A bold and serious move

Las Vegas, Nevada. The gloves are off; Mercedes-Benz is no longer fooling around. As early as October 15th of this year, the most innovative, clean and technologically advanced diesel powered automobile will make its way to Mercedes-Benz showrooms in 45 states and more importantly, every province in Canada. This date coincides with the arrival of the ultra-clean

(Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre)

low sulphur diesel fuel in North America. The 2007 E-320 Bluetec is powered by a turbocharged 3,0L V6 that develops 208 hp and 400 lb/ft of torque. In the near future, Mercedes-Benz will introduce this same engine into the GL, R and ML Classes.

The battle is on because the Three-Pointed star will be the first German luxury maker to offer a viable, intelligent diesel powered product in North America even though the others have diesel powetrains. As the price of gasoline rises and the reserves deplete, the market will have no other choice but to turn to compact cars with smaller engines, hybrids or, as Mercedes and JD Powers predict, diesel. The reason why diesel took so long to arrive on our shores was

(Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre)

principally because of the poor quality of the fuel. By the magical date of October 15, nearly all Canadian refuelling stations and over 76,000 American gas stations will be able to provide the juice. Consequently, this also opens up the door for the other manufacturers to import their diesel vehicles... hint, hint.

Bluetec is the name and keeping the sky blue is the game. OK, so no one at Mercedes-Benz uttered these words but you get the picture. Through a series of particle filters, catalytic converters and storage catalysts, the Bluetec system is bar-none the cleanest diesel technology on the Planet. The E320 is BIN 8 compliant (emission standards) and is very close to meeting the more stringent BIN 5 requirements that will go into effect in 2009. In the case of the other three Benzes, they will meet the BIN 5 rules when they go on sale in 2008. The trick to this version of the Bluetec system is that AdBlue (hence the name) is injected into the exhaust gas flow. AdBlue is a non-toxic aqueous solution that, when mixed into the gases, creates ammonia. In turn, the ammonia breaks down up to 80% of the nitrous oxide (the real bad stuff) into nitrogen and water. Not bad eh? The trick is to get Bluetec

(Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre)

car owners to refill the reservoir that holds the liquid. According to the DaimlerChrysler Auto Group people, AdBlue will be added on a regular interval that will coincide with regularly scheduled maintenance. No word yet on the cost of the refill.

If I get back to the car itself, I can only say that the E-Class is a lovely "boulevardiere" that cuddles its occupants with luxury, comfort and all the bell and whistles. Now for the important part: the motor is plainly fabulous. From inside the cabin, it is nearly impossible to discern the diesel noise. In fact, I am quite convinced that 99% of the people that would take place onboard the car would ever even realise that this was a diesel. From the outside, the typical engine chatter is present however it is severely muffled and there is no smell. The downside? Well, if you consider 4-cylinder fuel consumption with V8 power to be wrong, then this is not the car for you. The E320 hustles up to speed with the 7-speed autobox with ease. To be quite truthful, I often forgot that I was driving a diesel-powered automobile. The car's performance is so effortless, seamless and smooth that I may as have been driving an E500. The 225 mile trip through the desert, the mountains, the city and freeways returned an average fuel consumption number of approximately 26 mpg.