2008
MERCEDES-BENZ NEW CAR MODEL GUIDE
 Make
more parking space on the lot for this
line from Mercedes-Benz of Germany, which
enters 2008 with even more vehicles for
its diverse collection. The products,
clustered in alphabetical classes by size
and style, include sophisticated two-seat
sports cars, sporty two-door coupes and
four-door sedans, rakish convertibles
and muscular sport utility wagons. Also
available are souped-up performance versions
of many models under the Mercedes super-tuner
label AMG. Two noteworthy new Mercedes
vehicles are the compact-size C Class
sedans — which earn generational
change for 2008— and the CL Class
of full-size, over-the-top, super-luxury
coupes.
 S
Class
These deluxe, full-size Mercedes sedans
rank among the world's most sophisticated
and luxurious cars. Styling for the S
Class is bold and angular, with a structure
cast on a long-wheelbase platform. This
creates massive personal space in a five-seat
cabin that is stocked with every conceivable
luxury feature. The S550 packs a dual-cam,
5.5-liter V8, which displaces 5.5 liters.
The plant also develops 382 horsepower
through the 7G-tronic seven-speed TouchShift
automatic transmission. The ultra edition
S600 stocks a 5.5-liter Mercedes V12 with
510 horsepower, while the new S63 AMG
extracts 518 horsepower from AMG's hand-built,
6.2-liter V8.
 CL
Class
Drawing from the S Class sedans, this
Mercedes line offers top-tier, full-size
coupes with fluid lines sweeping up an
exaggerated hood and over the pillar-less
roof. There are four different treatments
for the 2008 models. The CL550 employs
the 5.5-liter V8 with 382 horsepower from
the S550, as the CL600 acquires twin turbos,
boosting the plant's output to 510 horsepower.
The new CL63 AMG nets 518 horsepower from
AMG's 6.2-liter V8, while the top-of-line
CL65 AMG with its 12-cylinder AMG bi-turbo
soars to 604 horsepower. A 2008 limited-production
CL65 40th Anniversary Edition glows for
you in Liquid Metal paint.
 E
Class
Mercedes' mid-size E Class cars include
four-door sedans and five-door wagons
with an eco-friendly diesel or the super
AMG sports sedan and wagon. The E320 BLUETEC
brings a clean-burning, 3.0-liter turbo-diesel
V6 worth 210 horsepower. However, the
E350 stocks a 3.5-liter, twin-cam V6 for
268 horsepower, while the E550 a the 5.5-liter
V8 at 382 horsepower. The E63 AMG rips
through all of this with AMG's 6.2-liter
V8 dialed to 507 horsepower. Optional
all-wheel-drive (AWD) equipment works
on both E350 and E550 models. Additionally,
a new AMG Sport kit for the E350 and E550
sedans offers AMG aprons and wheels, plus
the AMG steering wheel with shift paddles.
 C
Class
In 2008, the compact-size Mercedes C Class
cars show new designs with angular body
styling and a long list of electronic
gear for safety, performance and comfort.
There are three V6-powered models —
the C300 Sport, C300 Luxury and C350 Sport.
These are all rear-wheel-drive (RWD) vehicles,
though optional AWD equipment — dubbed
4Matic — is available for C300 models.
The 3.0-liter V6 for the C300 Sport and
Luxury models puts out 228 horsepower,
while the 3.5-liter V6 in the C350 Sport
makes 268 horsepower. The 3.0-liter plant
is a flex-fuel engine capable of burning
either E85 ethanol or gasoline.
 CLS
Class
Described as a four-door coupe, the elegant
CLS balances in size between the mid-size
E Class and the full-size S Class sedans.
Part of its structure comes from the E
Class, while the CLS design draws graceful
styling from sporty coupes with low sweeping
rooflines. The two models available are
the CLS550 and powerful CLS63 AMG. The
CLS550 pulls from the Mercedes 5.5-liter
V8 tuned to 382 horsepower, as the CLS63
AMG uses AMG's high-performance 6.2-liter
V8 cranked to 507 horsepower. Both models
use the 7G-tronic TouchShift transmission.
Also new for 2008, is satellite radio
service and 18-inch spoke wheels.
 CLK
Class
Hard or soft tops work on this sporty,
mid-size Mercedes two-door car. The convertibles,
derived from hardtop coupes, were cut
to airy drop-tops by German car crafter
Karmann. Three two-door coupes appear
this year, as do three convertibles with
two powertrain upgrades. The CLK350 continues
with its 3.5-liter twin-cam Mercedes V6
for 268 horsepower. The CLK550 stocks
a 5.5-liter dual-cam V8 zipped to 382
horsepower, while the CLK63 AMG Cabriolet
contains AMG's 6.2-liter V8 metered to
475 horsepower with shifter paddles for
hands-on transmission control. The racy
CLK63 AMG Black Series coupe nets and
incredible 500 horsepower from its 6.2-liter
V8.
 SL
Class
These elite Mercedes roadsters have a
two-seat, luxe cockpit crowned by a hardtop
lid that tucks into its trunk. Design
after the roadster, the SL Class is in
part homage to the original Mercedes gullwing
300SL. Four models continue on this year—
the SL550 with the 382 horsepower, 5.5-liter
V8, the V12-based SL600, the SL55 AMG
and SL65 AMG. The SL600 uses its V12 boosted
to 510 horsepower, while SL65 AMG runs
with a 12-cylinder, AMG bi-turbo at 604
horsepower. The SL55 AMG has a supercharged,
AMG 5.5-liter V8 stretched to 510 horsepower.
 SLK
Class
The two-seat roadsters stock a pop-top
lid that stows in the trunk. There are
three engine options available for th
SLK Class. The entry-edition SLK280 shows
a 3.0-liter, dual-cam V6 for 228 horsepower,
whiel the SLK350 totes the 268 horsepower,
3.5-liter V6 with six-speed manual shifter
or seven-speed 7G-tronic automatic. The
top performing SLK55 AMG earns a 5.5-liter
AMG V8 for 355 horsepower through the
AMG-modified 7G-tronic automatic. A luxe
option available is the deluxe, surround-sound
audio system with 380-watt amp and 11
speakers. The SLK also puts a nifty feature
focused on a rider's neck, the Airscarf
neck-level heat vent concealed inside
the headrest.
 M
Class
The made-in-America M Class SUV by Benz
has a unibody structure and full-time
AWD equipment with three open differentials
— front, rear and center. Mercedes
then added a four-wheel adaptation of
the electronic traction control system
labeled 4ETS. The five-seat cabin installs
fine leathers with trim in polished hardwoods
and brushed aluminum. The ML350 employs
the 3.5-liter V6 for 268 horsepower. The
new ML550 wears AMG body styling and bundles
the 5.5-liter Mercedes V8 with 382 horsepower.
The powerful ML63 AMG gets the 6.2-liter
AMG V8 for 503 horsepower, as the diesel-rigged
ML320 CDI delivers 215 horsepower.
 GL
Class
Birthed in a Mercedes assembly plant in
Alabama, the full-size crossover utility
vehicle (CUV) rides on a unibody platform.
It brings the sticky tire traction of
a pavement-hugging AWD wagon with three
different engine options. The GL450 has
a 4.6-liter V8 for 335 horsepower and
the Mercedes 7G-tronic automatic transmission.
The GL320 CDI uses the clean-burning,
3.0-liter turbo-diesel V6 with 210 horsepower,
while the new GL550 leaps with a muscular
5.5-liter V8 pumping 382 horsepower. The
AWD device has three open differentials
and ties to the 4EATS traction controller.
 R
Class
The sport tourer cars of Mercedes-Benz
combines the driving manners of a sports
sedan and the cabin of a premium luxury
car in the package of an AWD wagon-type
vehicle. Three tiers of seats all offer
a pair of individual buckets. The series
creates to two trims for 2008 including
the R350 with its 3.5-liter V6 producing
268 horsepower, and the diesel-powered
R320 CDI, which musters 221 horsepower
and superb fuel economy scores. The 2008
R350 is available with AWD or new RWD
traction. Also, the series offers seating
for up to seven.
 G
Class
From an assembly plant in Austria, the
hand-crafted G Class wagons roll out in
limited numbers as the ultimate, go-anywhere
off-road SUV. Each carries every mechanical
armament imaginable including a full-time,
four-wheel-drive (4WD) system, traction
control, vehicle stability system and
three differential locks. The luxurious
five-place cabin with leather seats offers
up a DVD-based navigation system. The
G500 draws from the 5.0-liter Mercedes
V8 ranked at 292 horsepower, and the G55
AMG carries the AMG 5.5-liter V8 with
supercharging, inter-cooling to generate
493 horsepower. New cabin gear for 2008
editions include revamped instruments,
rearview camera and hands-free telephone
interface.
 SLR
Class
The scissor-door, supercar SLR McLaren
is based on a monocoque structure made
from ultra-stiff, carbon-fiber composites.
The car carries a supercharged, aluminum
5.4-liter V8 engine hand-built by the
performance gurus at AMG. The plant peaks
at an incredible 617 horsepower as it
teams with a five-speed AMG automatic
and its one-tap SpeedShift feature. For
2008, the too-cool coupe is joined by
a new drop-top roadster variation featuring
a semi-automatic lid, which opens or closes
in under 10 seconds.
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