Autoblog

Motor Trend has gone and named the 2007 Mercedes-Benz GL450 its SUV of the Year. We apologize if you were waiting with baited breath for the December issue of MT to arrive because you like to find these things out for yourself, but if that's the case then we can't help you. The GL450 beat out 22 other SUVs including such contenders as the new Acura RDX and MDX, four variants of General Motors' GMT900 platform (Escalade, Tahoe, Suburban and Yukon Denali XL), the Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator, as well as Ford's own version of the Hail Mary Pass, the new Edge. The GL450 was no doubt aided by its ability to repel side impact barriers, set slalom cones on fire, and swallow an entire home's worth of furniture (how do the Germans engineer this stuff?), all of which you can check out the GL450 doing in this "controversial" commercial.

Forget for a minute who won Motor Trend's SUV of the Year award and let's examine the 22 contenders (follow the jump for a complete list). MT editor Angus Mackenzie admits himself that only three out of the 22, the Mercedes-Benz GL, Jeep Wrangler and Toyota FJ Cruiser, have any real off-road capability. In fact, the vast majority are really crossovers, or CUVs, built on unibody frames like a car and meant for fair weather excursions where the road is always on an even keel. It's appropriate that the MT editors picked an actual SUV as this year's winner, as next year we might be reporting on Motor Trend's CUV of the Year.

[Source: MT and Mercedes-Benz]

Brabus may have beaten them to the punch by a few weeks, but you knew nothing was going to keep the engineers at Carlsson from getting their mitts on the big, bold Mercedes GL-Class SUV. The Carlsson CK50 begins life as a Euro-market GL 500 (currently, we only have the GL 450 here in the States). The base car is no slouch, dishing out some 388 horsepower, but we're talking Deutsch tuners here, and with these guys, horsepower numbers beginning with number "3" are routinely laughed at. As such, the CK50 kit turns up the juice with a healthy 435 horsepower and 440 lb-ft of torque.

Complementing the pumped-up engine is a Carlsson exhaust that gives the truck a meaner sound in addition to augmenting power and torque. The new mufflers are each tipped with double-oval outlets (not shown in the attached photos, btw).

They also drop the suspension 35mm with their C-Tronic lowering kit. C-Tronic automatically adjusts ride height based on road conditions and bestows improved handling and looks on the beefy GL. No tuner car is complete without an assortment of shiny new wheels, and the CK50 is no exception. Lightweight forged eleven-spoke 22" wheels or polished 20-inchers are available. Inside, Carlsson will deck out the interior as much (or as little) as you like. New leather, wood, carbon fiber, and copious amounts of electronic gadgetry can be had to create a real custom look.

Naturally, added power and improved handling are nice things to have, but in the case of the Carlsson CK50, the suspension / wheel package really improves the SUV's aesthetics. Carlsson doesn't bother with any unnecessary bodywork, instead keeping the GL's stock, handsome lines intact. The lowered suspension and larger wheels give it a sportier, more wagon-like appearance in profile, which we like very much. Appropriate, given that most of these trucks are probably being used on-road as big station wagons anyway. The CK50 is visually understated, yet possesses enough power to go 0-62 in 6.1 seconds. Not a bad combo for a pretty large SUV.

(Photos, press release after the jump)

[Source: Carlsson]

Click to enlarge

Brabus is at it again. The latest vehicle that has been touched by its witchcraft is the Mercedes-Benz GL-Class SUV. Thanks to the automaker's GL marketing campaign, we know that it has the approximate cargo capacity of a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, resists impacts as if it's the last son of Krypton, and we figure that it's probably capable of making the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs.

So, as a starting point, it's a pretty decent platform.

(More info, pics and press release after the jump)

[Source: Brabus]

The National Advertising Division of the Council for Better Business Bureaus has publicly stated that Mercedes-Benz should remove a commercial for its GL-Class full-size SUV that shows the vehicle ramming a crash sled and repelling it. Despite the fact that the ad in question contains a disclaimer tag at the bottom of the screen that states actual side impact tests incur "significant" body damage, the NAD thinks consumers might not get the fact that Mercedes is using hyperbole to demonstrate the GL's abilities.

The NAD must figure we're all scarecrows on our way to the Wizard for a brain, and until we get one it's their job to point out the obvious for us. We'll lay it out for the NAD so it doesn't have to worry about gullible consumers: the GL-Class can't repel side impact barriers, can't set slalom cones on fire, and can't swallow an entire home's worth of furniture. The only thing the NAD has shown by creating this issue out of nothing is that it's as dumb as it thinks we are.

[Source: BrandWeek via eMercedesBenz]

New models fired up sales for premium brands Mercedes and BMW in March, as the battle for teutonic bragging rights in the luxury segment kicked into high gear.

BMW group sales hit a record 144,316 units in March, up 13.5 percent, buoyed by double-digit growth in the U.S. and Germany, and solid gains in the hot Chinese market. Meanwhile, Mercedes Car Group racked up sales of 138,400 units, up 17.4 percent, setting an all-time record. But in the all-important core brands, Mercedes-Benz scored 125,400 sales, while arch-rival BMW managed only 122,509 units.

Once again, new models tell the tale. Mercedes-Benz rolled out new or revamped models across the board last year, including fresh versions of the M-Class and S-Class, and the new R-Class and B-Class. The onslaught continues this year with the new GL-CLass SUV (pictured) and freshened SL- and E-Class models. BMW, on the other hand, has been surfing the wave generated by its new 3 Series, which accounts for about 40 percent of all BMW sales.

While Mercedes looks to be surging ahead in the near-term, expect BMW to fight back when its revamped MINI line rolls out.

[Source: Reuters, Mercedes Benz]