Better than any hybrid?

Mercedes-Benz gets Two “Best of What’s New” Awards

Popular Science Honors the E320 CDI Diesel and SLK350 Convertible

NEW YORK, NY – Mercedes-Benz garnered two prestigious “Best of What’s New” awards today from Popular Science, the oldest and best-known science and technology magazine in the U.S. One award goes to the company’s diesel powered E320 CDI, a four-door luxury sedan that can get 37 miles per gallon on the highway with a new CDI electronic injection system that helps make the car quiet, clean and fast.

“A New Generation of Surprisingly Appealing Diesel Vehicles”

According to Popular Science editor Eric Adams, “In the 1970s, Americans had a love/hate relationship with diesel cars. Though more fuel-efficient than their gas cousins, the cars were noisy, underpowered, smog-belching reminders of just how badly the fuel crisis had crippled the nation. By the mid-’90s, lower gas prices all but banished them from U.S. showrooms. Meanwhile European carmakers, spurred by diesel-friendly tax structures, kept at it. They traded sloppy mechanical fuel injection for high-pressure electronic systems that better atomize fuel. Finer droplets burn more completely than a coarse spray, cutting noise and emissions while boosting power. The result: a new generation of surprisingly appealing diesel vehicles.”

Editor Michael Moyer says, “The best thing about the new E320 CDI is much more primal than better fuel economy. It’s thrust. It has 369 pound-feet of torque, 30 more than found in its V8 cousin, pushing it to 60 mph in 6.6 seconds. The fully electronic common-rail fuel injection system – a first in the U.S. – pressurizes the fuel to 23,000 psi, which allows it to burn more thoroughly, enhancing power and efficiency.”

More Comfortable and More Thrilling

The new SLK convertible snagged the other “Best of What’s New” award for Mercedes. The original SLK took the roadster world by storm in 1997 with its slick retractable hardtop, and the new-generation car builds on that success with an all-new look that suggests a Formula 1 race car as well as increased power and more room.

Moyer says, "Mercedes has made its small roadster both more comfortable and more thrilling. The crisp new SLK350's 3.5-liter V6 incorporates variable valve timing to allow the engine to tune itself for maximum efficiency at low throttle or high speed. The strategy works: Nearly 90 percent of the torque is available at just 1,500 rpm. And you can enjoy a roofless ride year-round, thanks to headrest heaters that blow warm air across your neck."

Bringing “Best of What’s New” to Life

The December edition of Popular Science, the magazine’s best-read issue, features its Best of What’s New coverage. Their editors help bring it to life by taking over Vanderbilt Hall in New York’s Grand Central Terminal from November 9th through the 11th for a three-day consumer event that’s free to the public. All Best of What’s New winners in each category are spotlighted, complete with video presentations and on-site product specialists.

Matthew1 - 11/12/2004 8:14:03 PM

+1 Boost

Modrn diesel technology from Europe sees to the stereotypical image of Diesels being smelly. They are fitted with advanced 3-stage catalatic converters which basically break down the nasty compounds emitted. Europe also has tax incentives on low CO2 emitting cars, which is why Diesel is so favoued. Most new diesels are as clean or cleaner than their petrol counterparts.

We are not going backward here.

Threepoint1415926 - 11/13/2004 10:05:17 PM

+1 Boost

Diesel isnt "flippin clean" but it's cleaner than you give it credit. Most people just harp on it because you can actually see the pollutants whereas with a gas engine, you cannot.

"Much has been debated about which of all the fuel options available - petrol, diesel or compressed natural gas (CNG) - is the 'cleanest' in terms of pollution. The common image of diesel is that of a vehicle belching black smoke. However, with new state-of-the-art technologies and increasingly stringent emission control norms like Bharat Stage II (akin to Euro II) and availability of cleaner fuels, emissions from diesel engines have been reduced by as much as 80%. But the wrong image persists and diesel has been labelled as a dirty fuel and has borne the larger share of the blame for urban vehicular pollution. The fact is that all fuels pollute to varying degrees.

Most statements about health effects of diesel exhaust are based on insufficient epidemiological data. In a recent study on diesel exhaust and its health consequences, the U.S. Environment Protection Agency has downgraded the cancer risk potential for diesel exhaust. The California Air Resources Board too has allowed the use of diesel even for school buses. Most advanced countries are trying to minimise the risk to human health by moving towards more stringent emission norms and cleaner fuels. The risk to human health is also weighed against cost to the industry, the government and the public, and even an advanced country like the U.S.A allows fuel which do not pose a "significant risk".

Coupled with better quality fuel, today's diesel engines are capable of achieving emission levels comparable to or lesser than petrol and natural gas engines. And tomorrow's diesel engines will be amazingly cleaner and far better. Of all fuels, diesel emits the least green house gases. Diesel's fuel efficiency means less carbon dioxide per kilometer travelled. Added to this, the availability of clean, low-sulphur diesel, improvements in engine technology and exhaust gas treatment device now mean that diesel engines emit a lower mass of pollutants than petrol engines."

Threepoint1415926 - 11/14/2004 8:26:56 AM

+1 Boost

I guess then by your standards “dirty” is all a matter of geography. Where I'm from, diesels don't even have to take a smog test until they're 5 years old. At which point, they always pass. Californians may not be able to buy diesel vehicles but nearly everyone else can. Hardly moot to me. I would imagine the the biggest problem with diesels in California is not the diesels themselves but the public perception and hence, state legislation.

Threepoint1415926 - 11/14/2004 1:18:04 PM

+1 Boost

Ahh, hence the public perception. Thankfully, ultra-low sulfur diesel will be phased into production in 2006, so no need for me to worry!