2007 Used 5l V10 40v Automatic Rwd Sedan Premium on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Weekly Recap: Mercedes continues the pseudo-coupe craze with AMG-tuned CUV

But as BMW's X6 has demonstrated, sport sells in in the crossover segment, and Mercedes is giving the people what they want. BMW proved there is a market for crossover utility vehicles designed to look like coupes – as much as a vehicle with four doors and noticeable ground clearance can look like a coupe, anyway. Now comes the reply from Mercedes-Benz: the GLE Coupe. The rakish crossover is a harbinger of things to come from Mercedes, as it begins the company's transition to a new nomenclature and marks the debut of the AMG Sport line. It also continues the recent coupe craze. Designers from many automakers, like Nissan and Volkswagen, have increasingly turned to swoopy, dramatic styling to make utility vehicles and sedans seem more desirable. By revealing the GLE 450 AMG Sport model first, Mercedes is clearly hoping to cast the GLE Coupe as a sportier, lifestyle-oriented alternative in its lineup of beefy crossovers and SUVs. Mercedes used the word "sport," or a variation of it, 53 times in its press release, so uh yeah, it's sporty. It's not an empty promise: Benz means business with the AMG Sport line. This GLE Coupe gets a 3.0-liter biturbo V6 rated at 362 horsepower and 384 pound-feet of torque paired with Mercedes' new nine-speed automatic transmission, and it runs with 4Matic all-wheel drive. Specs on the other GLE Coupe models were not disclosed. But as BMW's X6 has demonstrated, sport sells in in the crossover segment, and Mercedes is giving the people what they want. After all, more than 260,000 people have bought X6s since 2008, and Mercedes wants a piece of that. From certain angles, the GLE Coupe even looks vaguely like an X6. "This is really a vehicle that is all about status," said Dave Sullivan, product analysis manager for research firm AutoPacific. "You can buy a SUV that doesn't have the inherent qualities of a SUV, such as cargo hauling. People will likely be drawn to the looks. Coupes are all the rage." BMW, however, isn't running from the fight, and the updated 2015 X6 is arriving in showrooms this month. It also added a smaller sibling, the X4, to its coupe-crossover stable in July. The GLE Coupe arrives next year, though Mercedes hasn't specified exactly when it will hit showrooms from the factory in Alabama, or specified details on the rest of the non-AMG Sport models. In 2008, it was surprising the X6 was a hit. In 2015, it will be even more surprising if the GLE Coupe isn't.

BMW working on 2 Series Active Hybrid Tourer

The cover may have officially been pulled off the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer at the Geneva Motor Show, but BMW has apparently continued working on other variants behind closed doors. While at first glance this prototype looks like any other Active Tourer, the "Hybrid Test Vehicle" stickers on the passenger door and rear bumper give it away as something a little different.
Details about the hybrid Active Tourer are somewhat sketchy at the moment, but BMW indicated its likely direction for the electrified hatchback in the earlier Concept Active Tourer. It used a hybridized 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine coupled with an electric motor with a total system output of 190 horsepower and 147 pound-feet of torque. The company claimed that it had a roughly 19-mile electric range and could hit 62 miles per hour in under 8 seconds. However, the Bavarian automaker hasn't said yet whether this powertrain would be used in the production version.
The internal combustion 2 Series Active Tourer is rumored to come to the US in 2015. Given the nearly complete look of the test car, the hybrid might not be too far behind.

BMW i3 qualifies for both green and white HOV stickers in California

BMW buyers tend to have enough cash on hand to be buffered from the concept of "sticker shock," but the term may take on a different meaning when it comes to the German automaker's i3 plug-in vehicle and its classification by California clean-air regulators. The first i3 EVs are set to be sold in May, and some are questioning if the new car will be eligible for the state's white stickers or green High-Occupancy Vehicle lane stickers, both of which allow for solo-occupancy in HOV lanes. California gives out white stickers to some types of battery-electric vehicles, compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, and there's currently no limit on the number that can be given out. The green stickers, which are applied to other battery electrics as well as some plug-in hybrids, are limited (there are currently about 15,000 left) and will likely run out within the next year or two. The i3's status is uncertain because of it has an optional gas-powered range-extender. Jacob Harb, head of electric vehicle operations and strategy for BMW, told AutoblogGreen that it's not all that complicated. The pure electric version of the i3 will get the white sticker, the REx version will get the green sticker. He also said that both will qualify for the $2,500 state incentive in California and the $7,500 federal tax credit available in all 50 states (For what it's worth, Green Car Reports says the REx version will only get $1,500 from California). Read Autoblog's First Drive impressions of the i3 here.