2007 Mercedes-Benz E320 Bluetec
As many of you know, Mercedes-Benz has sold respectable diesel-powered vehicles in the U.S. for decades. The 3-liter V-6 turbo diesel in my Mercedes is the first diesel passenger car motor to meet tougher new U.S. emissions standards, and Audi, Volkswagen and Jeep intend to use the Bluetec technology on their diesels.
Even better, when I slipped the Benz into drive, it behaved like a regular strong-running gas V-6. No clatter followed by a lurch and cloud of sooty smoke. As far as I could tell, there was no smoke of any kind, period.
Moreover, the power was for real - and not just an initial low-end load of diesel torque. The smooth-running Mercedes rips off 0 to 60 mph runs in 6.6 seconds, which is just 0.1 of a second slower than the gas V-6 in the ES 350, company officials say.
And while we're crunching numbers, get this: the Bluetec - which refers to various exhaust treatments Mercedes-Benz has developed - is rated at 27 miles per gallon city, 37 highway in the Benz, a big, roomy car that weighs 4,000 pounds. That's 7 mpg better in the city than the gas ES 350 and an 11 mpg improvement on the highway. The car has an astounding range of 700 miles, which should cover any of those Dallas-to-El Paso party runs you've been planning.
Like every Mercedes-Benz on the planet, the Bluetec is expensive, with a base price of $52,325. The good news - if there can be good news in a dullish sedan that costs 50 large - is that the diesel costs just $1,000 more than the gas motor. Don't some people pay that for good stereos or those DVD things?
Rob Moran, a spokesman for Mercedes-Benz, says the 201 horsepower Bluetec engine - which has an impressive 400 pound-feet of torque - can also be ordered in the M-class and GL-class SUVs as well as the R-class crossover
Moreover, the power was for real - and not just an initial low-end load of diesel torque. The smooth-running Mercedes rips off 0 to 60 mph runs in 6.6 seconds, which is just 0.1 of a second slower than the gas V-6 in the ES 350, company officials say.
And while we're crunching numbers, get this: the Bluetec - which refers to various exhaust treatments Mercedes-Benz has developed - is rated at 27 miles per gallon city, 37 highway in the Benz, a big, roomy car that weighs 4,000 pounds. That's 7 mpg better in the city than the gas ES 350 and an 11 mpg improvement on the highway. The car has an astounding range of 700 miles, which should cover any of those Dallas-to-El Paso party runs you've been planning.
Like every Mercedes-Benz on the planet, the Bluetec is expensive, with a base price of $52,325. The good news - if there can be good news in a dullish sedan that costs 50 large - is that the diesel costs just $1,000 more than the gas motor. Don't some people pay that for good stereos or those DVD things?
Rob Moran, a spokesman for Mercedes-Benz, says the 201 horsepower Bluetec engine - which has an impressive 400 pound-feet of torque - can also be ordered in the M-class and GL-class SUVs as well as the R-class crossover
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