Motoring: Mercedes set to tempt business buyers with new C-Class models
MERCEDES Benz has announced details of a raft of new models in its best-selling C-Class range which are set to arrive in UK showrooms in September.
The Three Pointed Star will have business buyers firmly in its sights with the new generation CLS Coupé and Shooting Brake. Both feature a new look and are packed with the latest technology.
Each is promised to represent better value and have lower emissions by comparison to previous CLS models. Perhaps most importantly, they are billed as “the fastest and most efficient generation of CLS yet”.
The range now starts with a new engine – the CLS 220 BlueTEC. This 2.1-litre diesel unit will generate 177 hp and produce 129 g/km of CO2. The second diesel model is the six-cylinder 350 BlueTEC – producing 258 hp and emitting 142 g/km. This latter unit is linked, for the first time, to an all-new nine-speed gearbox as standard – lowering CO2 by 18 g/km.
A new petrol six-cylinder engine has also been fitted to the CLS Coupé – the CLS 400 – taking the form of a 333 hp, 3,498cc V6. Topping the range is the mighty CLS 63 AMG S – now producing 585 hp (up 28 hp) and 800 NM of torque (up 80 NM). It is also equipped with a limited slip differential as standard. The changes bring down the 0-62 mph time from 4.2-seconds to 4.1-seconds (Shooting Brake: 4.2-seconds).
Across the new CLS range there are significant upgrades in the technologies fitted, with AMG Line now becoming the default specification of the car. This means COMAND Online, heated front seats and the ambient lighting system are all fitted as standard (helping towards a saving of £5,695 over the model it replaces).
The equipment line-up on the CLS 63 AMG S includes an electric sunroof, Keyless Go, ambient lighting a Harmon Kardon sound system, a reversing camera, and split folding rear seats. Likewise, on every CLS a new eight-inch tablet-style screen is fitted as standard, running the latest ‘NTG 5’ software allowing new Mercedes-Benz apps.
The new generation CLS Coupé and CLS Shooting Brake are available to order from July with the first deliveries taking place in September. The CLS Coupé starts at an on the road (OTR) price of £46,500 and the range escalates to the 63 AMG-S at £86,500.
The price for the CLS Shooting Brake starts at £48,080 and rise to £87,000 for the 63 AMG-S. At the more family-friendly end of the market, the new C-Class Estate is also set to arrive in showrooms in September – priced from £28,055 OTR.
Electric vehicles generate spark of enthusiasm among Jaguar drivers
FOR most people, Jaguar drivers probably don’t conform to the typical eco-friendly stereotype.
However, the findings of a new survey suggest that might not be the case.
The Department for Transport has published a new study, ‘Public Attitudes Towards Electric Vehicles’, in which it reports just 5% of respondents said that they were thinking about buying an electric car or van as their next vehicle.
Just above half (56%) said that they had not thought about buying one with an additional 14% saying that they had thought about buying one and decided not to.
All of which tends to suggest that electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers still have a lot of work to do in order to convince buyers of the merits of their products.
WeLoveAnyCar.com, the UK’s biggest car review site, decided to carry out a study of its own and in a poll of 3,896 known Jaguar owners, 12% said they would buy an all-electric Jaguar and 26% said they would seriously consider buying one – provided the Tata-owned company produced one.
The website said the DfT study was barely a representative sample, polling as it did just 700 people.
“The car market has many different niches and this can’t be reflected in a survey of less than 700 drivers. We asked Jaguar owners specifically because they now have a choice to buy the US-made Tesla, an all-electric luxury car with a range of about 300 miles,” said a WeLoveAnyCar.com spokesman.
The DfT survey said that older men (65 plus) were more likely to discount the thought of an electric car. However, the WeLoveAnyCar.com survey said 60% of its respondents were over 60 years of age and it was clear they were more open to the idea of an EV.
It said there was a need for more education not only from the government but by the car industry.
“Every month new advances in battery technology, new hybrid combinations and even compressed air driven cars are announced. Both the DfT survey and WeLoveAnyCar.com found that charging intervals and, most important, maximum range figures, were the key concerns of all motorists,” it said.
“Above all, our car review site highlights the fact that different motorists choose different cars to meet their needs which will always include consideration of cost, reliability and economy. The DfT asked a general question of a very small cross section of motorists, but the real progress in electric vehicles will come from car makers who target specific motoring niches with solutions which make sense to them, their lifestyle and the size of their wallet.”
