GL Class...what are diesel availability?
12-24-2005, 02:13 PM
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everything and anything
GL Class...what are diesel availability?
As the title suggests will the new Gl Class be availabble with a diesel motor? I know they will provide one in the new ML class in the states. Is it possible we will be getting the GL420 cdi as well??
12-24-2005, 02:17 PM
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A 6 cyl and an 8 cyl are listed at this point. From Press Release:
The ultra-modern engine line-up in all GL-Class models provides superlative drive comfort and compelling performance coupled with superior fuel consumption figures compared with other vehicles in the class. Alongside the 165-kW/224-hp V6 engine in the GL 320 CDI, the range of diesel models includes the new-generation high-performance V8 diesel in the GL 420 CDI, which now has an out-put of 225 kW/ 306 hp and maximum torque of 700 Nm. Both diesel-powered versions undercut the EU 4 limits and feature a maintenance-free diesel particulate filter. In addition to the newly developed 5.5-litre, 285-kW/388-hp engine in the GL 500, launched earlier in the new S-Class, the second unit in this ultra-modern V8 family of engines is celebrating its world premiere in the GL-Class. In the GL 450 the 4.6-litre engine develops 250 kW/340 hp. Both engines also fulfil the stringent EU 4 limits (USA: LEV II standard).
The ultra-modern engine line-up in all GL-Class models provides superlative drive comfort and compelling performance coupled with superior fuel consumption figures compared with other vehicles in the class. Alongside the 165-kW/224-hp V6 engine in the GL 320 CDI, the range of diesel models includes the new-generation high-performance V8 diesel in the GL 420 CDI, which now has an out-put of 225 kW/ 306 hp and maximum torque of 700 Nm. Both diesel-powered versions undercut the EU 4 limits and feature a maintenance-free diesel particulate filter. In addition to the newly developed 5.5-litre, 285-kW/388-hp engine in the GL 500, launched earlier in the new S-Class, the second unit in this ultra-modern V8 family of engines is celebrating its world premiere in the GL-Class. In the GL 450 the 4.6-litre engine develops 250 kW/340 hp. Both engines also fulfil the stringent EU 4 limits (USA: LEV II standard).
01-27-2006, 04:08 AM
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jangy - sounds to me like you've got the hots for this thing (or the Mrs. does), and that's OK by me. I can't wait to see them available too.
My guess is first deliveries with the 5.4 gasoline V8 as soon as early Summer, and the big V8 diesel might be availalbe right along with it -- and for sure by the Fall.
..and that is just a guess. But I've heard that they want to sell 15,000 to 20,000 units this year (and the USA SUV "heartland" is their targeted market); and that they're going to blitz on the advertising on this car this Spring and again in early Summer, and will be marketing the diesel powerplant as a big draw - so we should definately know something by then (?).
My guess is first deliveries with the 5.4 gasoline V8 as soon as early Summer, and the big V8 diesel might be availalbe right along with it -- and for sure by the Fall.
..and that is just a guess. But I've heard that they want to sell 15,000 to 20,000 units this year (and the USA SUV "heartland" is their targeted market); and that they're going to blitz on the advertising on this car this Spring and again in early Summer, and will be marketing the diesel powerplant as a big draw - so we should definately know something by then (?).
Last edited by ClayJ; 01-27-2006 at 04:11 AM.
01-31-2006, 10:59 AM
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Diesels to overtake hybrids
Hello ClayJ, here's a new diesel article for you. 
Carmakers display a cleaner side of diesel
says James Mackintosh
Monday, January 30, 2006
Posted: 07:40 PM EST (00:40 London)
When General Motors (NYSE:GM) abandoned diesel engined cars in the US two decades ago, it left a cloud of black smoke over the prospects for the fuel efficient cars.
Last year less than 1 per cent of cars, sport utility vehicles and light pick-ups sold in the US were diesel-powered, thanks to a reputation for being dirty and smelly that many still blame on three unreliable engines designed by GM in the late 1970s.
Visitors to the Detroit motor show this month were shown a different side of diesel, though, as manufacturers prepare for an expected boom in sales. Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and Chrysler all had "clean" diesels on display, and other manufacturers were boasting about the development work they have under way.
Carmakers display a cleaner side of diesel
says James Mackintosh
Monday, January 30, 2006
Posted: 07:40 PM EST (00:40 London)
continued from previous page
The reason for the carmakers' sudden interest in taking diesel to the US is simple – rising fuel prices have prompted consumers to look for alternatives to petrol.
Anthony Pratt, analyst at JD Power, a forecaster, predicts diesel will power 4.5 per cent of new light-duty vehicle sales – cars and trucks excluding the biggest pick-ups – by 2012. This would put diesel ahead of hybrid petrol-electric cars, which are forecast to have 4.2 per cent of the market by 2012, or 780,000 sales a year, up from 212,000 last year.
"You are going to have competition going on for lower emissions and better carbon dioxide between diesel and hybrid," said Carlos Ghosn, chief executive of Japan's Nissan (NASDAQ:NSANY) and Renault of France, this month. "You are going to have a battle of technology."
Both alternatives to standard petrol engines are marginal, but they are growing fast on the back of efficiency gains estimated at 20-30 per cent, depending on driving conditions.
Diesel car sales by Volkswagen rose from 6,864 in the first quarter of last year to 9,937 in the third quarter, when petrol prices hit highs. Sales dipped in the last three months as model updates meant factories were not running at full capacity, but Adrian Hallmark, head of VW North America, says the division was selling all the diesels it could produce.
In a sign of the demand for diesel, VW is offering no discounts on diesel-powered cars, unlike almost all other vehicles for sale in the incentive-driven market.
Diesels make up a third of VW's sales in the US states where they are available, against less than 10 per cent a year ago. "[US drivers] have finally got it," Mr Hallmark says. "And we have been beneficiaries of that."
Only VW cars, the Mercedes E-Class, the Jeep Liberty SUV and heavy pick-up trucks are available with diesel engines in the US. They are only for sale in 45 states, thanks to stricter rules on exhaust emissions imposed by California – the single largest US new car market, with 12 per cent of the country's sales – and four other states.
However, this year it will become easier for diesel engine producers due to a requirement from regulators that low-sulphur fuel be available by mid-October.
The cleaner fuel, already available in Europe, allows the use of particulate traps and other technology to cut emissions, although the US Environmental Protection Agency estimates it will add 2 cents to the price of a gallon. It is unlikely any producers will be able to meet the California requirements immediately, but the fuel will make it easier for carmakers to pass tighter federal standards due next year.
The future of diesel in the US will come down to one big factor: the American consumer. In the 1970s the race to build efficient vehicles was quickly abandoned when lower than expected petrol prices led drivers to revert to the traditionally-favoured large petrol cars, then on to big SUVs and pick-ups.
High petrol prices have prompted a surge of interest in alternative fuels and in smaller vehicles, but as Honda points out: "If there's a swing in petrol prices again, the Americans will forget diesel and go back to gas-guzzlers."
For now, carmakers are paying close attention to the developing diesel market. BMW is examining whether taking a diesel across the Atlantic would add sales, while Nissan – which has access to Renault's diesel expertise or could buy in third-party engines – will make diesel available within five years. Ford (NYSE:F) , which has a joint venture with France's PSA Peugeot Citroën making diesels for Europe, is exploring whether the US light-duty diesel market is worth entering.
Even GM is working on diesels, although it says the economics of expensive clean-up technology make it tough to justify making the engines. For drivers who remember GM's disastrous engines from the 1980s, that would be the ultimate testof acceptance for today's cleaned-up diesels.
From today's Financial Times
Carmakers display a cleaner side of diesel
says James Mackintosh
Monday, January 30, 2006
Posted: 07:40 PM EST (00:40 London)
When General Motors (NYSE:GM) abandoned diesel engined cars in the US two decades ago, it left a cloud of black smoke over the prospects for the fuel efficient cars.
Last year less than 1 per cent of cars, sport utility vehicles and light pick-ups sold in the US were diesel-powered, thanks to a reputation for being dirty and smelly that many still blame on three unreliable engines designed by GM in the late 1970s.
Visitors to the Detroit motor show this month were shown a different side of diesel, though, as manufacturers prepare for an expected boom in sales. Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and Chrysler all had "clean" diesels on display, and other manufacturers were boasting about the development work they have under way.
Carmakers display a cleaner side of diesel
says James Mackintosh
Monday, January 30, 2006
Posted: 07:40 PM EST (00:40 London)
continued from previous page
The reason for the carmakers' sudden interest in taking diesel to the US is simple – rising fuel prices have prompted consumers to look for alternatives to petrol.
Anthony Pratt, analyst at JD Power, a forecaster, predicts diesel will power 4.5 per cent of new light-duty vehicle sales – cars and trucks excluding the biggest pick-ups – by 2012. This would put diesel ahead of hybrid petrol-electric cars, which are forecast to have 4.2 per cent of the market by 2012, or 780,000 sales a year, up from 212,000 last year.
"You are going to have competition going on for lower emissions and better carbon dioxide between diesel and hybrid," said Carlos Ghosn, chief executive of Japan's Nissan (NASDAQ:NSANY) and Renault of France, this month. "You are going to have a battle of technology."
Both alternatives to standard petrol engines are marginal, but they are growing fast on the back of efficiency gains estimated at 20-30 per cent, depending on driving conditions.
Diesel car sales by Volkswagen rose from 6,864 in the first quarter of last year to 9,937 in the third quarter, when petrol prices hit highs. Sales dipped in the last three months as model updates meant factories were not running at full capacity, but Adrian Hallmark, head of VW North America, says the division was selling all the diesels it could produce.
In a sign of the demand for diesel, VW is offering no discounts on diesel-powered cars, unlike almost all other vehicles for sale in the incentive-driven market.
Diesels make up a third of VW's sales in the US states where they are available, against less than 10 per cent a year ago. "[US drivers] have finally got it," Mr Hallmark says. "And we have been beneficiaries of that."
Only VW cars, the Mercedes E-Class, the Jeep Liberty SUV and heavy pick-up trucks are available with diesel engines in the US. They are only for sale in 45 states, thanks to stricter rules on exhaust emissions imposed by California – the single largest US new car market, with 12 per cent of the country's sales – and four other states.
However, this year it will become easier for diesel engine producers due to a requirement from regulators that low-sulphur fuel be available by mid-October.
The cleaner fuel, already available in Europe, allows the use of particulate traps and other technology to cut emissions, although the US Environmental Protection Agency estimates it will add 2 cents to the price of a gallon. It is unlikely any producers will be able to meet the California requirements immediately, but the fuel will make it easier for carmakers to pass tighter federal standards due next year.
The future of diesel in the US will come down to one big factor: the American consumer. In the 1970s the race to build efficient vehicles was quickly abandoned when lower than expected petrol prices led drivers to revert to the traditionally-favoured large petrol cars, then on to big SUVs and pick-ups.
High petrol prices have prompted a surge of interest in alternative fuels and in smaller vehicles, but as Honda points out: "If there's a swing in petrol prices again, the Americans will forget diesel and go back to gas-guzzlers."
For now, carmakers are paying close attention to the developing diesel market. BMW is examining whether taking a diesel across the Atlantic would add sales, while Nissan – which has access to Renault's diesel expertise or could buy in third-party engines – will make diesel available within five years. Ford (NYSE:F) , which has a joint venture with France's PSA Peugeot Citroën making diesels for Europe, is exploring whether the US light-duty diesel market is worth entering.
Even GM is working on diesels, although it says the economics of expensive clean-up technology make it tough to justify making the engines. For drivers who remember GM's disastrous engines from the 1980s, that would be the ultimate testof acceptance for today's cleaned-up diesels.
From today's Financial Times
01-31-2006, 01:11 PM
#6
Super Member
GL320CDI First, then v8
Accd. to the show reps in Detroit and my dealer, late march will see the GL450, then early fall will see the ML, R and GL320CDI's...the V8 diesels within a few months after that.
Personally, with the torque of the v6 diesel and the probably fuel economy, that's the beast i want!
Personally, with the torque of the v6 diesel and the probably fuel economy, that's the beast i want!
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*stupid governor!
02-03-2006, 04:40 PM
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2015 S212
Greg: Yes, i do have the hots for a V8 diesel or a 5.5L in the ML or GL. The wife don't care, she just wants an SUV. Actually, she prefers the Lexus SUVs. Damn, that is gross!!
What??!?!?! No Diesels in California?
What??!?!?! No Diesels in California?
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