Mercedes domesticates diesel
Despite its benefits, North Americans never fell in love with diesel engines the way the Europeans did. That's largely because for decades, diesel engines were inferior to their gas counterparts in terms of noise, smoothness and odour.
For ages, Diesel fuel here was scarcely any cleaner or more refined than lamp-oil. Running this dirty stuff through one of Europe's ultra clean-burning engines would wreck its emissions hardware in a hurry.
But now, we have the clean stuff- and the technology to use it is coming here in a big way. As evidenced by last month's North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), the Germans beginning a diesel powered assault on our market.
New diesels from Deutschland
And why not? Gone are the days when driving a diesel meant being followed around by a grey, putrid haze and rattly 'takka-takka-takka' sound effects.
Smoke? Nada. Particulate filters take care of that. Smell? That's gone too. In fact, diesel can now be made quiet, smooth and reasonable-smelling enough for use in a machine like the Mercedes Benz ML-Class.
Fire up the ML 320 CDI and little more than a touch of starter noise and a quiet purr escape the engine bay. It's different but no louder sounding than most any gas-powered SUV. You'd be hard pressed to tell a difference if you weren't paying attention.
3.0 litre Common-rail Direct Injection, turbocharged
If you are, a few tell-tale signs are apparent. For one, there's a wooshy sensation to the power-delivery. Thanks in part to the turbocharger, all of the action in this engine happens at low revs. Diesel engines don't like to get all wound up- but they can pack a serious punch.
Plant your right foot from a dead stop, and excellent throttle response is returned, followed by a nearly startling surge of power as the turbo comes into play. The power delivery remains flat and even from this point on- and the overall effect is one of swift and plentiful thrust in any situation.
The 215 ponies aren't as important as the nearly 400 lb.-ft of torque that bless the ML CDI with powerful off the line pull and passing grunt. Expect 0- 60 in 8.6 seconds. There are even paddle-shifters for the seven-speed automatic gearbox which put gear-change control at the driver's fingertips.
Despite its benefits, North Americans never fell in love with diesel engines the way the Europeans did. That's largely because for decades, diesel engines were inferior to their gas counterparts in terms of noise, smoothness and odour.
For ages, Diesel fuel here was scarcely any cleaner or more refined than lamp-oil. Running this dirty stuff through one of Europe's ultra clean-burning engines would wreck its emissions hardware in a hurry.
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| The ML 320 CDI is an SUV that comes off as a fantastic looking and well equipped family hauler. |
But now, we have the clean stuff- and the technology to use it is coming here in a big way. As evidenced by last month's North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), the Germans beginning a diesel powered assault on our market.
New diesels from Deutschland
And why not? Gone are the days when driving a diesel meant being followed around by a grey, putrid haze and rattly 'takka-takka-takka' sound effects.
Smoke? Nada. Particulate filters take care of that. Smell? That's gone too. In fact, diesel can now be made quiet, smooth and reasonable-smelling enough for use in a machine like the Mercedes Benz ML-Class.
Fire up the ML 320 CDI and little more than a touch of starter noise and a quiet purr escape the engine bay. It's different but no louder sounding than most any gas-powered SUV. You'd be hard pressed to tell a difference if you weren't paying attention.
3.0 litre Common-rail Direct Injection, turbocharged
If you are, a few tell-tale signs are apparent. For one, there's a wooshy sensation to the power-delivery. Thanks in part to the turbocharger, all of the action in this engine happens at low revs. Diesel engines don't like to get all wound up- but they can pack a serious punch.
Plant your right foot from a dead stop, and excellent throttle response is returned, followed by a nearly startling surge of power as the turbo comes into play. The power delivery remains flat and even from this point on- and the overall effect is one of swift and plentiful thrust in any situation.
The 215 ponies aren't as important as the nearly 400 lb.-ft of torque that bless the ML CDI with powerful off the line pull and passing grunt. Expect 0- 60 in 8.6 seconds. There are even paddle-shifters for the seven-speed automatic gearbox which put gear-change control at the driver's fingertips.
 |
| Smoke and smell are things of the past. |