Brakes

The pads and discs are reasonably priced at around £450 per set. Fitting the brakes will add a bit to the tag especially when the brake fluid will be changed. This generation of Benz requires you to plug it to a computer when you change the fluid.

Cabin

When you get an E55 with high specs you can expect that the cabin will have a ton of gadgets. You have to take note that these systems will be expensive to fix.

Chassis

The brand speaks for itself through the years and it has been known to produce tough chassis with no weak joints or bushes.

Engine

The powerplant of the E55 is hand-built and you will be able to see the names of the persons who assembled it.

Bodystyle

You only have an option between a saloon or an estate. The wagon is easier to put again onto the market later, and still you can give it a good price.

Wheels and tires

Every corner will cost you about £200. We advise that you avoid the aftermarket rims since an original wheel set on the car that is chip-free will give a hint of a careful owner who is careful with parking or spent some sum to take care of the car.

Janis Joplin had it right, don’t you think? And even those who might night be fans of the big Benz, you guys have to admit that the new concept, the F800 Style, is a seriously sexy looking machine.

This beauty will get its big reveal next month at the big motor show in Geneva. Mercedes’ traditional design aesthetic has been seriously reinterpreted with this concept, the idea being to showcase where the automaker intends to go in the future.

And the F800 Style is definitely futuristic, not to mention sleek and somehow sensual, stylish and so speedy looking you can practically hear the tires scream.

*Lyrics from Janis Joplin’s “Mercedes Benz.”

The dip in the sales graph prompts luxury car makers to offer incentives in order to lure consumers who are looking into buying more affordable brands and vehicles like SUVs and pickups. The luxury car brands suffered due to the recession which pushed the economy to the edge forcing consumers to cut back on their spending.

BMW invites consumers to take advantage of the interest rates that they offer for their new range of cars which goes for as low as 1.9%. They are also focusing on pushing for their pre-owned cars program. BMW is also concentrating on being more green as they capitalize on their diesel models and their plan to introduce the X6 Hybrid and the 7-Series in the United States.

Bentley gives consumers to own a Continental GT with a sticker of $179,000 on a 0.9% interest rate. Porsche is also creating a buzz with their cash back programs. On an average purchase, the buyer can save as much as $4412, a 657% increase from 2008, for buying a new car from Porsche.

Mercedes-Benz offers a special rate on the leasing program and interest rates ranging from 1.9% to 2.9% for units like the CLS Class 4-door coupe, CLK-Class, and the sedan from the C-Class lineup. Benz also recently launched the S400 hybrid in the U.S. to enter the competition on the green market.

The luxury car brands hope to improve their figures by 2010. On the other side of the picture, now is the great chance for consumers to buy their new rides.

American and Japanese car manufacturers don’t have the positioning and advantage that the European brands have. The vehicles they produce are mainstream and they do not have significant diesel programs in Europe or other parts of the globe.

The European car makers are grabbing the opportunity to dominate the market as diesel prices drop and as clamor for more fuel efficient engines increase. They are finding the greener solution in diesel which has more energy stored compared to gasoline. Diesel technology can still compete with the emerging hybrid vehicles.

Consumers can save on average about $3000 to $8000 per car compared to getting hybrid systems. Diesel powertrains also prove to be torquey and perform in real driving conditions. The hybrid, on the other hand, has the street image of being the greener of the choices and is more popular nowadays.

The European luxury car makers will definitely push forward with their plans of selling more units in the United States as Japanese and American car makers struggle to bring back their diesel solutions to North America.

Lexus might have something in its fleet to challenge the European marques. The 2010 HS 250h is being marketed as a luxury sedan. It also has the RX hybrid in the SUV segment. Experts are pretty sure though that the 355d of BMW and Bluetec diesel GL-Class and ML-Class (Mercedes), and the Audi 7 will give a good fight.

According to company executives, they exported high end models to the United States last January affecting their overall sales.

The different versions of the GLK came in as a surprise to some consumers when the sticker price reached $40000 plus. The price skyrocketed because the packages offered by the dealerships were loaded by options.

Most of the US consumers were expecting see the tag as advertised at $34775 for the two-wheel drive version. The all-wheel drive starts selling at $36775. These prices include shipment of the vehicle.

Mercedes Benz adjusted the interest rate to 1.90% for up to 5 year and 6 months for the GLK class last February. The options for the GLK have also been reconfigured to make the package more appealing to consumers.

Some of the features sought after by consumers like the sunroof was marketed as an option package for $3150 before and is now sold as a stand alone feature tagged at $1450. The multimedia package that came with a navigation system had a sticker of $3350 is now being sold separately for $1800.

GLK owners who purchased packaged options last February or March got a refund of around $2000. Mercedes-Benz did not disclose how many customers received the refund.

The base engine of the Brabus G V12 S Biturbo is patterned after the Mercedes G Class engine. The Brabus engineers took the V12 bi-turbo engine and upgraded the 5.5-liter to a 6-3-liter power machine. The improved engine also comes with bigger cylinders and turbochargers, a high performance exhaust system, which comes with free-flowing metal catalysts) and a specialized crankshaft.

The upgraded and powerful engine, added to a five-speed automatic transmission, has an impressive 690 horsepower and 973 lb-ft of torque. The Brabus G V12 S Biturbo accelerates at 62 mph in only 4.3 seconds. However, the speed is electronically limited at 150 mph tops.

The exterior reeks of the sporty, outdoor look complete with its flashy wheels and LED headlights for daytime driving, located below the main lamps. The ergonomically-shaped steering wheel also offers a sporty feel, as well as the speedometer, stainless-steel scuff plates and its impressive leather seats. The Mercedes-Look is still there, but… not really!

The Brabus G V12 S Biturbo is expected to carry the price tag of €379,000, which is obviously pretty sick high. This rate includes the exclusive Brabus front exterior. Brabus also announced that they can transform the Brabus G V12 S Biturbo into an “office on wheels” by request, adding to it the latest communication technology such as a game console, eight-inch LCD screens attached at the back of the front seat headrests, and a DVD changer.

“The new 62 Zeppelin and Maybach 57 models will take the spotlight at the Geneva Motor Show. Car experts and lovers will surely have praises for the power plants of these vehicles. The Zeppelin sports a biturbo V12 6.0L engine that enhances the cars output by 28 hp or a total of 640 hp brute force. This makes the Zeppelin the most powerful Maybach to date.”

Via Exotic Car News.

The weight is down to approximately 4,300 pounds. 500 pounds lighter than a standard SL65. It has a fixed roof with a roll cage that’s fully integrated. Because of its lighter weight, this unit has 1 horsepower per 6.1 pounds for its power-to-weight ratio.

Other than the doors-aluminum outer skin and the magnesium inner, everything else is fresh. Take the steel bumper and rear fenders for example.

The AMG or Mercedes production broke its own record by coming up with a superb twin turbo V12 with 6.0-liter. So far the most powerful engine dated in the carmaker’s history. It also has a 5-speed auto transition with a torque converter.

Talk about the steering system and the brakes, Mercedes made sure that everything comes in one package. It is similar to the ones they offer in their SL63 AMG Performance Package. Add to it are the two suspension settings.

Very noticeable in these super cars are the rear tires—325/30ZR20. This is massive. Its look is more like that of a proper coupe as the AMG CEO, Thomas Rappel, suggested. The front tires would only be 265/35ZR19s.

The claims of the manufacturer about the 0 to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds may sound superficial but it’s superbly possible with this one. Once the driver goes full throttle, he will be blazing on the asphalts.