If you love big, fancy trucks, Mercedes-Benz has just the vehicle for you. Cars.com reviewer Aaron Bragman calls the Mercedes-Benz GL-Class the best seven-passenger premium SUV on the market. The base Bluetec diesel is both efficient and affordable. But watch your wallet — options can quickly rocket the GL-Class' price sky high.
2013 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class ReviewThe 2013 Mercedes-Benz C-Class' ride is comfortable. Very comfortable. And quiet too — don't forget quiet. But if Cars.com reviewer Kelsey Mays were to stop there out of respect for the virtue of "If you don't have anything nice to say ... ," he wouldn't be saying much at all about the C-Class, which curiously remains a top seller despite superior sport-sedan competitors. In nearly every other category — interior space, styling, acceleration, fuel economy, brakes and handling — this last-place finisher in Cars.com's $46,000 Sport-Sedan Challenge is strictly riding on its rep, Mays says.
Not only is this the first time the Mercedes-Benz B-Class will be available on our shores, it will be sold as a plug-in electric that gets an estimated 115 miles of electric driving range.
More 2013 New York Auto Show Coverage.The hatchback, which seats five, is set to go on sale early next year. Engineers designed the B-Class with cargo room and passenger space in mind, putting its 28-kwh lithium-ion battery — which teams with a 134-horsepower electric motor — underneath the vehicle floor. Mercedes claims the B-Class needs just two hours to reach a charge capable of a 60-mile range when hooked up to a 240-volt household power source.
Check out photos of Mercedes’s first electric car below. Cars.com photos by Evan Sears.
High performance and luxury can be combined in a small package as the new 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG proves.
More 2013 New York Auto Show CoverageAMG engineers took the new entry-level subcompact luxury CLA-Class and turned it into a rocket that will sprint from zero to 60 mph in just 4.5 seconds, according to Mercedes. Power comes from a 355-horsepower, turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine.
The CLA45 AMG's exterior gets an array of aggressive styling tweaks like black wheels with massive red-painted AMG brake calipers, optional carbon fiber aerodynamic enhancements and a menacing-looking dual exhaust. Inside, the cabin gets occupants ready for the racetrack thanks to a carbon fiber and faux leather interior with red stitching, a flat-bottom steering wheel, a shifter assembly that came straight from the gull-wing SLS AMG and bolstered sport seats.
Check out the gallery below. Cars.com photos by Evan Sears.
The Mercedes-Benz B-Class may look familiar to world travelers, but the all-electric B-Class Electric
Drive version is new. The four-door hatchback is not a particularly large car, with overall exterior
and interior dimensions similar to Ford's C-Max Hybrid and C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid. The B-Class is
sold internationally with gasoline and diesel engines but not in the U.S. That's about to change when
an all-electric B-Class — the only variant — goes on sale here in early 2014 with an estimated range
of approximately 115 miles.
More 2013 New York Auto Show Coverage
Mercedes' electric B-Class is a full-blown luxury car with a classy, light-colored interior and classic Mercedes appointments; its dashboard layout is similar to the recently introduced entry-level CLA-Class sedan. The B-Class' interior is a step up compared to electric hatchbacks like the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt. An electric gauge showing charge, power and boost readouts replaces a traditional tachometer. Interior roominess mirrors the C-max's cabin, where at 6 feet tall, I fit snuggly with enough head- and legroom to be comfortable, though there's not much room to spare.
Few automakers succeed in mirroring characteristics of their high-end cars in entry-level offerings.
The 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG is the exception and truly appears as a scaled-down version of the
almost $100,000 CLS63 AMG four-door coupe it emulates. The 2014 CLA is Mercedes' newest and least-
expensive offering.
More 2013 New York Auto Show Coverage
Mercedes' performance-oriented AMG models have subtle appearance add-ons inside and out, but pack a big punch on the road. The CLA is no different with brightly colored red stitching and seat belts, sport seats and functional performance vents and spoilers. Under the hood is the most-powerful production four-cylinder in a Mercedes-Benz, cranking out 355 horsepower.
The words "electric vehicle" usually aren't synonymous with luxury. Mercedes-Benz is aiming to change that with the 2014 B-Class Electric Drive. No, this isn't a concept; the brand's first electric car will go on sale in early 2014 and have an estimated driving range of 115 miles.
More 2013 New York Auto Show Coverage
The car might look a little familiar: A non-electric version of the B-Class has been on sale globally for years; model-year 2014 marks the first time it's being offered in the States. A conventionally powered version won’t be available in the U.S., however.
Competes with: Audi S4, BMW 335is
Looks like: Honey, I shrunk the $95,900 CLS63 AMG into a compact car
Drivetrain: 355-hp, turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder; seven-speed dual clutch automatic transmission; all-wheel drive
Hits dealerships: November 2013; ordering starts this spring
Mercedes-Benz is looking to redefine what a "pocket rocket" is. The 2014 CLA45 AMG builds on the company's newest and least-expensive CLA-Class by stuffing a 355-horsepower four-cylinder into the four-door coupe. Mercedes says the CLA45's turbocharged 2.0-liter is the most-powerful four-cylinder engine built in a production car; it should propel the CLA45 AMG to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds.
More 2013 New York Auto Show Coverage
No other small sedan crams this much power into an entry-level luxury car. A base CLA-Class starts at $30,825, including a $925 destination charge, while the CLA45 AMG starts at $48,375 including destination charge. The CLA45's 2.0-liter engine uses twin-scroll turbocharging, water-to-air intercooling and a stout 26.1 psi of turbocharger effort to pull off its high horsepower. In traditional AMG fashion, the high-performance CLA45 AMG comes with only an automatic transmission, though the seven-speed dual clutch automated manual transmission is no ordinary automatic as the style of transmission typically offers lightning quick shifting.
PickupTrucks.com Editor Mark Williams is no stranger to our most-watched videos list, though this week his presence is downright ubiquitous. Williams appears in four of the top five videos, including this week's No. 1, a newcomer showcasing a trio of Mercedes-Benz heavy-duty vehicles from The Work Truck Show 2013 in Indianapolis. Check out what was popular this week:
1. Mercedes-Benz Platform Works Like a Pickup
I'm a wagon lover, and I'm not ashamed to say it. If things went my way, I'd have one of those big, wood-paneled ones in my driveway right now. However, most Americans don't share my enthusiasm for the old-school wagon. They have no idea what they're missing out on because today's wagons are often quite luxurious — and lacking in wood paneling.
With many of today's wagons focusing on luxury, these original grocery-getters have gotten pricey. A short list of wagons — Subaru Outback and Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen — can be had for less than $25,000.
Several luxury automakers are doing their best to woo families with high-end wagons, but they're not always as family-friendly as you'd think:
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