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Popular Science magazine's Best Of What's New 2012 all ate up with cars

Jonathon Ramsey — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 17:44:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., BMW, Ford, GM, Infiniti, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, Specialty, Tesla, Racing

Popular Science has named the winners in its Best of What's New awards, the victors coming in the categories of aerospace, automotive, engineering, entertainment, gadgets, green, hardware, health, home, recreation, security and software. The automotive category did not go wanting for lauded advancements:

Tesla Model S: the Grand Award winner for being "the standard by which all future electric vehicles will be measured."
BMW 328i: it's 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gets called out for being more powerful and frugal than the six-cylinder it replaces.
Ferrari F12 Berlinetta: towering power, towering top speed, 30 percent more fuel efficient than the 599 Fiorano it replaces.
Toyota RAV4 EV: the all-electric SUV accelerates better than many conventional SUVs, goes 100 mph and actually beats EPA mileage estimates.
Porsche Cayenne Diesel: 406 pound-feet of torque, 33 highway mpg, up to 800 miles from a single tank and Cayenne style, give 'em a trophy.
2013 Ford Fusion: its three flavors - standard, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid - "are the most efficient models in their classes," that latter one expected to outdo the Chevrolet Volt's EPA mileage rating.
The DeltaWing: gets kudos for being "the most efficient racecar in history."
Mercedes-Benz Magic Vision Control: a holistic solution to keeping your windshield clean and clear year-round.
General Motors' MyLink: takes the in-car computer out of the car, puts it in the driver's smartphone.
Infiniti Back-Up Collision Intervention: rear-mounted radar and sonar keep track of what's behind you and brake automatically if an obstacle is detected so you don't hit things when you back that Infiniti up.

The automotive category tied with categories like aerospace and health for the number of awards. Congratulations to all the winners, head on over to PopSci for the full details on each of them.

Popular Science magazine's Best Of What's New 2012 all ate up with cars originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 20 Nov 2012 17:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2013 Mercedes SL550 [w/video]

Chris Paukert — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 11:57:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Videos, Mercedes-Benz, First Drives, Design/Style, Luxury

The Official Car Of Beverly Hills Gets A Dramatic Rework

Generally speaking, I'm a pretty measured sort of guy. But when it comes to convertibles, I'm a bit of a lunatic. I've been known to motor with the top down in all conditions - including light rain and snow - much to the bewilderment of other drivers (and quite often the chagrin of my passengers). For the most part, it doesn't matter if I'm driving in a bare-bones roadster or a lux-lined GT. Thankfully for my hapless guests, however, advances in technology have done much to assuage discomfort in poor weather. These days, there are far fewer tradeoffs associated with top-down motoring: improved aerodynamics, wind blockers, enhanced ventilation, sun-reflecting leather and, of course, seat heating and cooling - all features that have done much to make me better company. What's more, modern underlying structures are stiffer and there's little in the way of the noise, vibration and harshness penalties that there used to be.

In terms of innovation, nobody has done more to advance the everyday livability of the convertible than Mercedes-Benz. They kept the faith back in the late 70s/early 80s when nearly everyone had gotten out of the convertible business. They brought back the folding hardtop. They came up with the pop-up roll hoop to augment rollover safety. They created Airscarf. Aircap, too. Hell, with this 2013 SL550, they've even invented a new windshield wiper fluid delivery system to prevent errant spritzing when driving with the top down (more on that in a minute).

On its face, a typically sober German engineering approach would seem to be at odds with the very idea of a top-down bauble, but Mercedes has taken a very logical approach to building something so frivolous. Amazingly, this philosophy works in the SL's favor... most of the time.

Continue reading 2013 Mercedes SL550 [w/video]

2013 Mercedes SL550 [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 09 Apr 2012 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2013 Mercedes-Benz SL is still the daddy

Chris Paukert — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 23:45:00 EST

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Convertible, Performance, Mercedes-Benz, Design/Style, Luxury

It's the eve of press days at the Detroit Auto Show, and Mercedes-Benz has kicked off the week in fine style with the premiere of its 2013 SL. While the 60-year-old franchise has periodically undergone radical revisions, the sixth-generation should look familiar to anyone who has seen the outgoing model, but that doesn't mean that Benz hasn't tugged and pulled the SL every which way. While the general form looks very similar to the fifth-generation roadster, there are subtle tweaks everywhere, the most noticeable being the eagle's-eye LED daytime running lamps.

As before, the two-seat roadster relies on a power folding hardtop, though the folding roof can now be had with Magic Sky Control, the trick bit of electrochromatic glass with variable opacity first offered on the SLK. The original SL nomenclature stood for Sport and Lightweight, but in recent years, the latter descriptor hasn't really applied to the big coupe. The 2013 model seeks to reclaim some of that featheriness with a new all-aluminum structure and body, and Mercedes says the new SL550 weighs about 275 pounds less than the exiting model.

A 12-percent bump in HP means that 60 miles per hour hits in just 4.5 seconds - the old car required 5.2 seconds.

Powered by Mercedes' 4.6-liter twin-turbo V8, the SL550 delivers 429 horsepower at 5,250 rpm and a whopping 516 pound-feet of torque from 1,800 rpm. As before, that power is routed through a seven-speed auto to the rear wheels. Apart from its lightweight aluminum construction and downsized engine, Mercedes has made a few other concessions to greener motoring including standard stop/start. Despite this, the 32-percent swell in torque and 12-percent bump in horsepower means that 60 miles per hour hits in just 4.5 seconds - the old car required 5.2 seconds. Top speed is limited to 130 mph, and judging from the engine, it sounds like you'll be able to say hello to the governor rather quickly.

Over the years, Mercedes has made many contributions to the art of year-round top-down motoring, with items like heated seats, HVAC systems with dedicated top-down modes, Airscarf, and so on. For 2013, the SL gains a new wiper blade system dubbed Magic Vision Control that streams wiper fluid along the blade to avoid overspray into the interior when the top is dropped. The entire wiper is heated as well.

The model seen here is the limited edition "Edition 1" launch specification, which wears 19-inch AMG alloys, Designo leather, Airscarf, Harmon Kardon surround audio and available Designo crystal silver magno paintwork. We should know a bit more about pricing before the car arrives in dealers this spring.

Continue reading 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL is still the daddy

2013 Mercedes-Benz SL is still the daddy originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 08 Jan 2012 23:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2013 Mercedes-Benz SL begins a return to its roots

Damon Lavrinc — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 17:25:00 EST

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Convertible, Performance, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury

The 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL isn't set to debut for another two months at the Detroit Auto Show, but M-B gave us a sneak peak at the "S-Class of Roadsters" at its Advanced Design Studio in Carlsbad, California earlier today.

"SL" stands for Sport Light, but the last several iterations were anything but. Loaded with luxury and designed as a drop-top Grand Tourer, the SL - despite its badge - has always been a heavy weight. But for 2013, Mercedes is attempting to bring the SL back to its roots with a body in white comprised of 90 percent aluminum. Only the A pillars and roof crossmember use high-strength steel for rollover protection, and unladen with body panels, the chassis comes in 243 pounds lighter than the current model, with the production version tipping the scales at approximately 3,900 pounds - 308 pounds lighter than the 2012 version. With a revamped drivetrain (no details yet), Mercedes claims that fuel consumption will also be reduced by 30 percent.

The aluminum chassis is a first for M-B, and utilizes a smattering of high-tech production methods, including chilled cast longitudinal members, hollow extruded aluminum, a mig-welded frame and front longitudinal beams that are hydroformed for stiffness and improved packaging. All told, torsional rigidity is up by 20 percent and NVH levels should be down across the board.

Mercedes engineers and execs wouldn't go into much detail regarding powertrains and equipment - they've got to save some details for the Detroit show - but two new technologies will find their way into the SL when it goes on sale next year.

In addition to Magic Sky Control - the glass roof originally fitted to the SLK that allows drivers to adjust the amount of sunlight entering the cabin - Mercedes is introducing yet another "Magic" system. The magniloquently named Magic Vision Control is a new take on - yes - the windshield wiper, which utilizes two rows of laser-drilled holes to disperse washer fluid evenly and won't get the liquid inside the cabin when the top is down or soak pedestrians when the SL is stopped - a suitably Germanic solution to a problem no other automaker has addressed.

The SL will also be the first model fitted with the new FrontBass system, comprised of two 20-cm sub-woofers mounted flush in the bulkhead. We had the chance to sample the system in a prototype and it gets the job done, even if the inside of an automobile is still one of the worst places to get your audiophile on.

Expect more details on the 2013 SL to be revealed towards the middle of December before the wraps officially come off in Detroit.

2013 Mercedes-Benz SL begins a return to its roots originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 15 Nov 2011 17:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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