Three Mercedes-Benz BLUETEC vehicles are on their way
UPDATE: Our man Sam from AutoblogGreen was kind enough to inform us that these new Benz's are on sale now, however, are only available in 45 states. The E320 is the only vehicle that will come equipped with BLUETEC and urea injection currently, while the others are utilizing a common rail setup. All will come equipped with BLUETEC and urea by 2008.
Hot on the heels of the widespread adoption of new diesel throughout the U.S. last week, Mercedes has announced the impending arrival of three BLUETEC equipped models.
The ML320 CDI SUV, the R320 CDI, tarted-up minivan and the E320 BLUETEC will all come equipped with a three-liter V6 diesel that will make upwards of 200 HP and close to 400 lb.-ft. of torque. Mercedes contends that these new diesels will provide the pull of a V8, yet return mileage numbers comparable to a four-cylinder.
The E320 BLUETEC sedan will chug happily along for over 700 miles before it needs more go juice, returning 40 percent better fuel economy when matched up against a comparably equipped E-series. The ML320 CDI increases its fuel mileage by 28 percent and the R-class will get a 32 percent bump in fuel economy.
These new engines claim to meet the world's most stringent emissions standards and should begin arriving on U.S. shores soon.
Click on through for MSRP's on each model, along with the EPA mileage figures.
PRESS RELEASE
MERCEDES-BENZ launches three new diesel-powered models
Quiet, Strong Diesels Power Mercedes-Benz Sedan and Sport Utilities
MONTVALE, N.J. – Today Mercedes-Benz is launching three new models powered by new-generation diesel engines that are impressively quiet, clean and fast. As earlier-technology diesels are disappearing from the U.S. market, Mercedes-Benz is announcing the availability of the ML320 CDI, a mid-size sport utility with a suggested retail price of $ 44,455; the R320 CDI, a six-passenger luxury vehicle priced at $ 44,775; and the E320 BLUTEC, a full-size luxury sedan that begins at $ 52,325 (all three prices include a destination charge of $775).
The new diesel vehicles are powered by an innovative three-liter V6 diesel engine that combines the impressive torque of a V8 engine with the great fuel economy of four-cylinder engines. The new R320 CDI and ML320 CDI make 215 horsepower and 398 lb.-ft. of torque, while the E320 BLUETEC produces 208 and torque of 400 lb.-ft. All three models are fitted with the latest CDI electronic fuel injection, and the E320 BLUETEC features new emission control technology that holds the potential to meet the world's toughest clean air standards.
Aided by its aerodynamic styling, the E320 BLUETEC boasts a whopping 40 percent better fuel mileage than a comparable gasoline-powered model, and its EPA city/highway rating of 27/37 miles per gallon means the luxury sedan can cruise more than 700 miles on a single tank of fuel. With a city/highway rating of 21/28 mpg, the R320 CDI gets 32 percent better fuel economy, while the ML320 CDI sport utility (rated at 21/27 mpg) provides a 26 percent improvement. Both CDI models have a cruising range of well over 600 miles before refueling.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
HAL 12:00PM (10/17/2006)
Forgive me ,but what does BLUETEC mean?
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M. 12:06PM (10/17/2006)
BLUETEC is DCs trademark for the urea injection system that reduces NOx emissions from EU4 level (250 microgramm) to California level (80 microgram).
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mr 12:31PM (10/17/2006)
I can't wait to see the reviews of that E320 BLUETEC. 27 city / 37 highway for a car with 400 ft-lbs. of torque is incredible.
How often does one have to refill the urea, I wonder? Please nobody say "after a couple cups of coffee." I'm serious.
http://ecofootprint.blogspot.com/
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G 12:18PM (10/17/2006)
Excellent. Mercedes-Benz will have the world's number one automotive market to showcase its newest and cleanest diesel technology.
http://www.300sd.com
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F. Kagi 9:02AM (10/19/2006)
Wow, 400 lb.-ft of torque and 28 miles a gallon?
Yep, we're all gonna rush out and buy 50K cars and tell OPEC to keep (some of) their oil, so they can cut production and oil prices jump to three digits per barel.
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steve 12:37PM (10/17/2006)
Does anybody know if these cars wil be certified for sale in New York State?
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D Man 12:48PM (10/17/2006)
I thought the Feds said that the urea injection system was too much for the consumer to upkeep. So the BLUETEC will only be 45 state compliant. California and 4 other North Eastern States are off-limits!
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Brocktoon 3:20PM (10/17/2006)
Available in Canada already, at get this, no extra charge over base models. I'm thinking of a M 320cdi myself, same price as a similarly equipped Touareg V6 gas.
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Zo 1:32PM (10/17/2006)
#6 -- They are still working things out with the EPA, however even the EPA test have shown the following
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2006/01/daimlerchrysler.html
"DaimlerChrysler has been lobbying the EPA for several years to change the agency’s mind on the use of urea injection systems.
The AdBlue tank (normally hidden with a liftable cover) in the Jeep BLUETEC concept.
The company counters that since an average of around 0.1 liters per 100 km (2,352.15 mpg of AdBlue or 1 to 3 percent of diesel consumption) is all that is required, the tank can be designed so that it only needs to be refilled when service staff are carrying out regular, scheduled maintenance. In other words, take it out of the hands of the drivers.
The company has a large base of operating experience from which to speak on this area, having delivered more than 10,000 AdBlue-based commercial diesel vehicles in Europe over the past number of years. "
Basically, it should last enough between service interval that it can be handled when you go in for service. Many states have required yearly or every other year emissions testing. The Urea could also be checked at the emissions center to check for compliance. According to Benz which has already test 10,000 vehicals, the Urea has a 2,352.15 mpg rating.
Another system that has been kicking around is a way of preventing you from filling up your tank unless your Urea fluid is at a certain level and you would be able to purchase a fill up of the Urea at the station at the time of the fill up.
The EPA in a laughable statement wants the car to automatically shut off when the Urea goes below a certain level. Which is just further proof that the govt is full of quacks.
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Anonymous 1:44PM (10/17/2006)
NY Times reviewed E320 Bluetec this past Sunday. You can read the review by clicking on this link (goes to the NY Times page).
The urea will need to be replenished every 15,000 miles or so and the 50 state compliance will be in effect by 2009 when the new and more rigorous emissions standards take effect.
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Anonymous 1:45PM (10/17/2006)
Sorry for the above non-link. Autoblog does not seem to like proper HTML. Here is the URL:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/15/automobiles/autoreviews/15MERC.html?ref=automobiles
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Afi K. James 1:49PM (10/17/2006)
I Think bluetec is a great idea, just like ethanol.
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HAL 2:07PM (10/17/2006)
Thanks M .Post(2)
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James 2:47PM (10/17/2006)
pulls like a V8? with 200 horsepower?
I doubt this car will have comparable acceleration to the monsterous E550, which is 380+bhp.
but it will probably be able to dust the gas V6 models in the lineup.
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asurroca 9:31PM (10/17/2006)
@ James
Hey, what about underpowered V8s like the one in the Ford Crown Vic? Seriously, though, 400 lb-ft torque at low rpm should be enough to compensate for the engine's 200 hp.
Perhaps I missed it, but all I could read from the press release was that these models were hitting the US "soon". Soon, as in any minute now, or soon as in 2007?
If they hit market before 2006 is over, I'm guessing Volkswagen will rush to get the the common-rail 2.0l TDI (recently shown in the US-spec Jetta) to market. Seriously, the MB diesels are fine and all, but these aren't cars the average Joe can even afford. I'll wait until we see this tech in Volkswagen's fleet in 2007.
With Mercedes and Volkswagen headlining the clean diesel push in the US, let's see how long it takes for other companies to bring diesels here. I can't wait.
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Greg A. 3:24PM (10/17/2006)
"BLUETEC is DCs trademark for the urea injection system that reduces NOx emissions..."
WRONG! As can be inferred from what Zo posted (comment #7), the EPA has NOT approved the use of urea solutions (yet). Bluetec is (pardon my lack of detail) a new system to clean up diesel emissions (without the use of a urea solution). M-B calls its urea solution system AdBlue.
And let's not forget that the diesel engine and emissions system Honda recently announced will meet the strict Tier II Bin 5 regulations without the need to add a urea solution, unlike Bluetec. On the other hand, Honda hasn't yet determined if it can make a bigger, more powerful engine (the one they've announced is just a four-cylinder) do the same. There was an article about this Honda engine as well in Sunday's New York Times.
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sr20de 3:40PM (10/17/2006)
#12: You obviously don't understand diesels. It has 200HP but 400ft/lbs of torque.
HP sells cars, torque wins races.
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Ignorant 4:12PM (10/17/2006)
sr20de : That's just a phrase. For example
http://www.caranddriver.com/roadtests/11344/2006-bmw-330d.html
Comparable HP but 149 lb ft torque more than the gas counterpart but still slower to 60 and the 1/4 mile? Clearly torque doesn't win races.
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Ian 4:31PM (10/17/2006)
Is this BT engine the one which if you don't replenish the urea goes into near shut down mode (possibly on the highway) and the car is reduced to limping home at about 15-20 mph? If so it's probably this feature which scares the Feds.
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Fabulo 5:01PM (10/17/2006)
"Clearly torque doesn't win races."
Races are not 1/4 miles acceleration. Clearly.
I know what torque is, and how it translates to moving my car. I know how it relates to the RPM of the engine and gearing. I know how torque gets translated to forward motion. I know all about it.
Now if you can explain what horse power *is* and why it matters to have more of it, and how it is related to either speed or acceleration, I would be very grateful.
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