Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, CL 63, C 63, SLK & C Class

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, CL 63, C 63, SLK & C Class review from 'SIMS'

There are some things in life you just must do before heading off into the clouds. Owning a Mercedes-Benz is one of them. I checked out the Mercedes-Benz section of the Sydney International Motor show this month (October) and the result was a confusing mix of complete satisfaction blended with a mouth that wouldn’t stop drooling. One of my personal cars is an old
Mercedes-Benz 1990 W124 Wagon and I would have to say it runs as well as some new cars I have test driven. Not to mention, the luxurious interior, which can make you think living in a car is not that bad really.

    

If my old Mercedes-Benz is anything to go by, I had just a small idea that the Mercedes-Benz’s of today were sure to impress even the fussiest of car enthusiasts. As I weaved through the masses of middle aged men and women all trying to get their photos taken beside of one the most aesthetically pleasing cars in the world, I noticed the first beast of the lot.

This ridiculously sexy creation is known as the SLS AMG. The first thing you notice is the striking contrast of the mat black paintwork and the glossy red details. This is something you don’t see every day, a super car painted like a ‘hot rod’. The classic looking design, mixed with the gullwing doors and the LED ‘bling’ at the front make for a truly successful overall appearance. Mercedes-Benz were drawing from some of their classic car designs when creating this masterpiece. I think we can say they have succeeded here. Something I have only seen done well most recently with the Ford Mustang 2006 model and on. 
 

The 420kW, 6.3-litre V8 launches the car from 0-100km/h in a crazy 3.8 seconds. If that is not enough, take it for a run on an autobahn and you should reach pretty close to 320km/h. At that speed, you could drive from Brisbane to Sydney in roughly 3 hours.  This is one car you would trust at this speed as Mercedes-Benz’s safety aspects and gadgets are paramount to the performance ability of their cars.  

The Mercedes-Benz display also showed off a few other AMGs with the C 63 Sedan and the CL 63. The CL 63 AMG has a more subtle aggression to its design as opposed to the rest of the AMG range. It looks like the typical business man/women’s car of choice, though this business person appreciated motoring. The CL 63 AMG offers 400kW V8 engine capable of producing 800Nm of Torque when needed. The Speedshift 7G-TRONIC transmission sounds impressive though not as impressive as the 0-100km/h time of 4.4 seconds. Essentially, this means you’re driving a car with enough room for the family, a set of golf clubs and a footy
while still being easily capable of beating any Porsche Boxster S or Cayman S off the lights.

 

Moving on from the spaceship looking AMG to the more sharply present C 63 AMG, the orange beast sure did grab much attention at the car show throughout the days of display. The C 63 is also a 4.5 second launcher with a brilliant sound worth crying in public for (not that I did of course ;). I could go on and on about the AMG range all day though,  I think now it may just be enough and you will just have to go test drive one for yourself. While you’re at it, check out the SLK, E class and C class range as you may just be surprised at how affordable these cars really are. Remember, you are buying into safety and comfort with these cars. If my old Merc is anything to go by, you will not be disappointed with a second hand cheaper option either. Just one thing, do not buy the wagon if you want to go fast.

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Jump Fail: Chevy Silverado Flies Right Into Dirt Ramp [Video]

Larry the Cable Guy might disagree, but trying to perform a crazy jump / stunt in a beat up Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck on a dirt track, doesn't sound like a sane idea. Fortunately, this brainless daredevil had mother luck on his side when he used his truck to dig a hole in the dirt ramp. Watch the video right after the break.

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VIDEO: De Tomaso Resurrected with BMW 5-GT-esque SLC Crossover Concept

We have to admit that, upon learning about former Fiat marketing executive Gian Mario Rossignolo's plans to re-launch the De Tomaso brand with the Pininfarina-penned SLC crossover concept at the upcoming Geneva Show, we were curious to see what the famous Italian design house would come up with.
But our hopes of seeing something truly exciting were thwarted by this here video, which was filmed during a special presentation event held in Rome. No offense to VW Group's Spanish subsidiary, but the SLC crossover looks like a BMW 5-Series GT made by...SEAT.

The De Tomaso concept was designed to be fitted with a variety of engines including choice of either a 300-hp V6 or a 550-hp V8 gasoline units, or a 250-hp V6 diesel unit.

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Black Lightning: A Russian Delivery Boy Fights Capitalism in a…Flying Volga

You may not know the name Timur Bekmambetov, but you would surely have seen Wanted: that over-the-top movie with Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman and that guy from Atonement. That was him.
He also made two really cool Russian language urban sci-fi / horror movies called Night Watch and Day Watch, the first of which made more money in its homeland than the first three Lord of the Rings movies put together. So when Mr. B releases a new movie, I’m there. His latest effort is Black Lightning, which is a superhero origin story. Spoilers ahead...

Dima is a university student with a problem. He has a massive crush on the new girl, Nastya, but no money and no car. His well-meaning Dad gives Dima his old Volga and encourages him to get a job. The job Dima eventually finds its delivering fresh flowers for an over-demanding boss.
Sounds pretty ordinary so far, huh? Well, get this: the Volga is a Soviet Era flying car, powered by a very unique power source that the big bad needs to power his top secret mining laser (yes, the villain in this movie is a capitalist!). The bad finds out about Dima’s Volga and his henchmen end up murdering the boy’s father. Dima responds by becoming a sort of superhero and national icon, using his flying car to save lives and fight crime.
Meanwhile, the bad guys are closing in and soon Dima is forced to fight for his life – and the lives of all of Moscow. Black Lightning is the sort of superhero movie Hollywood hardly makes any more. It’s silly, but not too silly and has the right mix of gravitas and humour to keep you humming on.
It’s not high art, but it’s well made, and the acting and special effects are what we’ve come to expect from Bekmambetov over the years. The cast is great, especially Viktor Verzhbitskiy as the villain. He’s worked with this director before, and always manages to have that slimy menace that Lex Luthor-esque movie villains so richly deserve.
The film should be readily available to rent and buy, albeit only with subtitles, and you can check out the (subbed) trailer below.

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Nissan Launches Super Clean Micra DIG-S Turbo with CO2 Emissions of just 95 g/km

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With CO2 emissions of only 95 g/km, Nissan’s all-new Micra DIG-S has one of the cleanest petrol engines in the world. To achieve this, the Japanese firm's engineers used a 1.2-liter three-cylinder unit fitted with a supercharger and direct injection, which can be coupled either to a manual transmission or a CVT automatic gearbox.
The powerplant uses the Miller cycle and with a peak output of 98HP and 142 Nm (105 lb-ft) of torque, it’s said to be on par with a conventional 1.5-liter four-cylinder unit. Other technical highlights include the 13:1 compression ratio that increases combustion efficiency, the reduced heat, friction and pumping losses thanks to fewer moving parts, and advanced engine management systems with Start/Stop feature and energy regeneration capabilities.

When equipped with a manual transmission, the entry-level trim grade of the Micra DIG-S can hit a top speed of 180 km/h (112 mph), while returning estimated fuel consumption of 4.1 lt/100 km (57.4 US mpg) on the combined cycle with 95 g/km of CO2.
Manual variants with higher trim levels (Acenta and Tekna) emit 99 g/km due to the added equipment. The CVT version is the least efficient of the pack, but with CO2 emissions of 115 g/km is still a proper tree hugger’s car.
Depending on market, the Micra DIG-S is also exempt from road tax and/or congestion charges and customers can benefit from further tax breaks and governmental incentives.
Nissan will showcase the DIG-S at the Geneva Motor Show in March with European sales set to debut this summer. It will be only available in a five-door body style and with three trim levels. Besides the supercharged engine, the Japanese automaker is offering an 80HP 1.2-liter naturally aspirated variant as well.

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