By Nick Syn

PROSPECTIVE OWNERS OF Mercedes-Benz’s E- and C-Class models have more to look forward to as the German carmaker has just introduced a crop of newly developed twin-cam V6 engines.

The new V6s re-adopt four-valve-per-cylinder technology and are available with Mercedes’ highly acclaimed 7G-Tronic seven-speed automatic transmission, which features two reverse gears.

The new E 350 dispatches the 0-100km/h sprint in 6.9 seconds and hits a top speed of 250km/h. The outgoing E 320 only managed 7.7 seconds and 243km/h respectively.

The E 350 has already gone on sale and Mercedes managed to find homes here for five units as of June. The 272bhp 3.5-litre engine was first seen in the SLK roadster, followed by the CLS four-door coupe.

Current Model - Engine Capacity / Cylinder Layout / Output - Updated Model - Engine Capacity /
Cylinder Layout / Output

C 230 Kompressor - 1.8-litre / in-line 4 / 192bhp - C 230 - 2.5-litre / V6 / 204bhp
C 240 - 2.6-litre / V6 / 170bhp - C 280 - 3.0-litre / V6 / 231bhp
C 320 - 3.2-litre / V6 / 218bhp - C 350 - 3.5-litre / V6 / 272bhp
E 240 - 2.6-litre / V6 / 170bhp - E 280 - 3.0-litre / V6 / 231bhp
E 320 - 3.2-litre / V6 / 218bhp - E 350 - 3.5-litre / V6 / 272bhp

*Not all the engines listed above will make it here though, the most likely variants are the C230 and the E280. These should arrive towards the last quarter of 2005.

NO SUBSTITUTE FOR CUBES
Merc tuner unveils world’s most powerful naturally-aspirated V8

HOLDING TRUE TO the old American engineering adage that there is no substitute for cubic capacity, Mercedes’ official tuning arm, AMG, recently unveiled the most powerful naturally aspirated series production V8 in the world. With a fairly monstrous capacity of 6.3-litres, this wholly-new design churns out 510bhp and 630Nm of torque.

The engine is set to debut in a new, as yet unnamed AMG vehicle, and its design employs cutting edge technologies. For instance, the V8 features a variable length magnesium intake manifold with two internal throttle flaps that operate in parallel, a feature that Mercedes claims is a world’s first.

Also, the V8’s cylinder walls have received twin-wire-arc-sprayed (TWAS) coatings, a first for regular production engines. The TWAS process supposedly results in very low friction coatings.