It's Friday, and what better way to make the work day go a little quicker than with a fresh batch of Mercedes reviews?  My sentiments exactly, so it's great pleasure that I bring you the latest installment of our now infamous Mercedes Review Roundup segment.  In this episode, the Mercedes C350 4MATIC, the new Mercedes CLS550 and the smart fortwo are the models analyzed for your viewing pleasure, thus giving you a small glimpse of what to expect from each.

As always, you can find excerpts from each review as well as links back to the full articles immediately below.

Enjoy.


Mercedes-Benz C350 4MATIC (via The Independent & Free Press)
Reviewer's rating:  Unspecified

"I jumped into my tester – a C350 4Matic – pushed the Keyless Go auto start and plunged this sleek, relatively ground-hugging sports sedan into the snow.  Anybody watching would have thought me an idiot. One who’d soon be asking for a push back into the driveway. But I had no chance to gauge reactions as I shifted into ‘drive’ and the combination of permanent all-wheel-drive, traction control technologies and four snow tires began to chew through the white stuff like a pit bull through a pork chop.

The C350 4Matic, like its rear-drive sibling, is powered by 3.5-litre, DOHC 24-valve V6 engine that delivers 268 horsepower and 258 lb/ft of torque between 2,400 and 5,000 rpm. This is mated to Mercedes’ 7G-TRONIC automatic transmission. This seven-speed autobox is smooth shifting, and when pressed hard it will skip several gears for stronger downshifts. Sometimes when you punch it, however, there’s a slight hesitation as the transmission seeks the right gear.  This condition is temporary, I’m told, and should improve over time as the 7G-TRONIC’s driver-adaptive software adjusts to your driving style.

Still, acceleration is brisk and zero to 100 clicks has been timed at 6.3 seconds. And if you choose to keep said acceleration to a minimum, you may get somewhere near the rated fuel economy of 12.5 L/100 km (city) and 8.2 L/100 km (highway). I couldn’t confirm this as snowstorms and traffic jams were not conducive to measuring fuel consumption.

But bad weather is where this car really shines. For that we can thank, in part, the 4Matic AWD. This incorporates a four-wheel electronic traction system that can individually brake slipping wheels to maintain the balance of power. 4Matic works seamlessly with the electronic stability program and acceleration skid control to help you maintain your line in slippery conditions.
I was amazed at how these systems worked efficiently and almost imperceptibly in the background to correct driver errors, such as when giving it a little too much gas on a snowy corner. I hope that someday soon all cars will be equipped with this kind of technology as standard. Still, if you drive in a manner that relies on it, you’re asking for trouble. Traction control and stability programs are there to assist, not take over.

Enough preaching. Bottom line– the C350 4Matic is a great ride for all seasons. And not just from a performance and handling standpoint, but in terms of amenities as well. Inside, this car is everything you’d expect from the iconic German automaker."

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Mercedes-Benz CLS550 (via AutoWeek)
Reviewer's rating:  Unspecified

"This 2009 model features a couple of upgrades, including a new front fascia with two-bar grille, larger side mirrors, a new rear bumper and exhaust tips. These relatively minor changes do little to what I have always thought was a slick looking piece of rolling metal.

The ride is quiet, smooth and composed. Cruising down the expressway and slicing through backstreets is done easily. It takes bumps well and has relatively spirited reflexes for a larger Mercedes sedan. It doesn't provide the sporty feel you get from, say, a BMW 5-Series, but it's a worthy effort.

The V8 muscles the car along nicely and is smooth when paired with the seven-speed automatic, a feature that no doubt helps give it a respectable fuel mileage reading.

Performance between CLS and E is obviously similar--since they come off the same platform--though the high beltline and cocoon-like seating position make the driving experience seem more integrated in the CLS.

Power from this 382-hp V8 is more than sufficient, but there's always room for more and thank goodness for the CLS63 AMG."

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smart fortwo (via The Mercury News)
Reviewer's rating:  Unspecified

I liked the idea of owning a fuel-efficient Smart car, but did it really have to take 13 seconds to get up to freeway speed?  As it turns out, once you get it going, the car has plenty of zip - darting nimbly between 18-wheelers, like a mouse among a herd of elephants - and with a top speed of 90 mph, it holds its own in the fast lane. At 106.1 inches in length, it's almost three feet shorter than the not-so-Mini Cooper, making it possible to parallel park in spaces that aren't really spaces. I've parked between two normal-sized cars without bothering to feed the meter. The Smart is as wide as it is tall, and oblong like an egg. It may just be the shape of things to come.

The car looks like the result of some freakish night of passion between an Imperial Stormtrooper and a riding lawn mower. Part of the Smart's curb appeal is that it looks friendly. Auto companies invest huge sums to research the effect a car's grille has on other drivers, which is why muscle cars look angry in your rearview mirror. The Smart's small black grille and its round headlights, by contrast, appear to be smiling at you.

It wasn't long ago that the only way you could get Americans out of their giant, gas-swilling Tahoes and Denalis was to pry the steering wheel from their cold, dead hands. But with gas prices charging toward $5 a gallon, more than half the country has cut back on driving, according to a recent survey. Since electric cars are still a long way from hitting the road, Smart's tiny two-seater - with its 3-cylinder, 71-horsepower engine - seems like a plausible way to start sowing the seeds of counter-insurgency against the SUVs.

Mostly, though, I bought it because it looked like it would be fun to drive.  And, mostly, it is.

Strangers wave at you, and little children simply point at the car, sensing that here is a ride even they could master.  My dry-cleaner was the first to take note of the car. I was separating laundry when he drifted past me to the sidewalk. 'Is it electric?' he inquired. No, I said, trying to draw his attention back to a missing button on my shirt.  'Is it a hybrid?'  No, again.  'What kind of gas mileage does it get?' he persisted. When I told him it seemed to be averaging about 37 miles to the gallon in mixed city and freeway driving, he seemed crestfallen. 'That all?' he sniffed. Then he went back to smashing my collar buttons with a hammer."

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smart fortwo (via Popular Mechanics)
Reviewer's rating: Unspecified

"[The EV] — Based on the previous Smart model, over 100 of these battery-electric vehicles have been converted in Fradley, Staffordshire and are on test all over the UK. The 30kW/41hp brushless, liquid-cooled, DC motor is designed and built by Zytek, with the motor, inverter and controlling electronics in one housing. All that fits onto the conventional engine's three mounting points. The conventional transmission is locked into second gear, as there's no need for more given the torque delivery characteristics and 12,000-rpm peak operating speed of the electric motor. The high-temperature salt battery is a natrium-nickel chloride unit made by MES-DEA of Switzerland, which is mounted under the floor where the fuel tank sits in a conventional Smart.

The little car is quick off the mark as the traction motor delivers all of its 88.5 lb.-ft. of torque to the rear wheels from zero revs. As a result, it's difficult to maneuver in tight places as the car tends to surge forward. You need to keep your left foot covering the brake. You also need to keep your hand on the horn, as pedestrians don't hear the little Smart coming and will step off the sidewalk right into its path—this is going to be an ongoing problem for electric vehicles in built-up areas.

[The Diesel] — Compared to the previous oil-burning Smart, this new model has common-rail fuel injection at higher pressures (up to 23,200 psi), new seven-hole fuel injectors and a particulate filter that captures 40 percent of particulate emissions. Power and torque are up 10 percent to 44 horsepower and 81 lb-ft of torque respectively. Mercedes says it will deliver 71.3mpg (US) and emit just 88g/km in the EU Combined cycle, which comfortably puts it at the forefront of any list of production economy cars. In fact this little car can do 621 miles on a brimmed tank, enough to travel the 1,200 miles between the farthest points on mainland Britain with just one tank fill.

But there's a hitch.  You'll need earplugs. The car, particularly after a cold start, sounds like a cement mixer on methanphetamine. That's from the sidewalk. From inside, the well-insulated cabin is more tolerable. The noise isn't the only disadvantage: top speed is 84mph and 0-62 mph takes nearly 20 seconds. So the diesel Smart isn't going to set the world alight. But for off-the-line bursts, it doesn't feel too bad.

[The Micro Hybrid Drive] — The Micro Hybrid Drive (MHD) isn't a hybrid in the accepted sense of the word. The drive doesn't 'drive' the car, and doesn't power the air conditioning. This 'hybrid' unit is a beefed-up, belt-driven alternator/starter, which simply powers the stop/start function by recharging the battery on over-run and restarting the car quickly. The 70 horsepower, one-liter gas engine cuts out as the car rolls to a stop at under 5mph. And it automatically starts again as soon as you take your foot off the brake pedal.

It's a simple system that has a big fuel consumption benefit. Mercedes reckons the MHD Smart will return 54.7 mpg (US) in the EU Combined cycle, which is an eight percent improvement. Fuel savings could be as high as 19 percent in crowded city streets. In use, it's almost pain-free. Restarting involves a little more noise and vibration than the equivalent system on BMW's bigger diesel MINI. This is not such a bad thing, however, as there is at least the confidence that the engine is actually running when the lights change and you put your foot on the throttle."

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