Driven: Mercedes-Benz E 220 CDI Avantgarde (’03 W211) Hello everyone! In the next few lines, I’ll be describing my thoughts on a car that, on the first place, I should not like very much. And why is that? Well, put simple, I do not like big, heavy cars. This E-Class is almost 5 metres long and more than 2 metres wide, so, for me, there is a lot to dislike. And, unlike most people, who think “big and heavy is safer”, I think the opposite way. Of course, if you have more metal in front of you, it’s harder for, say, a wall get to you. But the sensation of inertia that a big mass carries on while moving is something that makes me feel… uncomfortable. But no, the reason which makes me like it it’s not the brand, MY brand, my beloved Mercedes-Benz star! It’s something beyond that. Since the forties that Mercedes-Benz has a car on this segment, even if, back then, it was called 170V. Since then, the E-Class has always been the benchmark of the Executive cars, and, for many, the first Mercedes...

Driven: Jeep Grand Cherokee V6 CRD Laredo Hello once again! Today’s review is all about the 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee, in Laredo trim, with the brilliant Mercedes-Benz V6, 3 litre, diesel engine. And, for me, that’s what this car is all about: the engine. It’s a pretty nice car. It’s lines are an evolution of the former model, especially the back. It’s not an elegant car, though. It’s more dynamic, even aggressive. I think the 2001 Grand Cherokee, in Limited trim, was the best looking SUV until that date. Even today, there is not a single SUV that makes me look at it as that one did, when it was first launched. It was beautiful, and even the Mercedes-Benz M-Class does not impress me all-round as that car did. But that’s only a matter of taste, and I’m suspect, because I don’t like SUVs. That’s the reason why I have no proper photos of it, even if I drive it quite many times… Really, I don’t see the point. Who, in this world, would take a 60+ thousand euro car off-road? “Oh no, I will sc...

Driven: Audi A4 Cabrio 1.8T Hello everyone! Today’s post is about a car that leaves me with different and ambiguous thoughts: The 2002 Audi A4 Cabrio. Why? Well, I truly think it’s a case of double personality. At least for me, a 25 year old man… A convertible car is most about style, but also to give away stress levels accumulated during the week, for those irreverent enough to drive with “the wind in the hair”. And then, there are the different approaches to the theme: there are roadsters, built, from day one, to be so; there are cars whose roof’s are simply cut off (yes, those brilliant old Saab cabrios…); there are convertibles developed at the same time as a similar coupe version (as the Mercedes-Benz CLK, or the BMW 3-Series). And then, there’s the Audi A4 Cabrio. It follows none of those approaches. It is not a roadster. There is not a similar coupe version. It’s based on the regular ’00 A4 saloon, but with a revised chassis and other bits. But with a much, much more appealing d...

Mercedes-Benz also presented the latest C-Class based coupe , the Sportcoupe’s successor: the new CLC. Entirely based on the CL203 chassis (a shortened version of both the W203 and S203), with several bits from the new C-Class, it appears to be a nice, and younger, alternative to the brilliant 204 C-Class saloon and estate. But then, there is the weird part… If Mercedes-Benz did not want to spend a lot of money developing a smaller-volume production, brand-new coupe (the CLK is placed between the C and E-Classes), then why not, at least, adapting all the C-Class engines?! Well, they did it, kind of. With one engine, the 1.8L, supercharged inline-4, 200 KOMPRESSOR. It’s a very nice engine, no discussion about that. But the best-seller, on the entire Sportcoupe’s six years of life, was the diesel C 220 CDI. And, basically, it’s the same engine offered by now, despite the new 170 hp, 400 Nm, 2.1L CDI being on the market since 2006, first introduced on the facelifted E-Class. And that ap...

Hello! In the last few days, a lot has been told about the facelifted Mercedes-Benz SL, as the first unofficial leaked photos emerged some days ago. Yesterday, the first official press release was made public, along with the official technical data . Apart from the design, as each one of us have our own ideas (I don't appreciate it very much, I admit, but I may change my mind when I first see it for real), the engine range is re-arranged, with the new versions SL 280 and SL 63 AMG being first in the R230. However, the most interesting part, for me, is that the SL 350 receives the very latest version of the, already brilliant, V6 3.5L, first introduced on the '08 facelift SLK , with a slight increase in power. It appears, to me, the closest re-interpretation of the Sportlich und Leicht (Sporty and Light) concept, adapted, of course, to the 21st century standards. Far from light (1825 kg), it sounds the best on the entire range, not over-priced as it's bigger brothers, but...

Ooops, they did it again... While looking for today's news, I was presented with the second official press-release related to the C-Class Sports Coupe’s successor: the new CLC . The first press release , which went public on January 9th, only revealed the front design of the car: very nice, indeed. Things looked promising, but, on January 21st, the first (leaked) photos of the ’08 facelift SL appeared. And I was, simply, shocked. So, as the Sportcoupe’s back always looked somewhat weird to me, I started to think that, maybe, it wouldn’t be a very nice job, either. I’m afraid my suspects were founded. All I can see is a restyled 1997 Ssangyong Musso, with hints from some old Lexus, or Nissan, or something like that… How is this possible?! What’s wrong with Mr. Peter Pfeiffer? Am I being too conservative? Maybe... But aren’t most Mercedes-Benz clients, as well?

Hello once again! The car I will be talking about in the next lines is the ’04 facelift, W203 Mercedes-Benz C 220 CDI, with Elegance trim. It was bought in August 2004, and I was the second person driving it. As another Mercedes-Benz was traded (a 1998 C 220 CDI, also in Elegance trim), I remember, back then, to think “ This is soooooo much better! It’s as easy to handle as my Rover!!! ” Really, as I was the last person to drive the old Mercedes, the difference was very obvious. Today, the very same car seems to have changed. No, the car is the same, apart being three years old and with almost 90k kilometres (56k miles) on the clock. As I have driven many sportier cars after that first drive, now, the first thing I notice, is the steering’s complete absence of feel. None at all, you have no idea of what’s going on with the front wheels. The brakes are also indirect, somehow, they do not transmit much confidence to me, and the gearbox is very easy to handle, has nice gearing ratios, but...

Hello everybody! Today's post is dedicated not only to every car fan, but above all, to Mercedes-Benz enthusiasts in particular. For those who like photography, and actually collect them, as it is my case. So, here I leave some nice webpages, where you can find many, many nice pictures. Enjoy! http://www.emercedesbenz.com - a very nice blog, with all relevant press releases from Daimler AG, photos and links to interesting articles over the internet, like new car reviews. http://www.mb-w140.de - the best website for 1991-1998 S-Class fans, with all specs and lots of pictures. http://www.500sec.com - perhaps, the biggest online Mercedes-Benz photo collection available. http://www.fan-gallerie.de - website with lots of Mercedes-Benz pictures, test-drives and other relevant information. http://www.seriouswheels.com - some of the best pictures available over the internet. A must-visit for photo-seekers. http://www.rsportscars.com - more of the same, but most models are current pro...

Hello everybody! Today i'm posting the review of a car I drove back in May 2006: a Volkswagen Polo 1.2 Trendline Pack '05 Facelift. It is a rented car, first registered in September 2005, painted in brilliant silver. I find it good looking, every panel is painted silver (except the lower ones, which are black), the wheel covers are simple (no light-alloys here...) and it's interior, even if not innovative, looks simple and well built. But - and here start the (bad) surprises - it's cheap plastics everywhere! Not a convincing, rubber-feeling single bit, no. Only hard plastics. I know the previous generation Polo had different interior materials depending on it's equipment level, what meant that, the more expensive trim level, the better the plastics. Later, I discovered that even the top-of-the-range GTI has the same hard plastics : Bad politics, VW! That is not the way to go, and I know that the Golf V and Passat '04 are more of the same, which means that the Go...