Autoblog

Mercedes sold over twelve-thousand diesel-powered vehicles in the US last year, but a crankshaft issue is sending 9,004 units back to the dealer for repair. NHTSA says the problem lies in a crankshaft sensor that can fail, which causes the engine to lose power and makes you the "disabled vehicle" the traffic reporter on the radio warns your fellow commuters about. That won't do. The recall affects 2007 E320 Bluetec, ML320 CDI, and GL320 CDI models. Since the sensor defect could leave drivers stranded, we're going to go ahead and recommend that you get this one fixed right away. We're still bullish on diesel, however, because high fuel economy and gobs of torque are a wonderful combo.

[Source: Auto News (subs. req'd)]

Looks like Mercedes-Benz is expecting diesels to make a huge comeback in the United States over the next few years. M-B is apparently projecting that diesels will account for a whopping 10 percent of U.S. sales by 2010, up from just 3 percent last year. With the new BLUETEC-nology helping the German automakers meet stricter Bin 5 clean air standards, and gas prices continuing to hover near the $3/gallon level, it's likely diesels will become more attractive to buyers, especially in the light- and heavy-duty truck segment where the mileage and torque gains seem huge compared to gas-engined options.

New low-sulfur diesel fuel is finally becoming more widely available in States too, so look for diesels to start popping up everywhere soon. Mercedes in particular has shown off the possibilities of diesel in its E320 and will start selling diesels this fall starting in the ML320 and then the GL320 and probably the R320, as well. And Mercedes isn't the only company expecting big diesel gains. J.D. Power's Global Outlook for Diesel predicts North American diesel sales to account for 15 percent of new vehicle sales by 2015.

[Source: Automotive News, sub req]

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.

Despite telling us back in January that its Mercedes-Benz E320 BLUETEC would be compliant with emissions standards in all 50 states, DaimlerChrysler has announced that it has not reached that goal and the vehicle will only be sold in 45 states when it goes on sale this fall. The five states in which the E320 BLUETEC will not be sold include California, Maine, Massachussets, New York and Vermont. The high emissions standards required by these five states represent a major hurdle for any manufacturer that plans to introduce diesels-powered light-duty vehicles in the U.S. If DaimlerChrysler, a vocal proponent of diesel in the U.S., couldn't meet their requirements, we're certain it will be at least a year or two for other automakers to either convert their current diesel engines or develop all-new ones to meet the stiff requirements.

An E320 BLUTEC prototype tested by the EPA in 2004 narrowly missed meeting the EPA's new Tier 2 Bin 5 standard for 50-state compliance. When the car does arrive it will use an NOx absorber to reduce the output of the harmful emissions. Future BLUETEC models will use a urea-based injection system, which the EPA has yet to approve and regulate but promises to do so soon. Urea-based injection technology appears to be the best solution for getting diesels on U.S. soil as fast as possible, but the EPA has concerns over adding another fluid to vehicles that needs to be actively checked and refilled by the driver.

[Source: Green Car Congress]

Take a quick look around the light-truck market, and it's clear that diesels are the hottest thing on dealer lots right now - but oddly enough, it's not currently possible to get an oil-burner in a full-size SUV. Jeep has apparently identified this massive hole in the market and will announce later today that a diesel Grand Cherokee will be available for the 2007 model year.

Details are a bit sketchy at this point, but it sounds as if the vehicle will use a 3.0L Bluetec common-rail diesel from Mercedes - an engine that makes 221 HP and 376 lb-ft of torque. Fuel economy is said to be improved by "30 percent" (we're guessing this is compared to the somewhat thirsty Hemi V8), yielding a driving range of 425 miles on one tank. Towing capacity is also supposed to be impressive, but that claim will need to be evaluated further once we have more information. Like its smaller Liberty brother, the Jeep Grand Cherokee diesel will be shipped from the factory with a tank of B5 biodiesel blend.  

While it will be the only full-size diesel SUV available in the US when it debuts in the first quarter of next year, we have to remind Chrysler that it isn't the first (as they claim) - GM's Suburban, Jimmy, and Blazer were available with the 6.2L Detroit Diesel way back in 1982, and more recently, Ford offered its monstrous Excursion with a Powerstroke diesel engine until that vehicle's demise last year.

[Source: The Chrysler Group; the press release is available after the jump]