Mercedes-Benz

Introduced in 2004, the Mercedes CLS made a profound statement by telling the world you can have four doors and eat your coupe too. Nowadays the four-door coupe can be found in numerous dealerships, but Mercedes was the first one to plant the flag. Living in Los Angeles there's no shortage of the latest and greatest cars to be seen. In fact, in this city it seems there was a law passed stating if you own a Mercedes, it can only be the latest model. So, rich folks rejoice... Introducing the 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS. Watch out Mr. Rapide and Mr. Quattroporte, the Godfather has returned. 

The front of the last CLS was one of the simplest yet more stylish designs out of the Stuttgart in a long time. It was very clean and neat, and oozed power without looking like a robot or a gap-mouthed cat fish. It looked capable of eating both road and travelers alike. But when you call a car a four-door coupe, the most important view is from 90 degrees: the profile. Coupes are known for their long hoods and short, sloping decks, which is hard to replicate without requiring rear-seat passengers to be under 5 feet tall. By using pillar-less windows and slopes that extends from the C-pillar through the trunk, the essence of a coupe is retained. While the old CLS had a great profile, the sheet metal was fairly flat. 2012 is apparently the year of the crease, with several of them running along the CLS' flanks.

To say we’re longtime fans of Mercedes-Benz’s fullsize hardtop coupes is a gross understatement. While we’re most partial to the achingly pretty W126 2-door (probably because we own one of its similarly-handsome sedan siblings), we can certainly appreciate all generations of Stuttgart’s big coupes, be it the baroque swagger of the W112, the just-this-side-of-overengineered W140, or the two generations that have been built during this century. Now the storied marque is giving the current generation CL-class (codenamed C216) a mid-cycle refresh, and that includes tweaking the high-po AMG lineup as well.

The big news on this front (other than the tweaked front and rear styling) is the fact that the CL63 AMG ditches its normally-aspirated 6.2L V8 in favor of AMG’s all new 5.5L twin-turbo V8. Yes, we’re puzzled by the decision to not revive the CL55 AMG moniker too. What we’re not puzzled by is why the atmo mill was sent packing: Looming clampdowns on fuel economy and emissions by governments in many of the markets where Mercedes-Benz does business.

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week is always a huge event drawing in some of the world's top designers along with some of the best up-and-comers. This year's swim and beachwear showcase was held in Miami, a very fitting location. SwimShow 2011 kicked off with a runway extravaganza put on by Mercedez-Benz Presents Designer, Trina Turk, who launched a collection dubbed Acapulco Gold. One of the most exciting events during the week was the showcase by Beach Bunny Swimwear. Kim, Kourtney and Khloe Kardashian all took on key roles in designing some of the suits. In any case, check out all of the super models doing their thing after the jump...

With all the strict new emissions and fuel economy regulations pending worldwide, it’s easy to believe that the era of fast, fun cars is about to end – this time for good. But while big, thumping gas engines are almost certainly donezo, it might not be time to write the obituary for high performance cars just yet. Tesla has already shown that you don’t need an internal combustion engine to have a sports car, and Mercedes-Benz will soon be driving that point home with an electrified SLS AMG.

Called the Mercedes-Benz SLS E-Cell, the eye-popping yellow prototype seen here previews a production model scheduled to arrive in 2013. It features a foursome of electric motors – one driving each wheel – that spin up to 12,000(!) rpm and provide a whopping 526hp and 649 lb.-ft of torque combined. The four motors will get their juice from an array of lithium polymer batteries residing in the center tunnel (which is occupied by the driveshaft on the gas version) and behind the cockpit. The temperature of the batteries and other electical components is managed by a pair of independent cooling systems. It all adds up to an estimated 0-60 mph time of four seconds flat.

One of the unfortunate truth’s about the blockbuster racing game Gran Turismo 5 is that, if it were a spouse in couple’s therapy, its mate would almost certainly describe it as “distant” and “uncommunicative.” Other than a few updates here and there (some from series creator/director Kazunori Yamauchi, some not), the gestation of the latest and rumored-to-be greatest installment in the groundbreaking franchise has been kept under more wraps than a sumo wrestler attending a toga party where deep-fried Double Downs are merely the appetizers.

However, with the gimongous industry pow-wow that is the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3 to its friends) kicking off tomorrow here in Los Angeles, Sony and developer Polyphony Digital have decided to throw the fans a bone in the form of a new GT5 trailer. Well, “new” in the sense there's some heretofore unseen clips of tracks on the streets of Rome and the hills of Tuscany. Mixed in with these vignettes are previously seen looks at the likes of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG and the Ferrari 458 Italia, as well as NASCAR at Indianapolis and Super GT at Tsukuba Circuit. Make the jump to see it all in glorious motion.

While technology has helped move many industries into the 21st century, the process of selling cars is still fairly antiquated. It still involves lots of paperwork, walking from the showroom to the far flung corners of the lot and back to check inventory and the like, and all sorts of other duties that could very easily streamlined with modern electronics. The American arm of Mercedes-Benz appears to have realized this, and is now rolling out a program called MB Advantage.

Put simply, MB Advantage, which will be tested at 40 dealers initially, will put Apple iPads loaded with a special app in the hands of Mercedes-Benz sales associates. The app will allow them to check the latest lease and finance offers, as well as streamline the processes of credit applications and returning leased vehicles. Customers can already make lease and loan payments to Mercedes-Benz Finanical via their mobile phones, and have done so to the tune of more than $5 million so far.

If the price is right, most car companies will allow their logos to be slapped onto anything, even if it isn’t remotely automotive in nature. Not exactly Inside Baseball, we know, but it’s a fact that warrants repeating. And while most such branded tchotchkes are laughably useless, tacky enough to make your friends exchange nervous glances and, oh yeah, heinously overpriced, once in a while an item comes along that somehow manages to be indisputably soil-your-drawers awesome. The Eurocopter EC145 “Mercedes-Benz Style” helicopter falls into this latter category.

We hear you scoffing: “If I wanted a toy helicopter with Mercedes-Benz logos on it, I could make one myself by spending $100 at Toys ‘R’ Us and the parts counter at the local dealer!” We’re not going to argue with the brilliance of your diabolical plan, but we should point out that this particular co-branded whirlybird is an actual, full-size, honest-to-Igor helicopter that requires scores of hours of training and a license to fly. It will also cost a bit more than even the priciest radio-controlled miniature copter, though the actual price hasn’t been announced. What will you get for all that dough? Hit the jump and find out.

Mercedes AMG is justifiably proud of its ultimate evolution of the SL, the SL65 AMG Black. With flared fenders, a fixed roof, a pop-up rear spoiler, upgraded suspension and brakes and, oh yeah, a ridonkulously-potent twin-turbo 6.0L V12 that has been upgraded to produce 670hp and 738 lb.-ft of torque, (It’s actually limited to 738; any more twist would mince the stock 5-speed automatic transmission.), it’s one of the baddest cars to ever wear the Three-Pointed Star. But what if you want yours to be even badder?

Well, you could talk to a marque-specialist tuner like Brabus, which is just what the mystery Middle Eastern owner of this particular SL65 AMG Black, which has been rechristened the Vanish, did. The first thing you notice is, of course, the matte black paint. Is it safe to say that matte finishes have jumped the shark? Yes, perhaps even more so than the use of the phrase “jumped the shark.” However, that doesn’t necessarily make such paint jobs (particularly this one) look less wicked. As for that thing on the hood? No idea. Almost looks like they took the plastic shroud normally stuck over the top of the engine, trimmed it and attached it to the outside of the hood. Whatever the case, it looks pretty tacky compared to the Corvette ZR1’s hood window.