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Mercedes rolls out the long red carpet for new Maybach S600 Pullman [w/video]

Remember when the S-Class was the S-Class and that was it? The pinnacle of the Mercedes-Benz lineup, at least as far as sedans were concerned. But those days are long behind us. Now there's a coupe as well (bringing the former CL back into the fold), a convertible on its way, the uber-luxe Maybach limo and this: the new Pullman. The creme de la creme of the Silver Star range, His Excellency Field Marshall Dr. Mercedes-Maybach S600 Pullman Dada – as it's known in full, at least with the twelve-cylinder engine – is... well, it's enormous. It's bigger than the old Maybach 62 it essentially replaces and bigger even than an extended-wheelbase Rolls-Royce Phantom. And why would you need a vehicle so large? Well, you wouldn't. And neither would we. But there are some, shall we call them "unelected heads of state" who would accept no less. They're the customers who favored the original, and 50 years later, they're the ones who'll be snapping up the new one. (The little wavy flags on the front fenders are optional.)

New Mercedes Unimog debuts to the cheers of little boys everywhere [w/video]

The Mercedes Unimog, the superhero villain of the off-road world that's just waiting to make the jump to Transformer, has been completely upgraded for its new generation. There are ten models, expanding the range and getting new designations across the traditional all-terrain series and the implement-carrier series. Panoramic cabins get more visibility, multifunction steering wheels and better dash clusters, improved HVAC and a three-mode central tire inflation system. Outside, there are new items like LED headlights and daytime running lamps in the bumper, roof-mounted windshield wipers and a front-camera monitor for the implement carrier.
The new engine lineup is compliant with Euro VI, featuring four- and six-cylinder BlueEfficiency engines putting out anywhere from 156 horsepower to 354 hp. Powerplant placement has also been tweaked, the chassis members getting a revised curve to place the engine a bit further back and lower, maintaining off-road clearance and lowering the Unimog's center of gravity. The new location of the engine means the cabin has more room, and the wheelbase is shorter. Combined with a higher turning angle, the Unimog has a smaller turning radius than before.
The implement carrier gets what's called a "synergistic traveling drive," the bonus being that drivers don't need to stop in order to use an attachment - a hydrostatic transmission works with the regular manual transmission at up to 31 kilometers per hour for seamless switching.

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.