US models with diesels this year?

[Eric Kahn]

The sprinter is completely built by mercedes, they just did not want to sell a mercedes truck over here that was cheaper than their cars so since they own freightliner, they just put a freightliner badge on it and now a dodge badge since they did away with the dodge full size van line

 

[DKarvwnaris]

I have seen the Mercedes versions in Munich Germany, they aren't bad for delivery in City areas. I don't blame MB for rebadging it as Freightliner, They are doing the same thing with the UNIMOG parts and service through Freightliner. I don't think its a matter of not wanting to have a truck cheaper than their cars, it appears to be a cheaper way for them to integrate the sales, parts and service into preexisting dealerships. I doubt many of the US mercedes dealers could take on the trucks with their clients being mostly upper class in the waiting rooms. I can just see the look on a snooty little old lady taking her nice little convertible in for service and having to sit next to "bob" the construction worker while the dealer services his Sprinter job van or Unimog. I guess theres a reason MB owns so much these days, they really think through the economics thoroughly on things like this. I wish thy would push a few more Chrysler products with diesels onto the US market, Nearly every model in Europe is available with a diesel motor. We rented a little Wrangler last year that was getting over 600 Kilometers per tank.

 

[mcoleman]

Nitrous is not and never will be usable HP. It's short term only. The day you can leave your nitrous on for a 600 mile trip pulling a 5ver weighing around 16000 pounds I'll believe it. Of course we all know that would take an additional propane tank trailer to haul the huge load of Nitrous in as well as a few spare engines. I've owned GM trucks for 20 years before buying the diesel Ram. I know the truth about them. Hopefully the manufacturers won't price the new diesel vehicles out of the normal persons pocket. it won't do any good to bring them into the US if they are all $50,000. 00+ like the Toureg. I'm hoping the Liberty is a lot less than that. Even the diesel RUVs like the Kawasaki Mule and the new Kubota RTV are priced way up there for the average consumer.

 

[mcoleman]

Oh I know all about nitrous and it's uses. I've probably used more in one 1/8 mile pass than you will in several passes. I've spent a lot of time around the high 4 second low 5 second 10. 5 cars at local drags as well as running a bracket car for 20 some odd years. I just prefer real hp as to throttle in a bottle. I've not seen to many Duramaxes get into the 500hp range without nitrous, propane or both. I've also seen a few of the Duramax experts say that they didn't think the V8 design would live as long a life at those power levels without internal mods such as girdles and aftermarket rods and such. And I personally dislike the IFS in the truck more than the engine. I still wouldn't mind a 2wd Burban with a Duramax for the wife if they would just make one. I miss the utility of my Burban but don't miss any of the issues the IFS on it and the one before it put me through. I would have to go with a 2wd to own another but would do it in a minute if and when they make it.

 

[RobertBolinger]

My definition of not turning a bolt on the motor would be limited to ECM changes, or maybe some kind of board or box-wiring only... I think that number is closer to 500 for the DMAX.



When accusing someone of liking to argue one should look in the mirror. .

 

[Turbo Tim 1]

Originally posted by Kyle03D

I don't mind the argueing. I don't go around instigating it though.

Maybe not but you've kept it going pretty well



I think this has probably gone far enough and we should let it die, remember, "Opinions are like a-holes - Everyones got one and most of them stink" We could point out the good the bad and the ugly for a long time on each of the brands but we don't really need to. Why don't we take a Midol and stick to the topic at hand.

 

[RobertBolinger]

Now I know why they provided this Smilie :-{}

 

[DKarvwnaris]

Originally posted by RobertBolinger

Now I know why they provided this Smilie :-{}

Too bad they don't have that smiley with a hammer crashing on ones head, that would be more fitting for the typical arguement.



Someone mentioned Mercedes is bringing their diesel back again. Which models are they putting it in and will it be this year? That little Sport utility ("M" class I believe it is) would be perfect for the Mrs.



My wifes family drives VW and Audi nearly exclusivelym but they are also in germany so it is hard to think of a more fitting vehicle. Her father refuses to buy a diesel as the difference in initial cost and registration is over $15,000 the first year alone. Maintenance and fuel are a savings, but not enough to offset the horrible German taxes on Diesels. The green party in Germany is pushing to get the manufacturers to build a bio diesel approved vehicle that will only run on organic fuel base. Some part of the fuel delivery will be designed to plug up with traditional diesel. This will then be used to push for envrionmental credits and help to make the diesels more affordable. Now they are still targeted as gross polluters there, regardless of fuel economy.

 

[RobertBolinger]

That is very interesting-Germany, the home of the diesel, right?



I though Europe was diesel friendly

 

[DKarvwnaris]

Diesel friendly only when the companies are buying the cars. Personally owned diesels are much less popular. One very common benefit in Germany for the middle class is the companies provide a vehicle for the employee. It is to used for business of course, but most use them as a second car. This is a huge write off for the companies and extremely unappreciated by most workers. My father in law also pays in excess of $2500 a month in health insurance so it is all relative when you look at their cost of living I guess. Diesels are very popular, but mostly as what I described with company cars etc.



One of the compact death boxes I drove last spring was a SMART car. These will be enterind the US in 2006. They started life as a joint project between Swatch and Mercedes. Now Mercedes is holding the company mostly to themselves.

check out www.smart.com

or this link specifically:

http://www.smart.com/-snm-013515509.../smart/smartimdetail/news/mpcsub1063875671264



One of these days I'll learn how to rename the links, but I am not up on the forum and link tricks. Too busy most of the time to bother with it



The smart we drove was a 3 cylinder turbo charged diesel with a manual/auto transmission. It was beyond peppy, I was on the Autobahn in excess of 130KPH. Not bad for a 3 cylinder engine that looks more at home in a garden tractor. Biggest concernI had was the lack of weight in this car. It tended to ride like a skif above 100 kph. If you have ever driven an old air cooled VW bug, you know what I mean. The smarts aere set up much the same way, rear wheel drive and not much in the front to speak of, not even a trunk area in the original models.

 

[billf]

Regarding the MD diesel - it will be available in May in the U. S. and will be for their E class car. Retail should be around $50-52k. I believe it will be a little over 200 HP and produce over 300 lbs of torgue. This was from talking to the MB guy at the Atlanta Auto Show. I have a 1983 240D (in addition to my CTD)and love it. Slow but cool.



Bill

 

[DKarvwnaris]

Originally posted by WFavara

Regarding the MD diesel - it will be available in May in the U. S. and will be for their E class car This was from talking to the MB guy at the Atlanta Auto Show. I have a 1983 240D (in addition to my CTD)and love it. Slow but cool.



Bill

My neighbor had/has a MB 4 door sedan diesel at our old address, he had it dialed up pretty good, it was a peppy little car, He had a turbo on it, I don't know if it was stock or aftermarket. The car was definitely not what I expected from the ones I remember as a kid. He ran it on veggie diesel with no problems. That is my intent with whatever we buy. I am sick of supporting the camel lovers, I'll live with the lower HP claims, I haven't noticed it too bad in my dodge or any of our construction equipment we have run it in.

Thanks for the MB info, I will be going to a dealer hopefully this weekend if time allows for more info.



We had thought about importing from our family's place if nothing was coming back out again or else taking a trip to Canada to check their models.