2006 Mercedes E350 CGI: 292-hp & 365 Nm (270 lb/ft)

[Snake Vargas]

Do Germans call petrol "gasoline" as well? What about the rest of us who just call it petrol?

Anyhow, about time they did it. The makers of more mundane cars and engines sometimes get complaints if they make their engines to run on premium fuel. However, Mercedes has little excuse. It's all about making it suitable for the intended market, and I'll be keen to see this engine make it throughout the range.

Hopefully it'll be entirely better than the port injection version - for example, VW's 2.0 FSI engine has received comment that it's more gruff and less refined than their non FSI engines.

 

[MikeJ]

Do Germans call petrol "gasoline" as well? What about the rest of us who just call it petrol?

They call it "Benzin". Guess where that name comes from.

 

[donau]

They call it "Benzin". Guess where that name comes from.

Karl Benz?

 

[SDNR]

Karl Benz?

Ha - is that the case?

- Isn't that interesting.

 

[Snake Vargas]

CBI doesn't quite have the same ring to it. Maybe they could have gone with "F" for fuel..

 

[MikeJ]

Ha - is that the case?

Actually, it's not. I thought it was but I did some checking and apparently it comes from Arabic. Well, showed what I know.

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

I don't think MB's priority for this engine was power, but actually fule consumption. Look at those figures for a 3.5l V6. Oustanding really!!

 

[Merc1]

Excellent! Merc1 really was on the money. So this will debut in the f/l E?

I have another prediction. Mercedes will announce direct-injection for the new V8s in 2007 for the 2008 model year cars worldwide.

Why do I say this?

There is no GL500/550 for the U.S. market, just a GL450 and there is no S450 at all. The S450 was metioned everywhere when the S500/550 was first driven, all saying that it would be in April with the S600. Now there is no mention of the S450. Secondly this new GL450 is behind in hp compared to the Land Rover Range Rover SC and Cadillac Escalade, two of its most important competitors.

What is Mercedes going to do?

They will lauch the U.S. market GL550 with the direct-injection version of the 5.5L V8 with about 410hp for the 2008 model year, sometime in summer of 2007. This puts it in line with 403hp Caddy and 400hp LR. Along with a S450 with about 366hp and a S550 with 410hp. This way the S450 is closer to the Lexus LS460 (projected 380hp) and the S550 has more hp than the LS460.

This way they don't lauch a GL550 now in the U.S. and then have to do it again for 2008 when the new direct-injection 5.5L V8 appears, only the GL450 will be superseeded. They'll get a bigger splash in the U.S. for waiting a year until the new direct-injection GL550 is ready. Ditto for the S450. In both instances this might leave a bad taste in the mouthes of this year's S550 and GL450 buyers, but technology marches on.

Wait and see this is what is going to happen.

The only thing I haven't figured out is which of the new V8s the R and M will get and when? There is no way MB is going to continue to build the M/R with the old 5L V8 past this summer. The CLS,E,CLK "500" models we all but know are going to get this new V8 as the SL just did. Question is will there be a R450 and R550 or just one them? Ditto for the ML, ML450 or ML550 or both?

M

 

[cawimmer430]

Do Germans call petrol "gasoline" as well? What about the rest of us who just call it petrol?

There's a lot of words we use. By default, we call gasoline BENZIN. Other words relating indirectly to gasoline (or more directly to combustuble fuel) are TREIBSTOFF, BRENNSTOFF and VERBRENNUNGSTOFF.

 

[vabboud]

in lebanon, the lebanese wor is benzine (lebanese is an offshoot of arabic melded with aramean, turkish, french, and syriac)

 

[Zafiro]

There's a lot of words we use. By default, we call gasoline BENZIN. Other words relating indirectly to gasoline (or more directly to combustuble fuel) are TREIBSTOFF, BRENNSTOFF and VERBRENNUNGSTOFF.

oil in german is "öl". In swedish "öl" is the word for beer

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

I have another prediction. Mercedes will announce direct-injection for the new V8s in 2007 for the 2008 model year cars worldwide.

Why do I say this?

There is no GL500/550 for the U.S. market, just a GL450 and there is no S450 at all. The S450 was metioned everywhere when the S500/550 was first driven, all saying that it would be in April with the S600. Now there is no mention of the S450. Secondly this new GL450 is behind in hp compared to the Land Rover Range Rover SC and Cadillac Escalade, two of its most important competitors.

What is Mercedes going to do?

They will lauch the U.S. market GL550 with the direct-injection version of the 5.5L V8 with about 410hp for the 2008 model year, sometime in summer of 2007. This puts it in line with 403hp Caddy and 400hp LR. Along with a S450 with about 366hp and a S550 with 410hp. This way the S450 is closer to the Lexus LS460 (projected 380hp) and the S550 has more hp than the LS460.

This way they don't lauch a GL550 now in the U.S. and then have to do it again for 2008 when the new direct-injection 5.5L V8 appears, only the GL450 will be superseeded. They'll get a bigger splash in the U.S. for waiting a year until the new direct-injection GL550 is ready. Ditto for the S450. In both instances this might leave a bad taste in the mouthes of this year's S550 and GL450 buyers, but technology marches on.

Wait and see this is what is going to happen.

The only thing I haven't figured out is which of the new V8s the R and M will get and when? There is no way MB is going to continue to build the M/R with the old 5L V8 past this summer. The CLS,E,CLK "500" models we all but know are going to get this new V8 as the SL just did. Question is will there be a R450 and R550 or just one them? Ditto for the ML, ML450 or ML550 or both?

M

Ahh what a dilemma. The old 500 needs to be replaced ASAP across the entire model range. But then if they put the new 450 or 550 as a replacement on the ML, CLK and CLS, will it be CGI or not? You would think it would have to be, because if it weren't it would be only in production for a year or so. This would make many owners very unhappy. But then it doesn't seem like the V8 CGI's are ready right now (Although I reallllly hope they are).

S-class owners are going to scream if the new 550CGI outdates their brand new cars within a year.

 

[Merc1]

Yeah that is a lot of guesswork on my part. I do know they'll update the V8s in the M/R/CLS/CLK/E this year with the regular 5.5L V8 with 388hp because MB never builds an old engine for more than 5-6 months after a new one has been introduced to take its place. I suspect by June/July the change overs will be done in every model. However for 2008 I'm betting these same models will get direct injection making them 400hp strong or so for all of the "550" models CLK/E/CLS/S/SL/CL/R/ML/GL. Mercedes' engine plants must be some of busiest in the world.

M

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

Well as long as the ML gets the new engine this year (the sooner the better), then I'll be happy. I hope its the 5.5, but I'm thinking they may use the 4.5 as a replacement.

 

[cawimmer430]

oil in german is "öl". In swedish "öl" is the word for beer

Wow! So when you go to the pub, you ask for "An öl!?" Try that in Germany and they'll tell you that the mechanics shop is down the road...