Another batch of Mercedes reviews have managed to make their way into the eMercedesBenz offices this afternoon, with a grand total of three distinct model put their paces for your reading entertainment.  In this Review Roundup episode, the Mercedes-Benz SLK350, the ML320 CDI and the CLC200K are the models analyzed, so if you're in the market for any, you'll now have an even better idea of what to expect from each.

As is the case with all our Mercedes Review Roundup installments, you can find excerpts from each review as well as links back to the full articles immediately below.

Enjoy.


Mercedes-Benz SLK350 (via Automobile)
Reviewer's rating:  Unspecified

"To me, the SLK's recent revisions have helped it become less of a 'hairdresser's car,' as it's sometimes derogatively called in the UK. Sure, the subtle tweaks to the interior and exterior styling play a part in this, but a bigger improvement lies in Mercedes-Benz's new 'direct-steer' rack, which greatly enhances the sportiness of the SLK. Michigan roads aren't great for sampling this new system, but the improved steering was plainly clear when I drove this car in the mountains near Nice, France, in spring 2008, when M-B launched the '09 SLK family. The upgraded 3.5-liter V-6 (with 32 more hp and 7 more lb-ft of torque) doesn't hurt either, and it sounds pleasantly muscular. Overall, Benz's most compact roadster is attractive, nimble, and easy to drive. Still, if I were going to spend $50K on a roadster ($60K as tested in this case), I'd almost certainly go straight for a Porsche Boxster, which is more fun to drive, more masculine, better-balanced, and also offers a slick stick-shift gearbox.

This particular SLK350 test car features a strange wind blocker that looks like someone stretched pantyhose between the rollhoops. Wind management doesn't seem to be improved enough to warrant the weird aesthetic treatment. SLKs typically excel in cabin comfort anyway, though, thanks to the optional heated seats and AirScarf, which blows heavenly warm air onto your neck. Every convertible should have such a convenience.

I drove the SLK to the grocery store last night, and the decent-size trunk easily swallowed my booty. Still, with the top down, the trunk is difficult to access because the hard top parts significantly cut down on the size of the trunk opening. Hardtop convertibles such as the Volvo C70, for instance, have a handy button that allows you to raise the top mechanism several inches for loading/unloading."

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Mercedes-Benz ML320 CDI (via Los Angeles Times)
Reviewer's rating:  Unspecified

"Whizzing up Interstate 5 -- oh, dear -- I was getting 24 miles to the gallon, which is downright respectable for a 4,817-pound sport utility vehicle with the aerodynamics of a catapult-fired rhino. At this rate of consumption, this oil-burner has a range of about 600 miles. Alas, I don't have anything like that kind of range. Oh, look! The golden arches.

I truly sympathize with automotive engineers. For years, customers and the wags of wheel-dom have hammered them with the question: Why can't we have high-efficiency diesels in the U.S. like they have in Europe? Diesel vehicles are 25% to 40% more fuel efficient than gasoline vehicles. But no conventional Euro diesel could pass California's strict emissions tests for sulfur, particulate matter and NOx.

When a federal regulation mandating ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel took effect in 2006, much of the problem was solved (high-sulfur fuel slowly renders diesel emissions systems ineffective). The first generation of Mercedes' BlueTEC diesel in 2007 (in the E320 sedan) used a complex system of traps and filters to deal with particulate matter. These systems actually held particulates until engine conditions were right, then released them to be vaporized in the extreme temperatures of the exhaust. Very clever.

The biggest hurdle left for 50-state legal diesels was NOx, hazardous, smog-forming compounds created by diesel's super-hot compression-ignition cycle.  For smaller cars such as the new diesel VW Jetta TDI and the Honda Accord diesel coming in 2009, state-of-the-art NOx traps and catalytic converters can handle the task. Bigger vehicles such as the Mercedes ML, GL and R-classes require the urea-rich AdBlue fluid to be kept on board in an 8-gallon reservoir -- a bladder, if you will. Injected into the exhaust gases, the urea solution is heat-catalyzed into ammonia, which then collects in a device called an SCR (selective catalytic reduction) catalytic converter. When the offending NOx molecules come along in the SCR, the ammonia binds to them to form harmless nitrogen. Organic chemistry was never so cool.

What does it all mean for consumers? That's not entirely clear, for while the engineers and chemists were beavering away at the problem, the cost of diesel in the U.S. skyrocketed past gasoline. In California this week, the average per-gallon price of diesel ($4.18) is 33 cents higher than gasoline. In July it was a whopping 50 cents higher nationwide. Now that BMW, Mercedes, Audi, VW, Honda and others are making clean diesels, can consumers justify buying them?"

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Mercedes-Benz ML320 CDI (Used Car Review) (via Drive)
Reviewer's rating:  Unspecified

"The V6 turbo-diesel is an absolute cracker, with loads of pulling power. It can seem a bit noisy compared with a V8 petrol version, and you'll still end up with diesel over your hands after each fill, but with typical fuel use averaging about the 9.0L/100km mark, that won't happen too often.

The only gearbox was Benz's excellent seven-speed automatic, which not only provides a ratio for every occasion, it also manages to make progress as smooth as possible. Flexible engines like turbo-diesels have always worked well with auto gearboxes and the 320 CDI is no exception.

Launched with the new M-Class range in 2006, the new ML marked a return to Benz's quality standards of old. It still wasn't perfect, but the quality of interior trim materials, for instance, was a huge improvement over the old model - a car that tended to prove the old adage that North Americans don't understand quality (both models were built at Benz's Alabama plant in the US).

Despite its relatively rugged appearance, high stance and promise of all-wheel-drive, the ML was never an off-roader.  Don't bother looking for differential locks, low-range crawler-gears and other macho off-road equipment, because it's just not there unless you stumble on an example with the "Off Road Pro Engineering" option pack which added more than $10,000 to the 320's asking price."

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Mercedes-Benz CLC200K (via CarPoint.com.au)
Reviewer's rating:  

"Best sales performer of the previous range, the 200 Kompressor is now the sole engine offering for local CLC customers 'at this stage.'  M-B Australia is working on a diesel option but it's unlikely we'll see a larger petrol version due to the CLC's price positioning, and the fact the previous V6 model wasn't a big seller.

The 200K's 1.8-litre supercharged four-cylinder petrol unit was revised for the new C-Class range and the coupe benefits from its new-found urge and improved refinement. Now good for 135kW/250Nm compared to 120kW/240Nm, M-B says revisions to the engine include uprated blower and pistons.  The extra kilowatts shave half a second off the CLC's 0-100km time; now at 8.6sec.  The engine is also slightly more frugal, according to ADR 81/01 figures for the auto-equipped model of 8.4L/100km. Peak power is at 5500rpm while top torque is spread from 2800-5000rpm.

The Kompressor engine has enough go and plenty of usable torque which is best managed by the paddle-shift version of the auto (available for the Evolution models).  Otherwise left to cruise about, this is a sedate and simple drive, aided by composed, absorbent ride and solid handling.

Applied to the up-spec models, M-B's Direct Steer feature is simple but effective. Steering turn-in at ten-tenths is noticeably different between the entry model and Evolution version, giving the small sporty a more mature feel. As Benz suggests: certainly confidence inspiring.

Interior-wise the Coupe is comfortable behind the wheel and spacious up front for both passengers, with good legroom and shoulder room. The W203's dash is now old, but was always well laid out with 'shared' comfort controls easy to access by either front occupant."

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And to our friend Shiv:  many thanks for the tips my good sir; we sincerely appreciate them.