Mercedes-Benz Is Focusing On Diesel
Published: 5th March 2005
Mercedes-Benz Vision SLK 320 CDI TriTurbo
The CLK 320 CDI convertible offers
top-down pleasure with diesel
power
The Mercedes-Benz CLK 320 CDI convertible provides pure driving pleasure, almost unlimited open-air enjoyment and unsurpassed comfort for four occupants. The advanced V6 engine powers the elegant convertible from zero to 62.5 mph in 8.5 seconds and delivers a maximum speed of 152 mph. And at 39.8 mpg (NEDC overall consumption), the fuel consumption is impressively low.
M-Class - new off-roader with diesel
The new Mercedes-Benz ML 320 CDI, which made its world premiere this year, continues to reign as the trendsetter among today’s off-road vehicles. With its third generation V6 diesel engine, 7G-TRONIC seven speed automatic transmission as standard, improved 4ETS four-wheel drive system, AIRMATIC air suspension and the PRE-SAFE® preventive occupant protection system, the M-Class again demonstrates its leading position in this rapidly growing market segment, which Mercedes-Benz created in 1997 with the predecessor model.
The advanced diesel engine delivers the power to accelerate the ML 320 CDI from zero to 62.5 mph in 9.4 seconds and achieves a remarkable top speed of 130 mph - and with a fuel consumption of only 30.1 mpg (NEDC overall consumption).
E 320 CDI estate features impressive
combination of diesel and
four-wheel drive
And the Mercedes-Benz E 320 CDI 4MATIC demonstrates that diesel engines are also very compatible with today’s comfortable, four-wheel drive saloons. With the V6 diesel, the E-Class delivers sports car acceleration - from zero to 62.5 mph in 7.0 seconds - and a maximum speed of 152 mph. This makes the Mercedes-Benz E 320 CDI one of the fastest cars on the road, though its fuel consumption of 34.9 mpg (NEDC overall consumption) makes it a really frugal performer.
The diesel engine has a great future
In spite of all the advances of recent years, the potential of Mercedes-Benz’ modern diesel engines is still far from fully exploited. Today, the systems operate with an injection pressure of up to 1,600 bars. By making further adjustments and optimising the injectors, the injection pressure of today’s CDI diesel engines for passenger cars will be increased to 1,800 bars and higher. This will result in further increases in performance while simultaneously reducing fuel consumption and emissions.
In the Mercedes-Benz labs, the engineers are testing new materials for the combustion chamber and continuously working to optimise the chamber’s shape in order to increase combustion pressure in the future. Flow researchers are meanwhile enhancing the swirl of the fuel. The more uniformly the drops of fuel are distributed within the combustion chamber, the greater will be the output and less emissions will be produced. By employing new homogenous combustion methods, the researchers at Mercedes-Benz plan to prevent the creation of NOx and particulates even during the combustion phase. Injection plays a key role in this process, which is why the aim is to achieve an optimum dosing of the fuel at high injection pressures and with improved nozzle openings. As a result, diesel technology will be attracting even more attention in the future.
This is also indicated by customers’ increasing interest in this technology. More than seven million Mercedes-Benz passenger cars have been ordered with diesel engines since 1949, and the pace of sales is set to increase even further.
