Automotive Parts

Readers of the “Off Road” magazine for the third time have voted the Mercedes-Benz Unimog cross-country as vehicle of the year in the “Special Vehicles” category. The Unimog obtained the title of “2007 cross-country vehicle of the year-Special vehicles category” after the October issue of the popular Munich-based all-wheel-drive magazine invited readers to vote for a selection of cross-country vehicles in a total of eight categories.

The trophy which is in the form of an Off Road obelisks were presented during a special gala evening held at Munich’s “Das Schloss” theatre tent. Over 56,000 readers have joined to select the winners from among the 80 vehicles nominated by the organizers. Mercedes-Benz models won in two categories: the Unimog was the top scoring model among the Special Vehicles obtaining 59% of the readers’ votes. The Mercedes G-Class won the “Classics” category.

The eight categories to which readers were invited to vote were the following:

9. Cross-country vehicles

10. Luxury cross-country vehicles

11. Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs)

12. Luxury SUVs

13. Classics

14. Pick-ups

15. Special vehicles

16. Crossover Vehicles

The “Special Vehicles” category include cross-country vehicles which are used for transporting loads and cargo in remote areas or as a basis for special missions used by fire-fighters, military, and for expeditions. The Unimog was the winner for this category. Its winning features include portal axles which give it an outstanding off-road capability, its extreme torsional flexibility combines with an extra amount of ruggedness and strength that completed the whole winning package.

Martin C. Klein, head of Sales/Marketing of Special Vehicles Division of DaimlerChrysler AG accepted the award from Off Road’s Florian Pillau. Actually, this was not the first time that the Unimog was honored, in the year 1994 it was also voted cross-country vehicle of the year.

The range of Unimog was produced at the Worth plant since 2002, the high-mobility Unimog U 3000 to U 5000 model series are perfect for difficult all-terrain operations that are far from roads and tracks. Its main applications are in the areas of fire-fighting especially in cases of forest fires, disaster relief, expedition transport as well as service and maintenance work in the areas where access is difficult. The latest addition to the Unimog family is the compact U 20 which made its debut at the 2006 IAA commercial vehicle show.

The Classic category which was won by the Mercedes-Benz G-class comprised of cross-country vehicles which have resisted the changing fashions and have maintained their original identity for many years. It should be noted that the G-class has been in production since 1979 and currently offered in three engine variants: with turbodiesel, with common rail injection, and with two eight cylinder petrol units.

Mercedes-Benz through the years

The history of Mercedes-Benz is a record of the automaker’s remarkable achievements in car manufacturing like for instance the Mercedes-Benz 240D which was introduced in 1973 in Europe and a year after in North America as a new diesel powered variant of the W115 chassis, replacing the 220D as Mercedes’ most powerful diesel car.

The price of the 240D was 19,913.40 Marks which is four times the price of a typical car during that time. It possesses the following features: heated seats, cruise control, leather seats, and a powered sunroof. It was also at that time that the 240D was branded as the fastest diesel engine available that is despite the fact that its 4-cylinder, 2.4 engine only delivers 65 hp compared to cars today the 240D can be considered extremely poor.

It was in the year 1976 that the production of the 115 chassis ended and the 240D became part of the W123 chassis family along with the powerful version, the 88-hp Mercedes-Benz 300D. The 240D engine was also improve to 53kW or 72 hp. The 240D was last imported to North America in 1983 but production of the car continued until 1985. On the other hand the production of Mercedes 240D parts continuous to provide those remaining 240D that roams the street today. Each Mercedes 240D part has passed the same quality test that Mercedes-Benz is employing.

In the news: Mercedes-Benz has recently announced that approximately more than 38 percent of all new Mercedes cars sold in Europe consume fewer than 6.5 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers. And that’s not all, one in every five Mercedes-Benz cars offer a fuel consumption of no more than 5 liters per 100 kilometers. DaimlerChrysler’s Mercedes currently offers a total of eleven passenger car models with average consumption ranging from 4.9 to 6.5 liters per 100 kilometers.

Last year, almost 34 percent of all Mercedes customers in Germany preferred new cars with a fuel consumption of below 6.5 liters per 100 kilometers. While an approximate of 18 percent German customers have chosen models with no more than 5 liters per 100 kilometers. Mercedes-Benz so far is the only premium brand to provide customers with such an extensive range of low-consumption models, including compact cars, saloons, sport tourers, and coupes.

From among the Mercedes range the A160 CDI is the most fuel-efficient Mercedes model of all, with a combined fuel consumption of 4.9 to 5.2 liters per 100 kilometers depending on the tire size. Mercedes-Benz compact car boast an output of 60kW/82 hp and capable of driving 1100 kilometers on a single tank of fuel (54 liters). The executive models of Mercedes-Benz such as the E 200 CDI and the E 220 CDI offer a fuel consumption of about 6 liters per 100 kilometers. The four-cylinder saloons with a recorded output of 100 kW/136 hp and 125 kW/170 hp consume only about 6.3 liters of diesel per 100 kilometers but if on a full tank meaning 65 liters it can cover an extra 1000 kilometers. Likewise, the optional 80 liter fuel tank of the CDI saloons boosts its driving range to over 1250 kilometers which is similar to driving from Berlin to Florence.

The Mercedes-Benz C-Class is further reduced by 0.3 liters per 100 kilometers and in the New European Driving Cycle or NEDC the new C 200 CDI and C 200 CDI models marked a fuel consumption of only 6.1 liters per 100 kilometers.

Here is the list of Mercedes-Benz cars with their corresponding output and fuel consumption:

• A 150- 70 kW/95hp; 6.2-6.7

• A 160 CDI- 60 kW/82hp; 4.9-5.2

• A 180 CDI- 80 kW/109 hp; 5.2-5.7

• A 200 CDI- 103 kW/140 hp; 5.4-5.7

• B 180 CDI- 80 kW/109 hp; 5.6-5.8

• C 200 CDI Saloon- 100 kW/136 hp; 6.1

• C 220 CDI Saloon 125 kW/170 hp; 6.1

• CLK 220 CDI Coupe- 110 kW/150 hp; 6.4-6.5

• E 200 CDI Saloon- 100 kW/136 hp; 6.3

• E 220 CDI Saloon- 125 kW/170 hp; 6.3

In the past years, Mercedes-Benz have not always made fuel consumption as their topmost priority but due to the increasing demand for fuel efficient vehicles they decided to finally joined the bandwagon. The main focus of Mercedes-Benz in the past is creating luxury vehicles that are loaded with comfort features although that policy is still employed for its new models but the fuel economy has become an important part of the whole car building equation.

One of the popular models produced by Mercedes-Benz is its SL-Class Luxury series. The SL means “Sport Light” or in German Sport Leicht. The SL-Class range is comprised of the following: 350SL, 450 SL, 280 SL, 380 SL, 500 SL, 300 SL, 300 SL-24, 420 SL and 560 SL. ---these are just some of the very first range of SL-Class model produced until 1989. Further advancement and modification were done on the SL-Class. Production of auto parts of the first generation of SL-Class like the Mercedes 450SL parts are still continued to provide avid SL-class owners with the quality Mercedes 450SL part that they need.

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