2002 Mercedes-benz G500, Wood Trim, Nav, Sirius, Bluetooth, 4x4, Must See on 2040-cars

Auto blog

German carmakers recall 630,000 diesel vehicles in Europe

Mercedes, Opel, Porsche, and Volkswagen will recall over 630,000 cars in Europe, according to reports Friday. No diesel car has been able to get under the legal emissions limit in real-world driving, according to a German government investigation. While only Volkswagen Group has been using a specific "defeat device", other carmakers have been playing with their exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) systems. Depending of the manufacturer, the systems have been cut off at a certain temperature. In a specific test cycle the systems operate to fulfill the legal requirements, but in everyday use the limits are exceeded. According to the magazine Der Spiegel, the supplier Bosch is behind this programming and has provided it to all German automakers. The mentioned carmakers have announced recalls, but many other manufacturers are also mentioned by name in the report, including Alfa Romeo, Chevrolet, Dacia, Fiat, Ford, Hyundai, Jaguar, Jeep, Land Rover, Nissan, Renault, and Suzuki. PSA Group, which produces Peugeot, Citroen, and DS cars, declared yesterday that its offices were raided following an emissions investigation. Related Video: News Source: AutocarImage Credit: Getty Images Government/Legal Green Recalls Mercedes-Benz Porsche Volkswagen Opel Emissions Diesel Vehicles diesel emissions investigation

Mercedes-Benz S500 Plug-in Hybrid ready for 'major role' in urban areas

We finally got a clear look at the Mercedes-Benz S500 Plug-in Hybrid at the Frankfurt Motor Show last fall, but it took until this week to learn what the vision (see what we did there) is that Mercedes-Benz has for the PHEV. Despite it's generous size, Mercedes thinks this is a vehicle that will work well in urban areas. Speaking to members of the media during the Detroit Auto Show, Thomas Weber, Daimler AG management board member and research and development chief for Mercedes-Benz cars, said that the S500 PHEV, "will play a major role in congested areas" and that it will offer "a lot of driving pleasure." Part of that pleasure will come from a 0-62 mile-per-hour time of around 5.5 seconds thanks to a turbocharged, 3.0-liter V6 and an 80-kilowatt electric motor. The PHEV also has a 19-mile EV range, which will put it at the bottom end of the Three-Pointed star plug-in lineup. The upcoming C-Class plug-in, for example, will likely go, "closer to 50 km [31 miles]," Weber said, according to Green Car Reports. The S500 PHEV will go on sale in Europe later this year and will come to the US in early 2015 but there is no timeline, yet, for the C-Class plug-in (and the standard gas-electric hybrid version) or the even-more-future E-Class hybrids. Featured Gallery 2014 Mercedes-Benz S500 Plug-in Hybrid: Frankfurt 2013 View 22 Photos News Source: Green Car ReportsImage Credit: 2014 Jonathon Ramsey / AOL Green Detroit Auto Show Mercedes-Benz Electric Hybrid PHEV s500

Top horsepower-per-dollar cars in 2017

Bang for the buck. That quasi-scientific statistic is bandied about by motor heads everywhere from classrooms to barrooms, though the truth of the matter is that it's exceedingly complex to measure. A fair performance-per-dollar index would include something like cross-referencing MSRP (Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price) with point-to-point times on a track or driving route, which is obviously hard to do comprehensively. But, for the sheer joy of talking about cars and playing with a big spreadsheet, there's always the horsepower-per-dollar index, which is more straightforward, albeit hilariously flawed. There are vagaries even with this simple formula, of course: MSRP for vehicles can change at a moment's notice, to say nothing of the bottom-line shifting that happens with local deals or showroom negotiation. For this list we're running with the straight MSRP wherever possible, and as recently reported as we can get it. All the vehicles on this list are 2017 models, and all trims are reported where the lowest price and differing power levels intersect. Some choices were made for personal preference and some for sanity, avoiding things like all 48 trim levels of the Ford Transit, all with the same horsepower). If this list were a simple top ten, or even a top fifty, you'd be bored to tears with all the red, white and blue that is represented. Following perfectly with conventional wisdom, American cars really do lead the world where hp/$ is concerned. So, for the sake of variety (and the sheer joy of seeing a minivan 'win' one round of this thing) I've sorted out some top five and bottom five lists for broad power categories. Let's dive in. Less Than 100 Horsepower Okay, okay, this is hardly a category we'll grant you. But we've often tried to click off all the sub-100-hp cars on sale in the US, and making this list gave us an excuse. It also illustrates that none of these smallish vehicles bring cheap horsepower to the table - for that you'll need a motorcycle. The segment-leading Chevy Spark (above) asks just over $139 for each hp, and that Smart Fortwo Electric Drive has hp on sale for about the same price as its very distant family cousin, the Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG (insert your favorite Smart joke here... we know you want to).