AMG and E-Class as well.

Mercedes-Benz B 55 with V8

Painted in a trendy white with dark-painted louvres and smoked headlamp lenses the B-Class certainly stands out but only gives a discreet impression of the power beneath the bonnet. Although no official performance figures have been released the Mercedes-Benz team is confident the car can reach 0-100 km/h (62mph) in under 6 seconds. Mercedes-Benz car leasing on the standard B Class range is also on the site now.

New high performance tyres

Continental Tyre Group has now launched the ContiSportContact 5 P high performance tyre for sports car drivers looking for extra safety on both wet and dry roads.

The new tyres have carbon blacks and resins introduced into the compound to support the flexibility of the rubber which is important for good traction, the rigidity of the tyre and important for handling. The tyre also has a large number of small tread blocks on the middle and side areas of the tread, resulting in numerous transverse edges on the tyre surface.

The new ContiSportContact 5 P has already been approved on the Renault Megane 111 Sports RS, the Audi TT RS and the Mercedes AMG C-Class and E-Class.

Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate

The Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate has now been launched offering class leading load space and practicality. This new car has some great innovations, for example the Easy-Pack electronic tailgate can be activated at the press of a button on the key. This opens the tailgate and automatically raises the load compartment cover, making up 695 litres available (with the rear seats in place).

Fold the rear seats down using the Easy-Pack Quickfold system and the capacity increases to 1,950 litres. In addition there is a further 112 litres of load space in the Easy-Load folding load compartment, which is under the load space floor. These class leading dimensions mean that you could carry a 50-inch plasma television or a 5ft sideboard with ease.

From launch there will be seven engines, three diesel and four petrol and as with the E-Class saloon, 98 per cent of the new E-Class Estate will incorporate BlueEFFICIENCY technologies, offering you up to 49.6 on the combined mpg cycle and 150g/km CO2 emissions. Mercedes-Benz car leasing for this new range will be loaded as soon as possible.

New E-Class Estate load capacity

VW Polo

The new Volkswagen Polo has beaten six other finalists in the 2010 Car of The Year Award to scoop the top prize. The result was announced by Autocars’ Steve Cropley, who is one of the six UK based jurors and one of 59 senior car motoring experts from 23 European countries who make up the COTY jury.

The top 5 results are as follows;

1- Volkswagen Polo – 347 points.

2- Toyota iQ – 337 points.

3- Opel/Vauxhall Astra- 221 points.

4- Skoda Yeti – 158 points.

5- Mercedes-Benz E-Class - 155 points.

Contract hire prices are available on all the above makes and respective models now.

Night Vision plus

Driving in the dark has become even safer according to Bosch who have further developed their night vision system. “Night Vision plus” provides a high-contrast image of the area immediately in front of the vehicle.

The image is  analysed and pedestrians are also highlighed on the screen allowing the driver to take approriate action at an early stage.The first production car to feature this system was the Mercedes-Benz E Class in 2009 and it is also available in the new generation S-Class.

Mercedes is launching the new 2009 S Class

Four years after the W 221 model series, Mercedes-Benz is launching the new 2009 S Class with new innovations in comfort,engineering and state-of-the-art technology. The range will include six modern petrol and diesel engines that all benefit from improved fuel consumption and lower emissions.

The S 350 CDi BlueEFFICIENCY (235hp) is one of the most efficient models offering 37.2 average fuel consumption and a CO2 figure of 199-201 g/km. The other models in the range include five petrol variants, the S 350 (272hp), the S 500 (388hp), the S 600 (517hp), the S 63 AMG (525hp) and finally the S 65 AMG (612hp).

The car offers a world-first combination of state-of-the-art assistance and protection systems. Dr Thomas Weber, member of the board of management at Daimler AG, said ” Similarly to the established Mercedes inventions ABS, ESP, Brake Assist and PRE-SAFE, the new assistance systems are also geared to the realities of how accidents occur and what consequences they entail”.

The new car will be available in the Autumn of 2009.

Mercedes is launching a new model to the E Class range in the form of a new coupe. This new coupe comes hot on the heels of the new saloon which launched 3 months ago.

There are five engine variations namely;

-E 250 CDI BlueEfficiency Coupe with a combined mpg of 53.3

-E 350 CDI BlueEfficiency Coupe with a combined mpg of 41.5

-E 250 CGI BlueEfficiency Coupe with a combined mpg of 40.3

-E 350 CGI BlueEfficiency Coupe with a combined mpg of 32.5

-E 500 Coupe with a combined mpg of 25.9

The E250 CDI BlueEfficiency Coupe is a particularly clean and efficient vehicle emitting only 139 grams of C02 per kilometre.

As usual Mercedes have packed this new luxury coupe with the latest technology including selective damper control, drowsiness detection, preventive occupant protection and the Active bonnet feature. This new coupe also offers a Dynamic Driving package allow different driving set ups at the touch of a button.

New Mercedes E Class Coupe

The new Mercedes E Class offers outstanding comfort and safety plus an outstanding 53.3 mpg combined mpg. With CO2 emissions of 139 g/km this new model sets the benchmark for all round safety and economy in the executive car sector.

There are around 20 new or further technical enhancements with Mercedes using its BlueEFFICIENCY package to provide up to 23% fuel savings.