Snowboarding with the C350 Coupe -- 4MATIC AWD Cars -- Mercedes-Benz

 

Monthly Coupon Specials: December

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Mercedes-Benz Winter Sales Event

Check out the flier below for a look at just some of the specials going on this holiday season at Mercedes-Benz of Valencia.  Give us a call at (888) 841-7717 and ask about the Winter Event to learn more!

2013 CLS Product Manager Walk Around -- New Luxury Coupe -- Mercedes-Benz

Car Maintenance Tip of the Week

Tires

A car tire inflated to 35 pounds per square inch (psi) can lose one psi every month or for every 10 degrees Fahrenheit of temperature change, so your car maintenance checklist should include checking tire pressure. Find the recommended level in the owner’s manual or on a sticker on the driver’s side door jamb. And don’t forget the spare.

Rotate tires every 6,000 miles to prevent uneven wear, replace them when they become worn and have the alignment checked if the car pulls to either side when driving or if you notice uneven tire wear.

AMG Christmas 2012

Online Car Finder Form

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2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class images leaked

A member over at enthusiast site GermanCarForum.com has seemingly stumbled upon a few images of the revised Mercedes-Benz E-Class for the 2014 model year. While we've had hints about what this face-lifted E will look like, in the form of spy shots, this is our first ever look at the uncamouflaged car.

The most easily evident changes to be found are at the front of the new E-Class, where nearly everything looks new. The dominating front grille is still quite bold, but now features a more sculptural frame, with thinner cross-members elements in the center. Two-piece headlights have merged into one dual-element unit, and are more steeply raked up towards the corners of the front end; LED elements now frame the headlights, rather than being used in strip-form at the bottom of the fascia. The lower front fascia itself has changed pretty dramatically, too, with a center aperture that now tapers from wide to narrow, top to bottom, where the existing car has essentially the reversed shape. The overall effect is far more flowing and delicate than the hammerhead of the current E.

Out back there seem to be revised taillamps and exhaust tips, though the changes to the car's rear are far more subtle than those made to its front.

Click HERE to view the picture gallery.

Courtesy of autoblog.com

Car Maintenance Tip of the Week

Transmission fluid

Checking the automatic transmission fluid is another vital item on the car maintenance checklist. Look for a reservoir marked ATF (automatic transmission fluid) and follow the same steps as monitoring the oil level – only this time, with the engine running. Follow manufacturer’s recommendations for change intervals, about every 30,000 miles.

2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Black Series Coupe review notes

Not often you drive a car with nearly $44,000 worth of options, but my, what options they are. This 2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Black Series coupe is flat-out fast, looks like a DTM car, and is as much fun to drive as any Benz in recent history. The V8 is terrific, with gobs of torque down low and plenty of horsepower to push this car well into the danger zone in an instant. And while some among us will kick and scream about the gearbox, this automatic unit, which can be dialed up to operate in Comfort, Sport, Sport+ or manual modes, works just fine. Rev-matching downshifts and fast upshifts, not as fast as a dual-clutch unit, but for street driving, this transmission was just fine. The exhaust note is deep and loud, just what you want from a big V8.

The car has monster grip, allowing me take some back-road corners as fast as anything I've driven. And tires never once screamed out in mercy. The car just stuck to the pavement and went around the corner. The steering in this car, while still having a bit of play on-center, is fast and direct. On varying pavement, the monster 19-inch tires require some work to keep the car running straight, as it wants to tramline. The brakes are outstanding, too.

The flat, or matte, paint coupled with the huge fender flares and the front splitter and rear diffuser, adds another level of bad-assness to the car.

Inside, the carbon fiber trim looks great and the red seatbelts match up nicely with the red contrasting stitching in the leather trim. I really like the Alcantara-clad, flat-bottomed steering wheel and the Alcantara seat inserts. All of this screams performance, and the car delivers exactly what is expected.

SENIOR MOTORSPORTS EDITOR MAC MORRISON: In 2003, after years of watching the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM to the rest of us) on TV, I attended a round of the racing series at Hockenheim. I have ever since then wished one of the participating German manufacturers (Audi, BMW or Mercedes AMG) would build a street car in the mold of the race-spec touring cars.

Ah, guten tag, Herr C63 AMG.

This is a very special car, as much because of its relative scarcity as its price tag or performance resume. AMG allegedly built somewhere around 800, most all of which are spoken for, with only, er, some undisclosed number of those coming the U.S. Despite my best efforts badgering my friends at Mercedes-Benz USA, the actual numbers remain an internal secret. Regardless, the odds of ever seeing more than one or two on the road (unless perhaps you live in Miami or Los Angeles) are fantastically low—which explains why it seems as though every other car you encounter while driving this Black Series carries a camera- (or cell phone-) wielding occupant snapping off pics like a manic automotive spy photographer.

Photographs do not necessarily reflect just how imposing this car is in the metal, and do a poor job of capturing the evil beauty of its matte-finish paint, named officially “designo Magno Alanite Grey,” which could double as the name of one of Spider-Man's nemeses.

The well-engineered hot-rod nature of the C63 Black Series inspired a friend of mine—a hard-core car guy—to comment, “This is like a German Mustang GT500,” and I knew what he meant immediately; it was not an insult. From the heavy controls to the angry intake and exhaust noises to the seat-deforming acceleration, you know always that you are in a Mercedes-built machine, but one that tangents violently away from its base model. This car has as much in common with a normal C-coupe, in terms of feel, feedback and performance, as a base-model Mustang does to the drag-strip melting Shelby model. Not much, in other words.

The engine and exhaust sounds do not overwhelm the experience unless you punch your right foot all the way through the floorboard; otherwise, the Black Series returns surprisingly low decibel readings more than appropriate and comfortable for cruising and conversing. The only thing that will potentially disrupt a relaxing drive—should you want to use this car for such a task in the first place—is the unforgiving ride on roads that feature significant expansion joints, frost heaves, cracks, etc.—this is a stiff suspension designed to kill corners, not coddle driver and passengers. As a result, and as we've noted on other Black Series offerings, the ride frequency over certain types of uneven highway is porpoise-like at times, exhibiting a fair amount of vertical choppiness that potentially becomes tiresome on long stretches. The track-tunable suspension is adjustable manually with tools, but I did not get into messing with the factory setup.

Throttle response is strong, my only complaint being at-times sluggish response from the automatic gearbox, even in manual mode. A true double-clutch unit is called for here, though this transmission is more than adequate for enthusiastic, aggressive driving on public roads. My gut tells me that it will disappoint on the track, however. I also wished for a driver's seat with adjustable side bolsters; while this one is racer-ish in its design, it's a little on the wide side for me.

As expected, turn-in is much, much improved over lesser Mercedes products, and as Roger notes, the suspension tuning and ultra-low profile tires provide so much cornering grip that the only way you are likely to ever hear much tire shrieking is by way of power oversteer or burnouts . . . in which case, really, you're just going to hear engine noise.

Taller drivers—I'm 6'-1”—will find headroom at a premium, thanks to the large panoramic sunroof that required dropping the roof liner down to accommodate it. A few passengers were less than impressed with the passenger seat's lack of power adjustment (the driver's seat is power adjustable), and while AMG will say it went that route to save weight (perhaps the same thinking re: the non-adjustable side bolsters), I imagine more than a few buyers (and myself) would trade the marginal weight gain for the real-world convenience. This is not an actual DTM car, after all.

The package provides an overall fun experience—both behind the wheel and simply as you stand around to admire the bodywork. This is a critical aspect, because despite its loud bark and 510 hp, the C63's raw straight-line speed impresses but does not overwhelm. Zero-to-60 comes up in about four seconds, with the quarter-mile falling into the 12-second range. Both figures are rock solid, certainly, but you need not spend six figures to buy that sort of drag-strip performance.

However, there is a lot more at play here than raw numbers . . . and plenty of wide-eyed people along my drive route have the photos to prove it. I think it's pretty damn cool that they didn't even need travel to Hockenheim or the Norisring et. al. to snap them.

ROAD TEST EDITOR JONATHAN WONG: After a weekend with this wicked-looking 2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Black Series coupe, I'm a buyer—that is if I happen to win the lotto and can find one. I've gone on record proclaiming my enthusiasm for the C63 AMG in sedan form and I'm going to do it again here.

The wide, composite body panels are menacing and the flat paint job only helps complete the look. No giant spoiler is needed here, but the large front air dam looks imposing coming at you like it wants to beat you up and take your lunch money. So it's safe to say that I like the DTM race-car looks.

Then there's the 6.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 that also sees duty now in the SLS AMG instead of the turbocharged V8 that AMG has been installing in other products like the E63 and S63. Throttle response is magnificent and there's just something about the all-motor rumble. Mac mentions that the seven-speed automatic gearbox is slow to response at times, which is true, but it does the job well-enough. The dual-clutch from the SLS AMG would no doubt be better—or a manual, but that's never going to happen.

Yes, the suspension is stiff and does hop around some over larger ruts but I didn't think ride quality was unbearable even on these wide, high-performance 19-inch tires. It's far from it in my opinion, and I would happily drive this around on a daily basis. Toss this thing into a corner, however, and you'll be experiencing more grip than you'll ever need on the street; and it handles side-to-side weight shifts confidently. Kill stability aids and you can rotate the rear around corners yourself easier with the help of the throttle. In the end, it's all a whole lot of fun that'll have you staying out even later at night to bomb around your favorite backroads.

Everything thing else from a performance standpoint is great with grabby brakes and weighty, responsive steering.

The front bucket seats offer a lot of side support with very large bolsters that most likely would hamper a manual shifter, but they're fine and appreciated with an automatic to keep you locked down. The Alcantara on the sides of the steering wheel at the three- and nine-o'clock positions are nice, but it does get dirty quick on street cars. Our test car's wheel was already looking kind of nasty with some scum caked on from the oils and sweat from bare hands constantly handling it. In a race car where drivers normally wear gloves, that's not much of a problem.

It's a lot of money and there are a lot of other cars that you can buy for $107,000, but the exclusivity factor sure is nice and it's an entertaining drive. Even after thinking it over some more, yeah, I would buy one if I could.

2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Black Series Coupe

Base Price: $64,005

As-Tested Price: $107,575

Drivetrain: 6.2-liter V8; RWD, seven-speed automatic

Output: 510 hp @ 6,800 rpm, 457 lb-ft @ 5,200 rpm

Curb Weight: 3,700 lb (mfr est)

Fuel Economy (EPA/AW): 15/14.1 mpg

Options: P98 Black Series package including increased engine power (+59 hp, +14 lb-ft torque), adjustable coil-over suspension, wider suspension track (+1.5 inches front, +3.1 inches rear), forged 19-inch alloy wheels, rear limited slip differential, AMG compound braking system with larger rotors (+1.1 inches front and rear), red calipers, Black Series exterior styling, wider fenders (+1.1 inches front, +1.6 inches rear), composite front fenders, aluminum hood, front/rear fascia with air intakes/vents, front splitter, side skirts and rear diffuser in gloss black, deck lid badge, Black Series interior styling, black DINAMICA/MB-Tex with red contrast stitching, carbon fiber trim, AMG sport steering wheel, red seat belts, dashboard badge ($43,570)

Courtesy of Autoweek.com

Mercedes-Benz C250 Sport Lease Incentive

$349/Month

30 month closed end lease. On approved above average credit through Mercedes-Benz Financial. No security deposit. $4,143 due at signing. 10,000 miles per year with 25 cents per excess mile.  MSRP $38,755.

All vehicles for sale plus government fee and taxes, any finance charges, any dealer document preparation charge and any emission testing charge.

Stop by our website for info on all of our new vehicle specials and incentives!  http://bit.ly/LmoDxi

 

2014 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG 4Matic Development Mule First Look

Click HERE for a photo gallery

Mercedes-Benz is going to introduce the refreshed 2014 E-Class this January at the Detroit Show. That of course means a new E63 AMG is coming, both sedan and wagon. We love cars of that nature. We also noticed a couple of things when we tested the wildly excellent Audi S8 last month. One is that its 4.0-liter, twin-turbo V-8 made around 575 horsepower (we stuck it on a dyno) and not 520 hp, as Audi claims. The other is that AWD makes a whole lot of sense in a near-600-hp sedan. And the S8 wasn't the first time we noticed the performance advantage AWD has over RWD in two-ton-plus sedans. When we pitted the AWD Porsche Panamera GTS against the RWD BMW M5, there was only a 0.1-second difference in the 0-60 time, despite near identical vehicle weights and the M5's 130 horsepower advantage over the Porsche. Moreover, the GTS was able to keep up with the M5 on twisty roads because of its traction advantage. We're obviously not the only folks noticing this trend, as AMG CEO Ola Kaellenius invited yours truly down to get a preview of the new E63 AMG 4Matic. Yup, for the first time ever, a non-SUV AMG product will come complete with AWD. And I got a day in the passenger seat.  

"We didn't just use Mercedes' all-wheel-drive system. That wouldn't work for AMG." So said Ola a few days earlier at a sit down in our office. "Yeah," chimed in Tobias Moers, the refreshingly blunt head of AMG Vehicle Development. "We completely reengineered 4Matic to make it work for us." The biggest difference between regular 4Matic and the AMG version is a permanent torque split. In the Mercedes version, the standard split is 45/55 front/rear. However, if conditions change, torque can be moved to the wheels that are losing grip, from 30/70 to 70/30. Not so with the AMG version. Torque is cut 33/67 front to back, and that's how it stays. There are two main reasons why this is. One is that AMG is first and foremost a performance company. The second -- and this ties into the first -- is that by removing all three of the electronically locking clutches and reducing the size of the rear half-shafts, the AWD E63's weight only goes up by 132 pounds, according to AMG. A pretty impressive achievement if true -- we'll weigh it as soon as we can and let you know. The last E63 sedan we weighed checked in at 4347 pounds, meaning the AWD version could be as "light" as 4479 pounds, not much more than the RWD M5 (4406 pounds) if AMG is right. Also, Ola and Tobias did little more than smile at me when I asked, but I think we can infer that the next S63 will be AWD as well. The S65 will remain RWD.

I was given the rare opportunity for a ridealong in two of the three camouflaged pre-production 2014 E63 AMG 4Matic mules that currently exist. In fact, after myself and a few other auto-journo types were done, AMG crated 'em both up and shipped them off to Spain for further testing. Interestingly, the two cars were dressed differently. They were initially camo'd identically, but because one car would be running around an autocross course AMG set up on the former Marine base El Toro (where we film our World's Greatest Drag Race videos), Tobias ripped off the panels hiding the front fascia because they were blocking the radiator and the twin intercoolers. As you'll read in a bit, the car needed them. Much to the chagrin of the AMG PR folks, this partially revealed the new, much sportier-looking AMG corporate nose. The big news is a curved front splitter they're calling the A-Wing. (Let's hope Disney, which just bought "Star Wars," doesn't sue!) In the photos it's taped up black, but I strongly suspect that underneath it's chromed. The A-Wing is but a small part of AMG's new design language that we'll first see fully implemented when the new C-Class launches in about 18 months. Rumor has it that flics will be standard!  

We set off towards the track from the unbelievably posh Montage Hotel in Laguna Beach in the silver, less disguised E63. AMG went so far as to camouflage the interior with a series of black, neoprene-like shrouds. About 20 seconds into our journey, Tobias tore off the piece covering the navigation screen. "It used to be beige," he spit, obviously annoyed at the halfhearted effort to conceal the refreshed E-Class's innards. "Now it's gray." Tobias was referring to the background color of the COMAND system. Benz must have shelled out for a more expensive video card, because the graphics in the test mule looked much sharper than in current Mercedes models. As for the rest of the interior, I didn't look too closely (the metal vents are pretty sweet), but the unhidden steering wheel looks much more "sportive."

As we roll up to the staging area, Tobias finds a nice secluded strip of runway to show me the refreshed E63's launch control. He twists the knob from C through S and S+ to Race Launch (just like in the range-topping SLS Gullwing), stands on the brake and the throttle, and dumps the brake. Yup. AWD makes an already extremely quick car feel even quicker. Consider this: The last E63 sedan we tested -- a 2012 model -- hit 60 mph in 3.8 seconds. Tobias tells me that the new car will do 60 mph in 3.4 seconds. "Well, it does 100 kilometers an hour in 3.5 seconds. So, we removed a tenth." If 3.4 seconds is indeed accurate, the new E63 will be the quickest four-door vehicle in the world. Currently, the Porsche Panamera Turbo, Panamera Turbo S, and Audi S8 are all tied up at 3.5 seconds to 60 mph. And if that 0-60 time holds true, the next E63 should easily run the quarter-mile in the elevens. Based on the two blasts I experienced, it's hard to say. The mule felt quick, for sure. But it also happened to be sprinkling, and the runway we were on was not only slick, but in particularly poor shape. Obviously, as soon as they give us a production version we'll test the bejesus out of it. With AWD and launch control, you can expect a pretty sensational number. Especially because the E63 will be packing more wallop.  We must first discuss how AMG used to do it, and still does it for the time being.

The current E63 comes with a 518 hp 5.5-liter twin-turbo V-8 that produces 516 lb-ft of torque. However, you can opt for the Performance Package, which nets you 550 hp and a ridiculous 590 lb-ft of twisting force. I can't get into the specifics (AMG made me promise to keep a bunch of stuff secret -- sorry) but you can forget about this two-pronged approach. Starting with this car, the M157 engine will produce 575 horsepower and an unspecified for now (though with AMG you can always assume more) amount of torque. That's right, the horsepower wars are dead like Frankenstein. The familiar seven-speed, wet-clutch planetary transmission remains. The cars I rode in didn't have it, but U.S.-spec E63s will have a rear limited-slip differential. Tobias claims the suspension hasn't been altered too much, but obviously the AWD components necessitated some fiddling -- a steering knuckle here, a refined damping rate there, etc. However, the front wheels receive 1.9 degrees of camber. Carbon ceramic brakes are still -- of course -- an option, and the silver mule had 'em. It also had fancy new Pirellis on the same size wheels as before 255/35R19 front, 285/30R19 rear. I should note that the horrible surfaces at El Toro (and the drifting) chewed them right up. I wouldn't be surprised if the production car showed up with some different meat.

Courtesy of motortrend.com

Car Maintenance Tip of the Week

Headlights and brake lights

With your car turned on and parked, have someone walk around to see that your lights are working – headlights, brake and tail lights, turn signals, etc.

Replacing bulbs in today’s vehicles can be a challenge. Have a mechanic do the job, particularly replacing and aiming headlights. A pro also knows if the problem is a blown fuse, not a burned out bulb.