You may have noticed that luxury car brands are in full expansion mode and we’re here to confirm it. As sales for high-end products continue to increase, so does the number of offerings.
Mercedes is one of the most recognizable luxury-related brands in the world and the crew from Stuttgart, Germany is milking this to the max. And why not? The world could always use more pretty things to look at and covet.
The new GLE-Class
By combining a midsize car and CUV, Mercedes has come up with their version of one of the fastest-growing new popular body styles: the Cross Coupé.
Mercedes will obviously offer up a number of powertrains including the recently coined 400 which features a 333 horsepower bi-turbocharged 3.0L V6. The top-line GLE 450 AMG gets an extra 44 horsepower from the same mill.
The styling may not be exactly unique anymore, but it is somewhat compelling. The various available wheels -- including massive 22-inchers on the AMG -- create an aura of power and sophistication not usually associated on sedans, but on SUVs.
Technologies, both for entertainment and safety, are practically overflowing from the GLE-Class.
C 350 PHEV
The C-Class is Mercedes’ bread-and-butter car. With such a popular car comes the opportunity to multiply sales by adding various versions.
The PLUG-IN HYBRID will please those looking for miserly fuel consumption numbers without sacrificing too much performance.
The C 350 PHEV is powered by a 211-horsepower turbocharged 2.0L 4-pot mated to a 60 kW electric motor. Total system output is 279 horsepower and 600 Nm of torque.
Fuel consumption is expected to hover just above the 2.0L/100km mark while the 0-100km/h sprint should take little more than 6 seconds.
The PHEV should arrive in showrooms by late spring 2015.
C 450 AMG Sport
AMG Sport represents a bridge-gap between a true AMG car and a “regular” Mercedes.
Much like the C 350 PHEV, the 450 AMG Sport adds an extra layer to the increasingly large family of C-Class Mercedes. And like the GLE 450, the C features a bi-turbocharged 367-horsepower 3.0L V6.
Merc’s 4MATIC AWD system is standard, as is the 7G-TRONIC PLUS automatic transmission. The entire powertrain shoots the sedan to 100km/h in 4.9 seconds, and (more importantly) in 5.0 seconds flat for the Estate.
The C 450 AMG is shod with a sport suspension that is three-way adjustable, along with a number of other go-fast bits.