2010 Mercedes Benz SLR

2010 Mercedes Benz SLR

 

The Mercedes-Benz SLR Stirling Moss, the final hurrah for the fabled SLR line, has a production date of June 2009 and is the culmination of everything SLR. The SLR Stirling Moss has a radical design, with no roof or even proper windshield. It is as if Mercedes-Benz is flaunting the fact that all SLR drivers own a couple more cars, and the retro race-roadster design is the only thing they could respectfully apply legendary British race car driver Stirling Moss's name to.

Stirling Moss--the car--is styled unlike anything else on the market, even from boutique car builders. It looks every bit the modern interpretation of the classic race speedster Mercedes is going for, and while the modern SLR McLaren heritage is clear, this new edition is wholly different. While the new open supercar Mercedes was again developed in conjunction with McLaren, this one drops the McClaren name in favor of honoring the most famous of Benz pilots.


SLR Stirling Moss Styling - Rolling Sculpture and Totally Unique Supercar

Mercedes-Benz rather curious decision to fit the SLR Stirling Moss with neither a front windshield nor side windows seems like a strange one on a supercar capable of more than 200 mph. Only two tiny front wind deflectors--less than two centimeters tall, Mercedes-Benz reminds us--protect driver and passenger from wind, dust, tiny chunks of asphalt, etc. Helmets will be required for serious high speed driving, but just think how cool and classy you can look with a vintage Stirling Moss SLR 300-style racing helmet!

Only a roofless, windowless car can get away with the huge air scoops aft of the rear seats, which also serve SLR Stirling Moss driver and passenger safety with integrated roll bars. The car's drastic styling, when compared side-by-side with the famous SLR 300 race cars of the 1950s, does its namesake justice. The SLR Stirling Moss will be the culmination of production for the SLR line, and will see a worldwide release of 75 units. Just 75.

Mercedes-Benz SLR Stirling Moss price sits at EUR 750,000 or approximately USD $1.05 million, and good luck getting one, even if you have that kind cash. This thing is inevitably destined to fetch many millions at the Pebble Beach auctions of the future. Availability at launch will be only to European current customers of Mercedes-Benz.

Mercedes benz ML450

2010 Mercedes benz ML450

 

An hour after Mercedes-Benz unveiled its new ML450 hybrid at the New York Auto Show, we got to take our first quick drive in the first German version of a two-mode hybrid. Mercedes-Benz has been collaborating with General Motors, Chrysler and BMW for the last four years to develop the two-mode hybrid system for applications smaller than the buses that GM originally designed it for. GM has now installed the system across the board on all its GMT900 full size trucks and SUVs and Chrysler briefly offered it on the Durango and Aspen before production of those vehicles ended at the end of 2008. In 2010, Dodge will add the system to the Ram pickup trucks.

Mercedes-Benz will be building its own version of the two-mode hybrid transmission at a plant in Germany. Those transmissions will also be supplied to BMW for the X6 hybrid when that debuts. Read on for our first on the road impressions of the ML450.

The two-mode hybrid transmission for the Mercedes and BMW applications is based on the same mechanisms as the GM variant and in fact much of the innards are common. It features 4 clutches and three planetary gear sets. The main difference for the German variant is smaller motors that allow for a tighter package size so that it fits into the more compact vehicles. The two motors are rated at 83 hp/173 lb-ft and 80 hp/192 lb-ft. Similarly, the power electronics are repackaged but 75 percent of the internals are common with GM.

2010 BMW 6 Series

2010 BMW 6 Series

 

For better or worse, the 2010 BMW 6 Series is a reminder of what happened on erstwhile BMW design chief Chris Bangle's watch. With its Porsche 911-esque profile, distinctive ducktail trunk and lidded headlights, the 6 Series has been alternately wooing and alienating luxury coupe and convertible buyers since its debut back in 2004. Aesthetics aside, we've had few complaints about BMW's flagship GT over the years, and for 2010 BMW has addressed a major one by installing the much-improved fourth-generation iDrive system. If you're in the market for a car of this type, the 6 Series still merits close consideration, even in its seventh year of production.

As noted, the big news this year is on the iDrive front, where BMW has finally taken its much-maligned electronics interface back to the shop for serious revisions. The result is – gasp! – a system that's actually fairly intuitive, thanks to the addition of numerous controller-adjacent physical buttons for frequently used functions (stereo, navigation, telephone) and redesigned menus that are more logically arranged. Additionally, the navigation system is now hard-drive-based and offers 13 gigabytes of multimedia storage and real-time traffic information. It may have taken six full years of production, but the 6 Series now boasts industry-standard cabin technology in addition to its other virtues.

As ever, these virtues are plentiful, starting with the mellifluous 4.8-liter V8 under the hood of the 650i (the only available 6 Series model). While this motor clearly lacks the low-end punch of a Mercedes-Benz V8, it compensates with velvety refinement and a thrilling high-end punch. To BMW's credit, a manual transmission is still available for the presumably few buyers who want one (BMW is mum on the take rate), though it's now a $250 option rather than standard. Additional points in the 6 Series' favor include a choice of coupe and convertible body styles, a trick soft top with an independent power glass rear window on the convertible, and excellent ride and handling characteristics.