It's been five days since we last brought you one of our famous Mercedes Review Roundup installments, more than enough time to elicit painful withdrawal symptoms from those of you fixated on reading the latest Mercedes reviews.  But not to worry, ladies and gentlemen, because today we have a grand total of two Review Roundup segments, the combination of which should be sufficient to satisfy even the most intense of your review cravings.

The first models to be scrutinized for your reading enjoyment?  That honor goes to the Mercedes F700 Research Vehicle and the R320 BlueTEC, with a total of three publications weighing in on vehicles.  As always, you can find excerpts from each review as well as links back to the full articles immediately below.

Enjoy.  


Mercedes-Benz F700 Research Vehicle (via Drive)
Reviewer's rating:  Unspecified

"If the Mercedes-Benz F700 sitting ready for us to drive on a sun-bathed racetrack not far from the southern Spanish city of Seville is a reliable indication of how the automotive game is set to progress, the up-market sedan beyond 2020 still will have palatial levels of accommodation and outstanding comfort. However, via the application of advanced petrol-electric hybrid driveline technology it will be a good deal less taxing on the environment than those on the forecourts of today's Mercedes-Benz dealerships.  That's the overriding impression you get when you slide in behind the steering wheel of the big F700, turn the key and set off down the road with a hearty nudge of the throttle.

Despite the futuristic themes displayed by the latest Mercedes-Benz research vehicle, it doesn't require much in the way of imagination to see yourself driving a car with a similar mechanical package, if not quite as dramatic an exterior appearance, down an Australian highway in a decade or two.

Here's why. With a combined average consumption of 5.3L/100km and carbon dioxide emissions of just 127g/km, the F700's advanced driveline provides it with the sort of credentials to ensure the luxury car as we know it has a bright future despite predictions of $5--a -litre petrol and the Rudd Government touting CO2-based road tax schemes.  The forward-looking Mercedes-Benz is not quite in Toyota Prius territory as far as fuel economy and emissions are concerned but measured against today's S-Class it is in an altogether different environmental league.

The interesting thing is that the technology the F700 uses to achieve these figures is not worlds away from that found in the current S-Class. It even has a petrol engine under its uncharacteristically short bonnet.  Of all the various technology on the F700, the petrol-electric hybrid drivetrain holds the biggest clue to the way Mercedes-Benz sees the luxury car heading in the future.

In a clear hint that engine downsizing and electric drive systems are set to play a growing, pivotal role in dramatic decreases in consumption and emissions - sought by customers and regulators alike - the F700 is propelled by a twin-turbocharged 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol engine mounted up front, behind its bold grille, in combination with an electric motor tucked away in the gearbox housing.

When started using the same electronic key as today's S-Class, the aluminium-block engine runs in so-called petrol mode, a lean air-fuel mixture being injected into the cylinders and ignited by a spark plug. But once temperatures have risen sufficiently and the engine is under light loads, it automatically switches to diesel mode, where the compression ratio is raised and the spark plug is deactivated in a move aimed at enhancing overall efficiency.

In terms of refinement, the new engine still has a way to go before you could call it production-ready, feeling a bit like an out-of-tune version of Mercedes's existing supercharged 1.8-litre four. However, it delivers its power in an agreeably linear fashion and provides sufficient performance to ensure the F700 would not be left behind at the traffic lights should it ever find its way on to public roads."

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Mercedes-Benz F700 Research Vehicle (via evo)
Reviewer's rating:  Unspecified

Evo offers a video review of the new Mercedes-Benz F700 Research Vehicle. You can view the full video at the link below.

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Mercedes-Benz R320 BlueTEC (via Auto123.com)
Reviewer's rating: 

"The Mercedes R-Class is not subtle at all. Massive and commanding, it has a lot of presence on the road. While remarkably long and wide, however, this squat-looking vehicle is actually several centimetres lower than other SUV-type models in the portfolio. The result is an elongated silhouette which kind of looks disproportioned. Of course, it's always a matter of tastes.

One thing's for sure, though: Mercedes knows quite a thing or two about interior designs. Here, the cabin is roomy and beautifully laid out, with third-row seats even adults can access and feel at ease in, something few rivals can brag about.

With regard to cargo capacity, the R320 also impresses. Just imagine: it managed to swallow the entire equipment of our photo and video crews while offering utmost comfort to the three passengers. I did wind up with a shortage of clothes, but that's simply because I didn't plan ahead well enough.

The 2009 R-Class is a carbon copy of the 2008 model. Except for the BlueTEC system, no significant change has been made. The audio unit is slightly improved, while the Pre-Safe and Neck-Pro technologies now come standard -- that's about it.

Under the hood of the new R320 is a 3.0-liter BlueTEC V6 shared with other Mercedes-Benz utility vehicles. I'm not going to explain once again how it works. What you need to remember is that BlueTEC uses a urea-based fluid called AdBlue which neutralizes most nitrogen oxides in the exhaust system.

Thusly equipped, the Mercedes R320 averages 11.3 L/100 km in the city and 8.2 L/100 km on the highway -- roughly a 30-percent improvement over traditionally-powered models. Surprisingly, power and performance are not compromised: the automaker claims that acceleration times from 0 to 100 km/h are as low as 8.8 seconds.

Efficient, convenient and uniquely styled, the 2009 Mercedes-Benz R320 BlueTEC might be the ultimate versatile wagon. As expected, driving dynamics are not particularly exciting, but high-end comfort and genuine luxury make up for it. All that in a clean, environmentally-friendly package. What else could you ask for?"

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And before I go, a special thanks to our friend Shiv for the tips.  As always my good sir, we sincerely appreciate them.