Putting the patrol vehicle 6.X beside the older LAPV 5.4, the newer Mercedes creation has a bigger payload capacity, better agility, and improved level of protection.

The new G-Wagen has a common-rail diesel powerplant with a higher torque that allows it to go as fast as 93 mph and manage without a problem a payload capacity of 1.4 tons.

The body is armored by full steel protection against ballistics. The vehicle also has a mine deflector installed with its flooring.

The LAPV 6.x is also equipped with variable-lift air shocks that give it a ground clearance of up to 17.7 inches. It also comes with its own tire inflation system.

The EADS or European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company gave the vehicle a data recorder, VHF/UHF communication setup, a jamming system, and a mobile control/command system.

The primary reason that most people choose the Mercedes Sprinter is it’s size. The Sprinter was designed as a delivery van and it has room to spare. There is seating for up to ten people with plenty of cargo space as well. The seats can be easily removed if you need more space to haul a large load. The Sprinter is also good for carrying objects that would be to tall to fit into another van, there is plenty of headroom.

You would think that a van with that much cargo space would be a gas guzzler but you would be wrong. Surprisingly the most fuel efficient van on the market isn’t a minivan but the much larger Sprinter. Given today’s gas prices as well as the need to reduce our greenhouse emissions this has made the Mercedes van very popular with buyers and people looking for van leasing offers alike.

Despite it’s size and carrying capacity the Sprinter is very easy to drive. A lot of people are intimidated to drive a large vehicle, that’s why minivans became popular in the first place. This isn’t an issue with the Sprinter. The steering is smooth and the van has a surprisingly small turning radius, getting around tight corners isn’t an issue.

Although originally designed for hauling cargo, Mercedes now offer all of the features would be expected on any family car. Heated seats, a sun roof, and climate control are all available. The sprinter also comes with all of the standard safety features, anti lock brakes and stability control

One of the biggest reasons that the Mercedes Sprinter has become so popular is that it can be used for so many different things. It can be used to haul cargo, or to drive the family around. The Sprinter is also being used as shuttle bus. Many businesses are finding that the Sprinter is a much more efficient way to get people around than the buses they had been using previously.

In addition to being the most practical option on the market a lot of people will tell you that it is also one of the most stylish vans available. Although this is a matter of taste, it is undeniable that the Mercedes Sprinter is one of a kind and people do notice them. If you are in the market for a van there is no better option than the Mercedes Sprinter.

The reason that you can’t normally get bike insurance and auto insurance in one policy is that there are some pretty important difference in what is covered from one to the other. The biggest difference involves personal injury coverage. Generally speaking when a car accident occurs the people in the car are covered for any injuries they suffer. This isn’t true for motorcycles, riders need to purchase separate personal injury insurance. They also need to purchase it for their rider.

There are also differences in liability coverage from a bike to a car, this time to the benefit of the motorcyclist. The reason that you are required by law to have insurance is for the liability coverage, it is to protect other people in the event you cause an accident. According to the Carole Nash Insurance Consultants, the amount of damage you can do to somebody else on a motorcycle is fairly limited, the rider is far more likely to get hurt. That means that the premiums on a bike are much lower than they would be for a car. If you were to put them on the same policy you would end up paying much higher premiums than would otherwise be necessary since they would be based on the damage the car could do.

Another problem with insuring your bike and your car on the same policy is that you may need different types of coverage. This is especially true for comprehensive coverage. If you borrowed money to buy your bike the lender will almost certainly require you to have comprehensive insurance. This isn’t the case for a car. The reason for this is that in an accident a bike usually gets written off and loses all of it’s value. Cars can usually be repaired and put back on the road after the accident. From the lenders perspective they need to protect themselves if your bike does get totalled. There is little reason for you to continue making the payments if you no longer have the bike.

Although it may seem more convenient to put your bike and your car on one insurance policy it isn’t really practical. Although they have a lot of similarities cars and motorcycles are not the same. There are some important differences and these differences are reflected in the way they are insured.

To be more specific, the overall length of the luxury car (taking into account the roomier rear legroom and the wheelbase) increased by 5.5 inches or 14 cm. Consumers also noted that the front seats can be controlled from the rear.

Again, reviewers aren’t sure if this is such a good thing. One thing’s for sure though—it’s not a good idea to have pranksters and naughty little kids into the secret.

The ground clearance of the car has also increased significantly for this model, thanks to Mercedes’ Agility Control suspension system. A Mercedes car wouldn’t be a Mercedes car without safety features, and the ones included in this model are the sleep alert system and the PRE-SAFE technology.

The mechanics under the hood also make for a pretty smooth drive, despite the less than spectacular external design alterations. The car will be available to consumers in two 540-liter variations. One is the 260-CGI BlueEFFICIENCY which produces 150kW/204hp and the E300 which produces 180kW/245 hp. This is, to date, the smallest turning circle for this model class. Take note that the E 260 AVANTEGARDE also comes with an electronic, panoramic sliding sunroof, rear seat entertainment system, thermatic air conditioning system, and a keyless-GO electronic drive authorization system with remote boot closing.

The SLK roadster is scheduled to be released on the first half of 2011 after getting additional cargo space, shedding of some weight, and most likely getting a new engine.

The next SLK drops about 200 pounds in weight and increases its trunk capacity to 11.2 cubic feet. These new features will be well received for owners who frequent the golf course or those who needs some additional space when they go on a road trip. Basing on the SLK seen on the road though, auto spies have reported a shorter and lower SLK seen on the roads of Germany.

The new SLK may get a new engine after its official debut since a V6 3.0L that is capable of giving out 300 to 350 horsepower is still in the works. The car manufacturer will stick with the old engine until they get the revolutionary replacement.

The new spy shots of the new SLK, although still under heavy camouflage, reveal that the nose of the car does not have that Formula 1 look. The side mirrors also moved down the sides of the door instead of being adjusted on the A pillar. It looks like that it is giving some cues of becoming a big SL from behind.

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The car will be using the Bluetec diesel system with a technology for hybrid systems that they developed with BMW. The one on display in Geneva has a diesel four 2.2L with twin turbochargers. This powerplant can output an excellent 204 horsepower.

The same engine is featured at the 2011 E250 Bluetec that took spotlight at the 2009 New York Auto Show. The fuel mileage of the powerplant is estimated to be 39 mpg while cruising on the highway and 29 mpg while on the city streets.

The electric motor and lithium ion battery installed on the E300 hybrid are similar to the configuration used by the 2010 S400 Hybrid that kicked off sales last year.

The drivetrain of the E300 will only be a mild hybrid. This means that the car’s electric motor will only boost the power of the combustion engine and will be utilized to restart the car from full stops. The E300 will not be capable of running pure electric like the Toyota Prius – but it’s a hybrid car none the less.

The mild hybrid setup will not really be an issue. Initial tests show that the fuel economy is pegged at 57 mpg based on the combined cycle in Europe. This translates to a CO2 emission of about 109 grams per kilometer.

There is no need to worry though if you are hoping for more green cars in the market. There are several European car producers that are on the race to come up with the technology as early as 2011. French carmaker Citroen promised to use a diesel-hybrid engine with their new baby the DS5 but this will have to wait until 2011.

Mercedes-Benz was able to step on the pedal and may hit their goal. Mercedes Benz will be able to deliver a hybrid diesel-electric vehicle and also launch a version of the technology through the E-Class before the end of the year. Deliveries of the hybrid units will start by the first months of 2011.

The E-Class hybrid will be labeled E300 Hybrid and will be depending on a 2.2L 4-cylinder turbo diesel engine paired to a lithium ion electric motor. This engine is also used by the E250 Bluetec running on diesel.

The E300 hybrid will only be on a mild hybrid configuration. This means that the car cannot really run on a full electric mode but the electric motor is just used to boost the power of the combustion engine and restarting the vehicle from a stop. The fuel consumption though is still very good and will be more than 50mpg.

The components of the Mercedes-Benz hybrid will be similar in configuration with the S400 Hybrid. The S400 is doing well in the local German market with makes up 15% of the sales figures of the S-Class. The modular platform being followed by the carmaker allows the sharing of the components of their different units. Diesel hybrid configuration is also being planned for the GL, ML, and GLK SUV.

Mercedes-Benz’ F800 Style represents what future Mercedes-Benz will look like. The four-door, five-seat coupe blends safety, future driving technology, and comfort with the new design language of the company.

The interior of the concept vehicle is quite roomy and makes use of display concepts and intelligent controls for seating. The concept vehicle has two versions. One version will be purely utilizing an electric drive which runs on fuel cells and has a decent range of 375 miles. Another version is a hybrid plug-in that can run on pure electricity for 18 miles.

F800 Style plug-in hybrid car will depend on the 300 horsepower V-6 gasoline powerplant and an electric motor that uses lithium ion battery packs. According to insiders, the F800 plug-in variant will be able to zoom from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.7 seconds. It will hit 155 mph as its top speed. The fuel efficiency of this concept will be pegged at 81 mpg. The electric vehicle mode of this variant will allow it to hit 75 mph for its top speed. The new generation of Mercedes-Benz S Class will feature an engine like this one.

The pure electric variant of the F800 Style will depend on an electric motor that has an output of 136 horsepower. The engine will also make use of a hydrogen fuel cell just like the one that will be installed on the F-Cell of the B-Class due to roll out in the near future.

During the Detroit Auto Show, Mellinghoff explained that around 80% of the accidents on the road involving people entail only 20% of the car’s front hitting the pedestrian. They did the math and studies show that it will only take a Mercedes Benz to swerve by 40 to 50 centimeters to avoid the pedestrian detected by the safety system.

Safety on the road is ultimately the responsibility of the driver so the technology will still encourage that the driver should react first during a potential road mishap. This concept is also applied on other Mercedes safety systems.

The Mercedes’ crash prevention technology will be unlike Volvo’s CitySafe system which triggers the brakes to avoid collision. The new safety protocol will be added to other existing safety platforms of Mercedes like the drowsiness monitor first used with the E-Class. The drowsiness system will be rolled out as a standard featured in all Mercedes Benz vehicles.

Mellinghoff admitted that it might be impossible to totally eliminate all accidents on the road, like what is set by their Volvo counterparts, but he is proud to say that fatal accidents involving Mercedes Benz is rarely part of the real world statistics. The head of safety of Mercedes boasts that they do not have a reported incident of a Mercedes Benz driver who was killed or seriously injured in the last two years.

Some may look at the addition of the 3 cylinder engine as step back as the cars goes from being an EV to being a hybrid but looking at the feasibility angle, that is the best option.

Without the E-CELL PLUS, the BlueZERO vehicles’ range will not be that impressive. That brings anxiety to the consumers who will worry of what they must do if they run out of battery while on the road. Injecting the range extender technology allows the cars to run 100km on pure electricity then an additional 500 km when using the gas-electric engine combo.

The battery can give drivers a full range of 100 kilometers given that the batteries are fully charged. This usually takes an hour of charging.

Mercedes-Benz is simply addressing the concerns of their potential buyers. The infrastructure for EVs on the road is admittedly not yet there. Re-fuelling of a vehicle is still practically done at a gas station and not all of them have stations where you can plug-in your EVs.

The BlueZERO also boasts of other indicators of what it can do on the road. The top speed is pegged at 150 km/hr and the cars can accelerate from 0 to 100 in 11 seconds. Not bad. Via Green Cars Blog.