Mercedes-Benz Goes Large

At a show liberally scattered with small cars, it may be a good thing that Mercedes-Benz hasn't joined the general drift. All around the show there are cars from lesser manufacturers whose trunk lids simply wouldn't be big enough for a badge that says 'C 250CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Prime Edition' - which is the mouthful attached to the three-pointed star's new four-cylinder diesel powered C-Class, making its world première here.

But while it's big on name, it's light on consumption, and claims to be class-leading in terms of both performance and 'environmental compatibility'. That means 204 horsepower and 500 Nm (368 lb-ft) of torque from a totally new 2.2-liter engine using the latest 2,000 bar piezo-controlled injection technology and dual-stage supercharging. For the Prime Edition it also means a top speed of 156 mph with 0-62 mph in 7.0 seconds, while still promising combined consumption of only 45.2 mpg (US), and CO2 emissions of just 138 g/km.

Also in pursuit of fuel efficiency without destroying driving enjoyment, it has a six-speed manual transmission with overdrive, aerodynamic improvements over the AVANTGARDE version of the C-Class saloon that it's based on, adaptive power steering, and low rolling resistance tires.

Alongside it in the efficiency race, the S 400 BlueHYBRID is Mercedes' first production car with a hybrid drive system, and is due for launch in summer 2009. According to Mercedes, combining a modified 3.5-liter V6 gasoline engine with a compact hybrid drive module (and what they say is the world's first series production lithium-ion battery package) makes the S 400 BlueHYBRID the world's most economical luxury sedan with a gasoline engine. Combined consumption of 29.7 mpg (US) equates to 190 g/km of CO2, which Mercedes claims is the lowest in the world for this class of car.

It has performance, too, as the 279-horsepower V6 gasoline engine is combined with another 20 horsepower from the electric motor (which doubles as starter and generator) - and even more impressively, the motor adds a step-off torque of 160 Nm (118 lb-ft), giving a combined total of 385 Nm (284 lb-ft). That gives the usual 156 mph limited top speed, with 0-62 mph in 7.2 seconds, which is pretty good for an S Class sized car that gets close to 30 mpg overall - including an automatic stop/start traffic mode and regenerative braking using the electric motor as a generator all as part of the hybrid system.

They showed another model, by the way, which didn't make any claims about economy or eco friendliness, but did claim to be 'the safest car in the world'. Not, you understand, in a crash test situation, but more if you're being shot at or having rockets and grenades tossed into your path; because this is the ultimate stretch limo for heads of state with a nervous disposition - the S 600 Pullman Guard. Its 517-horsepower 5.5-liter, 830 Nm (612 lb-ft) 12-cylinder bi-turbo engine and modified suspension are designed to cope with more armor than a Sherman tank, and when someone asked how much it might cost the answer was 'if you're asking the price, you're not the typical customer'.

In a different direction, Mercedes showed the Concept FASCINATION, which, in particular, previews the design of the next E Class (due 2009) - with what they describe as 'a compelling interpretation of a coupé concept. As good a description as any is like a big, wholly glass-topped wagon with a long, low, fastback rear roof line, but it's undeniably handsome and obviously the sign of real road cars to come. Inside, it has four individual seats and the usual show car glitz, but don't expect that to hint at any production model.

Oh, and the trunk lid has space enough for any name they eventually choose to put on it.