A clean diesel engine

www.nwitimes.com ^ | 11/19/2006 | JIM JACKSON

[Red Badger]

ruth be told, "clean and quiet" are not words that typically describe diesel engines -- until now.

For Mercedes-Benz, those words are key components of a new diesel engine brought to market with the 2007 Mercedes E320 BLUETEC Sedan.

BLUETEC reflects the German automaker's dedication to reclaim blue skies with advanced technology in engine and fuel management developed for its E320 BLUETEC sedan, launched this month to coincide with the introduction of low-sulfur diesel fuel across the U.S.

The ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel contains 15 parts per million (ppm) of sulfur content compared to 500 ppm sulfur content from existing diesel fuel.

With BLUETEC, a modular emission control system reduces up to 80 percent of nitrogen oxides into the harmless natural products of nitrogen and water. And when combined with ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel, the 2007 Mercedes E320 BLUETEC produces 97 percent lower emission.

"Mercedes diesel power is about to win many friends in North America with the E320 BLUETEC," Dr. Thomas Weber, head of development at DaimlerChrysler AG and Mercedes Car Group, said. "Our 208 horsepower, 3.0-liter V-6 engine develops eight cylinder-like 400 foot pounds (of torque) combined with the sort of economy consumers get from a four-cylinder engine in everyday use."

The 2007 Mercedes E320 BLUETEC eclipses 0 to 60 mph in eight seconds, yet yields EPA fuel economy of 27 miles per gallon city and 37 mpg highway -- providing a range of 700 miles on a tank of fuel. By comparison, a V-6 gasoline-powered Mercedes E350 renders 19/26 mpg. respectively.

With today's fluctuation of fuel prices, experts predict a greater consumption of diesel fuel around the globe.

According to the Diesel Technology Forum, 80 percent of U.S. diesel fueling stations now supply ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel.

A recent J.D. Power study "Global Outlook For Diesel", forecasts that the current global diesel market share of 18 percent is set to reach 30 percent by 2015, with diesel vehicles expected to account for over 15 percent of new registrations in North America.

"If just one-third of the light-duty vehicles in the U.S. were state-of-the-art diesel vehicles, we would save 1.4 million barrels a day," Margo Oge, director of EPA Office of Transportation and Air Quality, said. "That is the equivalent quantity of oil the U.S. imports from Saudi Arabia every day."

Mercedes' midsize E320 BLUETEC Sedan carries the best of all worlds with power, superb fuel economy and a roomy cabin that wraps an elegant, gracefully curved interior around five passengers in opulent comfort.

A straightforward center console and gauge cluster allows control within easy reach of the driver with at-a-glance instrumentation without the confusing gadgetry found in other German-built sedans in the premium luxury segment.

The 2007 Mercedes E320 BLUETEC offers an upscale, fuel-efficient "green" alternative to today's gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles without sacrifice to comfort, conscience or lifestyle for a base price that starts at $51,550.

[Red Badger]

....for a base price that starts at $51,550

Now all those Hollywierd and lefty Greenies can put their money where their mouth is....................

[Red Badger]

Rest In Peace, old friend, your work is finished.......

If you want on or off the DIESEL "KNOCK" LIST just FReepmail me........

This is a fairly HIGH VOLUME ping list on some days......

[Dead Dog]

I had the opportunity to drive a diesel Focus. Pretty slick!

[truth_seeker]

About one half of all new vehicles sales in Europe are diesels.

With turbo, modern diesel performance equals gas engines. Mileage significantly higher.

Sure, the Mercedes discussed is a $50,000 car. But there are many much lower cost diesel vehicles in Europe.

I expect we will begin seeing more of them over here, too.

GM and Ford USA branch ops continue to follow, rather than lead.

How about a Cadillac or Lincoln, RWD, powerful, quiet low emmision diesel V6 with V8 power, like this Mercedes? A Pontiac, Buick, Chevy?

BTW Audi won 24 hours of LeMans with an diesel.

[Yo-Yo]

Yes, you see many low priced, high performance diesels in Europe. Unfortunately, none of them even come close to meeting the California Air Resources Board (CARB) emissions standards.

There but for the grace of CARB go I.

[alloysteel]

Back in the late 1970's and 1980's, there were several attempts to introduce Diesel engines in several GM lines.

Being the cheap SOBs they were, they tried to simply convert the 350 V-8 gasoline engines to Diesels by replacing the carburetor with an injection pump, bumping up the compression ratio, and replacing the spark plugs with glow plugs.

The result: they were hard-starting, they ran badly, they had the road performance of ox carts, and they stunk. And the economy was not particularly remarkable either.

There was no easy way to back-convert these vehicles to gasoline, short of practically remanufacturing them. The long life that Diesels were supposed to enjoy was a concept that was not well tested, but because of the overstressing of the engine parts due to the much higher compression, there was a pattern of failure of the lower ends and the valve trains much in excess of any warranty support. Most of these counterfeits were simply junked.

[Red Badger]

Yes, I know of the GM disaster. They tried to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. They didn't use the same bearings and rods that normal diesel require, and so they tore themselves apart............

[CHICAGOFARMER]

Back in the late 1970's and 1980's, there were several attempts to introduce Diesel engines in several GM lines.

Being the cheap SOBs they were, they tried to simply convert the 350 V-8 gasoline engines to Diesels by replacing the carburetor with an injection pump, bumping up the compression ratio, and replacing the spark plugs with glow plugs.

The result: they were hard-starting, they ran badly, they had the road performance of ox carts, and they stunk. And the economy was not particularly remarkable either.

There was no easy way to back-convert these vehicles to gasoline, short of practically remanufacturing them. The long life that Diesels were supposed to enjoy was a concept that was not well tested, but because of the overstressing of the engine parts due to the much higher compression, there was a pattern of failure of the lower ends and the valve trains much in excess of any warranty support. Most of these counterfeits were simply junked.


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Stupid SOB's

You either sound like an expert or good overview.

[tubebender]

This car could go 500,000 and last 20 years in most states. I used to trade vehicles every 3 or 4 years as most Americans do but as I get older I drive less and my alter ego has moved on to easier pickins I find my self content with our 95 Riviera with the super charged 3.8 that gets 14/17 in town and 25/28 on the highway. Of course it only has 68,000 miles on the odometer. My 99 Silverado 5.3 has 36,000 and it will go in 2009 or so the Lord willin and the crick don't rise...

[truth_seeker]

"This car could go 500,000 and last 20 years in most states."

I lived in Germany in 1969/1970. Germans at that time told me they saved for years, to buy a car for cash, intending to keep it for a long time. This partly explains the generally high quality of materials in German cars.

In my area there are a lot of old, well maintained Mercedes diesels.

For some the idea of spending $50,000+ on a vehicle seems too high. However if one planned to keep it for 10 to 20 years, it might turn out better than buying cheaper cars more often. At least that is/was the mentality of Germans and some Americans awhile back.

I have kept two German cars (BMW) for 8 and 11 years respectively; both to about 110,000 miles. Our experience was that at the end, too many expensive problems started to occur, combined with the materials wearing enough for it to be noticed.

Because of the good results with BMW, I just got a 2003 with 34,000 miles. Figure it should be great for at least 5-6 years. These days my miles work out at about 8 to 10,000 yearly, max.

Supposedly diesel engines last for many miles. As I mentioned, I'm not sure I want a car with worn seats and paint, in order to approach 200,000 miles. Diesel or otherwise.

[tubebender]

A few years ago my wife and I were spending some time a in a town about 60 miles south of us where the temps are 20 to 30 degrees warmer then Eureka and there was a 1952 Mercedes 170D 4 door in great shape on the only used car lot there. I bought it with out driving it and had a towing company haul it up to my shop. It ran great but what a slug.

My plan was to turn it into a Street Rod but I lost interest and sold it to a fellow who had a couple of them for half of what I paid for it. I told my son the other day I should have hung on to it. I felt like Colonel Klink driving it...