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The Mercedes G-Class gets the full Maybach treatment before the curtain finally closes

Like the hotdog and soda combo at Costco or the official website for the 1996 movie Space Jam, the Mercedes-Benz G-Class has soldiered on nearly unaltered since its birth. Sure, there have been variants like the wonderfully over-the-top G63 6x6, but the G-Wagen is essentially the same squared-off SUV with rifle-bolt locks and doors with enough mass to support a minor gravity field. Spy shots show a replacement is finally on the horizon, but based on the leaked YouTube video above and Instagram post below, it looks like the current model is going to get the full Mercedes-Maybach Landaulet treatment before the curtain finally closes. While there has been no official word from the automaker, all signs point to a genuine Mercedes-Maybach product. The vehicle is badged as a G650, which falls in line with other current V12-powered Mercedes-Maybach products. The Maybach name and badge are found in all the expected places. The license closely matches other Mercedes German-manufacturer plates. The carbon fiber fender flares and portal axles look like they were taken from the G550 4x42. The latter means, despite the increased wheelbase, this new model should still be a formidable off-road machine. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. While we can't see the interior, look for the typical Maybach treatment. That means high-quality leather surfaces throughout and an increased focus on rear seat comfort and convenience. If this is indeed a G650, it's packing a 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged V12 under the hood that churns out 630 horsepower and 737 pound-feet of torque. The partial convertible top is what gives this the Landaulet moniker. According to the text on this Instagram post, there will only be 99 examples produced. Look for a full reveal in the next few months. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Mercedes widens luxury sales gap on strong early CLA demand

Mercedes-Benz CLA sales have been booming, with the Stuttgart-based manufacturer moving 2,300 of the sleek four-doors in its first week on sale. That is astonishing. Mercedes moved nearly twice as many CLAs (which start at $29,900) in one week than Jaguar, a brand that is on a very solid roll, sold in all of September. Ignoring the price differences between the Jag line and the CLA, that is still wildly impressive.
Mercedes has been pushing the CLA in television ads, using a shortened version of its Super Bowl spot, which starred William Dafoe, Usher and Kate Upton. "As the bargain entrance into the Mercedes portfolio, we weren't sure how luxury buyers would react," Kelly Blue Book auto analyst Alec Gutierrez told Bloomberg.
The CLA push was just part of MB's 6.7-percent increase in September sales, which were also helped along by a 17-percent jump in E-Class sales. That surge has allowed Mercedes to widen its 2013 sales lead over its rival, BMW, to 2,491 cars, according to Bloomberg. If CLA sales continue at this rate, we can only expect that margin to grow.

SRT Viper dukes it out with Mercedes SLS Black Series in new Head 2 Head

In Episode 36 of Motor Trend's Head 2 Head, now that the Corvette ZR1 is no more, Jonny Lieberman has to look overseas to the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series for a challenger with similar philosophy to the SRT Viper: long hood hiding a high-horsepower engine set way back, rear-wheel drive, tiny trunks. That puts the Viper's 8.4-liter V10 with 640 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque against the SLS AMG's 6.2-liter V8 with 622 hp and 468 lb-ft.
However, the congruences in philosophy and magnitude of numbers doesn't translate to the driving experiences of the two, which are literally and figuratively on different continents. Lieberman gets a handle on the two of them on Northern California roads, Randy Probst then finds out how, and how quickly, they can lap Laguna Seca.
They both get kudos for being improvements on their original sources, but only one of them can take the win. You can find out by watching the video below.