Galway Advertiser 2005/2005_09_22/GA_2209_E1_040.pdf 

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MOTORING

September 22 2005

New S-Class tops Mercedes-Benz world premieres
The focus for MercedesBenz at the beginning of the 61st international Motor Show in Frankfurt was on the world premiere of the new SClass. There also were further global firsts in the European version of the R-Class, the highperformance ML 63 AMG sport utility vehicle, and a near-production study, the Vision R 63 AMG. The new S-Class is set to reinforce the traditional leadership role of the world's most successful luxury car model series and once again become a benchmark for the entire automotive industry as a pioneer of new technology - especially in the field of safety, and with particular emphasis on accident prevention. Among the highlights in this area is the new night view assist system, which considerably enlarges the driver's range of vision in the dark. A further topnotch innovation is the extended Brake Assist, BAS PLUS, which works with two powerful radar systems and which can reduce the risk of rearend collisions by up to 75 per cent. In addition to developing innovative driver-support systems, Mercedes-Benz has also devoted much attention to driver-fitness safety. The result is an array of intelligent convenienceenhancing features backed up by simple, intuitive operation which mean that the new SClass relieves the workload on the driver, demanding less of his or her reserves - as has been scientifically proved by pulse-rate and bloodpressure measurements. Another main area of focus during the development of the new SClass was the synthesis between handling dynamism and ride comfort. The new Mercedes flagship features an ultramodern, sophisticated suspension including, among other things, the further optimised AIRMATIC air springing system plus the ADS II adaptive damping system as standard. Three out of the four engines initially available for the new S-Class are also new developments. Compared with their predecessors they generate up to 26 per cent more output and up to 15 per cent more torque despite in some cases significantly lower fuel consumption. At its market launch in the autumn MercedesBenz is offering two leading-edge petrol units: the 3.5-litre V6 with 272 hp and an all-new V8 petrol powerplant. In the S 500 this potent eight-cylinder engine produces 388 hp and 530 Nm of torque, which are among the best "vital statistics" in the segment. From the first quarter of 2006 the engine range is being extended with the addition of the V12 bi-turbo - now unleashing 517 hp - in the top-of-the-range S 600, plus a diesel, the S 320 CDI with 235 hp and 540 Nm. Alongside the new SClass Mercedes-Benz also presented three more new cars in Frankfurt, among them the ML 63 AMG, the most powerful M-Class ever. Its 510-hp, 6.3-litre V8 boasts the highest specific output (81 hp per litre) of all naturally aspirated eightcylinder engines currently on the market, making the ML 63 AMG the most powerful production SUV in the world. The new engine will also become available in other AMG models during the course of 2006; it is also at the heart of the near-production RClass study being presented in Frankfurt, the R 63 AMG. The third world-first being presented by Mercedes-Benz is the European version of the R-Class, which has a short wheelbase and tauter suspension tuning. It is in this model variant that the 224-hp diesel will be making its debut at the beginning of 2006, a powerplant with particularly good fuel economy and a particulate filter as standard. In its efforts to help reduce fuel consumption worldwide MercedesBenz is continuing to apply state-of-the-art diesel technology.

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