2015 Mercedes-Benz M-Class to get more fuel efficient engines

By Ronan Glon August 17, 2014

Closely following the auto industry’s downsizing trend, Mercedes-Benz is adding two new engines to the M-Class lineup for the 2015 model year.

The first new mill is a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 unit that sends 329 horsepower and 354 pound-feet of torque to all four wheels via a seven-speed automatic transmission. It returns 18 mpg in the city, 22 on the highway and 20 in a combined cycle thanks in part to a standard start/stop system.

The new V6-powered ML400 replaces the V8-equipped ML550. The 550’s 4.7-liter eight-cylinder engine made 402 horsepower but it returned just 14 mpg in the city and 16 mpg on the highway.

Mercedes hopes a long list of standard equipment will help make up for the loss of power. The ML400 reportedly comes standard with leather upholstery, keyless entry, multi-color ambient lighting, a premium sound system and cup holders that are both cooled and heated. Outside, the ML400 features an AMG appearance package consisting of aerodynamic add-ons as well as 19-inch alloy wheels.

RELATED: Cadillac’s upcoming S-Class-fighting flagship.

The second new addition to the M lineup is a 2.1-liter four-cylinder diesel engine fed by two turbochargers. Also found under the hood of the E-Class, the GLK-Class and the Sprinter van, the oil-burner generates 200 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque. A start/stop system helps keep fuel economy in check, but Mercedes-Benz has not published official gas mileage figures.

The 2.1-liter-equipped M is christened ML250 BlueTec. It replaces the ML350 BlueTec as the sole diesel-burning ML sold on these shores, and AutoEvolution speculates it will be capable of returning at least 30 mpg on the highway.

The 2015 Mercedes-Benz ML400 will carry a base price of $63,825 when it goes on sale across the nation in the coming weeks. Pricing information for the ML250 BlueTec will be published closer to its on-sale date.

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Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…

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2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV preview: The EV lineup grows again

Front three quarter view of the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV.

As Mercedes-Benz has steadily expanded its EQ range of electric cars, the lineup has become a bit like the late stages of a Tetris game. It’s mostly complete, but with a few gaps still left. And the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV is the piece that perfectly fits one of them.
Mercedes recently launched two other electric SUVs at opposite ends of the price spectrum. The EQS SUV is positioned as the lineup’s flagship, while the EQB is the entry-level model. The EQE SUV slots between those two in size and, presumably, price. The latter hasn’t been confirmed yet, and likely won’t be until the EQE SUV’s planned March 2023 on-sale date.

Design
As the name says, the EQE SUV is a utility-vehicle version of the EQE sedan, which will likely beat it to showrooms by a few months. Mercedes did the same thing with the EQS, which is available in both SUV and sedan body styles.
With its tall, upright profile, the EQE SUV definitely looks like a proper SUV compared to the low-slung EQE sedan. Park it next to an EQS SUV, though, and you’ll have to get out a measuring tape to spot the differences.
The EQE SUV is 0.6 inch narrower and 1.2 inches lower than the EQS SUV, but the most significant difference is in length. The EQE SUV is 10.3 inches shorter than the EQS SUV, with a 2.1-inch shorter wheelbase. And while the EQS SUV has three-row seating, the EQE SUV has two rows. Based on our experience with the EQS SUV’s third row, that’s not a big loss.
The interior design theme carries over from other Mercedes EQ models, with an expansive sloping dashboard designed to accommodate many screens, and multicolor ambient lighting that should look pretty dramatic at night. However, leatherette upholstery is standard, rather than real leather, which Mercedes is now spinning as a vegan option.

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We need more 7-passenger EVs, but the 2023 Mercedes EQS SUV has room to improve

Front three quarter view of the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV.

Mercedes-Benz is continuing to expand its EV lineup, this time with a model aimed at (wealthy) families.
As the name states, the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV is an SUV derivative of the EQS sedan. With the EQS sedan positioned as the electric analog to the Mercedes S-Class, the EQS SUV is the electric version of the GLS-Class. And like that vehicle, the EQS SUV is available with up to seven seats across three rows.
That makes the EQS SUV an important vehicle not just for Mercedes, but for the cause of EV adoption in general. While the Tesla Model X and Rivian R1S also offer three rows for family-hauling duty, there’s a lot more room in the market for another entry. Given the popularity of equivalent gasoline luxury SUVs like the GLS, Land Rover Range Rover, and Cadillac Escalade, the EQS SUV arrives not a moment too soon.
The EQS SUV is scheduled to reach U.S. dealerships this fall in three guises. The base rear-wheel-drive EQS 450+ starts at $105,550 with destination, while the all-wheel drive EQS 450 4Matic and EQS 580 4Matic start at $108,550 and $127,100, respectively. Although it will be built in Alabama, the EQS SUV won’t qualify for the revised federal EV tax credit because it exceeds the $80,000 price cap for SUVs.

Design and interior
A defining feature of Mercedes’ EQ lineup is aerodynamic bodywork aimed at maximizing range. The typical SUV is not aerodynamically ideal, but Mercedes managed to achieve an impressively low drag coefficient for an SUV — at 0.26, it’s close to the Toyota Prius. But function clearly took precedence over form. Mercedes deserves credit for not going in the polarizing direction BMW did with its two-row iX SUV, but the EQS SUV looks like a melting scoop of ice cream.
More disappointing is the third row, which should be the EQS SUV’s defining feature, but seems more like a useless afterthought. Adults will find it difficult to insert themselves into the third-row seats, let alone tolerate riding in them. As in most three-row vehicles, the rear seats also pretty much eliminate cargo space. And if you want to fold them down to create more cargo room, you’ll have to do it manually as Mercedes didn’t include a power-folding system — a bit disappointing for a six-figure car. The EQS SUV also lacks a frunk; like the EQS sedan, the hood is sealed.
The EQS SUV looks like a melting scoop of ice cream.

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2022 Mercedes-Benz EQB first drive review: An EV better than its gas sibling

Front three quarter view of the 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQB.

Mercedes-Benz aims to go all-electric in at least some markets by 2030 but to do that it will need to launch electric equivalents of each of its many gasoline-powered models. The 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQB fits that description to the letter.

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