2022 Diesel Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Is More Than the Sum of Its Parts

Autoblog.com has been a reliable "go-to" source for stories this past year. With editorial offices on Woodward Avenue, they are well positioned to report on the auto industry--past, present and future. 

When I saw this story on a 2022 diesel-powered Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, I misread the source as Autoblog.com, when in fact it is AutomoBlog.net. They describe themselves this way: This is us talking shop and talking cars. Sometimes we go in-depth and analyze something, or we talk about car history or motorsports, or maybe we’re just giving our thoughts on something in the automotive industry.

This week, Alvin Reyes of the AutomoBlog shared his thoughts on the 2022 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, which he says is as cool as any supercar. What makes this comparison a bit odd is that the Sprinter seems not much more spectacular than the cargo van it looks like. Reyes disagrees, stating "We love them to bits. Just as much as we do muscle and performance cars!"

With that intro, he sets out to win us over.

The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter has been rambling about America's highways for two decades now. It's a cargo van akin to the Ram ProMaster or Ford Transit. These are the vehicles that serve as the backbone to a growing economy. They don't sit idle.

The Sprinter is more expensive than its peers, but it's also the most refined. Not only muscular, but comfortable, with plenty to like. What we like is the OM 654 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder diesel power plant with a cast aluminum block and Nanoslide cylinder walls. 

The news here is not the engine per se, but that the Sprinter is now available in All-Wheel Drive here in the U.S. (Formerly it was a rear-wheel drive truck.)

There are a number of engine options, though. The article states that there will be four versions: 114, 150, 170 and 190 horsepower. Evidently Mercedes-Benz hasn't been specific on the details. Writes Reyes, "If Mercedes decides to bring in the 190-horsepower version of its 2.0-liter diesel engine, it will have more power than the turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 from the outgoing Sprinter 3500 and 4500."

Regarding the Nanoslide cylinder walls, Mercedes-Benz introduced the technology a decade ago. As the name implies, it's a way to produce a microscopically smooth finish that reduces internal friction. The technology is quite astonishing, actually. Imagine a four-cylinder engine producing 416 horsepower. Here's an article about the engineering involved to accomplish that. 

The AWD technology is pretty cool on the Sprinter. The old version of AWD sent 35% of the engine's torque to the front and 65% to the rear. The 2022 Sprinter has a "torque-on-demand" AWD system, which is to say that the torque distribution is fully variable due to an electronic multi-plate clutch.

For daily driving the vehicle is rear-wheel drive, but when the sensors detect wheels spinning, the transfer case adjusts power distribution without the driver having to even notice. For what it's worth, the new AWD system is quieter than before as well.

Another new feature is a high tech sensor-driven delivery door. When the driver steps into the back, sensors unlock and open the doors. When he steps out, with his or her arms full of packages, the doors close again. Is this the FedEx truck of the future?

Read the full story story here:

https://www.automoblog.net/2022-mercedes-benz-sprinter/

Mercedes Diesel-Powered Wolf Catches the Attention of the Robb Report

Yesterday's Robb Report carried a Car of the Week story about a reimagined Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen, calling it "a wolf that's ready to prowl. Most of us a familiar with the military background of Jeeps, Land Rovers and Hummers. They were built for functionality, not style, yet the boxy look of these machines became a style of its own, spoken in a different language. 

The original G-Wagen was Germany's equivalent of the Jeep, a lightweight military transport vehicle. The G stands for Geländewagen, which translated means "terrain vehicle." The first G-Wagens were built for the Shah of Iran in the late 70s as a military transport. Though created for the Shah, who was overthrown soon after, the vehicle saw its first military use in Argentina in 1981, the year before the undeclared Falkland Islands War.

Robert Ross, the author, refers to it as a wolf in sheep's clothing, which is interesting because the G-Wagen was itself nicknamed the Wolf beginning in 1987. In other words, not every G-Wagen is a Wolf. This designation is only for those with a fold down windshield and convertible top.

The focus of this article is on the latest iteration of this Mercedes-Benz 250GD Wolf, whose embellishments clearly define it in luxury terms, not military. The vehicle is manufactured by EMC, the Expedition Motor Company and available in 49 of our 50 states.

Under the hood we have a Mercedes-Benz inline-five diesel power plant that required a customized transmission control unit (TCU) "in order to maintain perfectly smooth gear change, quiet operation and reliability." 

For an extra $7500 you can add a turbocharger for additional power.

According to Ross this beast has never been more popular. At the end of 2020 EMC had sold 400,000 of them over the years, up 100K from 2017 when they hit the 300,000 milestone. The demand is so high that people are paying more than the manufacturer's suggested retail price to get their hands on one. We're not talking pocket change. These beautiful brutes typically retail at $125,000.

But what you are getting is a labor of love, so to speak. These vehicles are produced with care with hand stitched interiors and other meticulous attention to detail. It's adorned with all the other modern accoutrements with "options that include climate control by Vintage Air, assorted bumpers, trim, winches, etc." 

According to Ross, "Other revisions that come standard are new instruments and gauges, an all-new wiring harness, premium headlamps (previously optional equipment) and an upgraded entertainment system with new Bluetooth capabilities as well as USB and device plug-in considerations."

What we like, though, is the 0M602 diesel engine. It's durability earned in a nickname of its own, :the million kilometer engine." 

Read the full story here.

Daimler Claims This Is the Most Powerful Diesel Car in Mercedes-Benz History

More power, less fuel consumption, fewer emissions. What's not to like?

According to Daimler.com, their new six-cylinder in-line diesel engine, the OM 656, sets a new standard as regards what diesels are capable of.  

What makes it noteworthy is that it not only has more power, but it also consumes 6% less fuel. The engine isn't designed simply to meet today's standards. Their target is always tomorrow's standards as well. Their goal, in conjunction with a cross-sector consortium of other companies, is a net zero future. 

I find it interesting that the engine has an aluminum block with steel pistons. It also touts a nano-level coating inside the piston chambers that they call NANOSLIDE®.

When you try to wrap your head around the engineering, chemistry and science involved in making today's high-tech cars, it's literally astonishing what we're seeing today. Just as the Internet was unimaginable half a century ago, so are the advances in automotive technology. 

You can read the full story here.