Blue Green


We hope you're not in a hurry.

During our track testing, the 2009 Mercedes-Benz ML320 Bluetec diesel reached 60 mph from a dead stop in 8.5 seconds. If you're planning to rob a bank, the new ML320 can hold a lot of loot, but it won't help you make a quick getaway.

If it's long-distance cruising range you're after, however, Mercedes says its diesel-powered 2009 ML320 can run for 600 miles on a single tank of fuel. The coppers will get way tired before you have to fill up again.

Of course, you'd probably rather make a great escape with the kinfolk. So for the statistical American family of mom, dad and two-and-a-half kids, the 2009 Mercedes-Benz ML320 Bluetec represents a five-passenger family SUV that's a miracle of thriftiness at the fuel pump and won't leave a tell-tale trail of smelly grit behind you.

Going Green With the Blue Juice

A diesel gets 20-30 percent better fuel mileage than a gasoline engine, but it has a reputation for being a noisy, dirty, smelly thing. So up until now, a diesel-powered vehicle has forced us to make a choice between pocketbook-friendly transportation and environmentally friendly transportation. And once strict environmental standards for passenger vehicles were instituted, you couldn't buy a diesel car in every state in any case.

But now that ultralow-sulfur diesel fuel is finally widely available in America, the European manufacturers are bringing us their latest emissions-friendly diesel vehicles. So now you can go green without buying into a battery-operated hybrid.

The Bluetec diesel system is technology developed by Mercedes-Benz to reduce oxides of nitrogen, the diesel's distinctive air-emissions signature. It requires the use of AdBlue, a trademarked reducing agent that is injected into the exhaust, converting nitrogen oxides into nitrogen and water in a downstream catalytic converter. The AdBlue needs to be refilled as part of the vehicle's regular maintenance schedule, about every 10,000 miles. It doesn't have to be filled by a Mercedes dealer, however.


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M

This may sound disgusting, but can you pee in the ad-blue container to refill it?? Mammaliam urine does contain urea after all.

LOL That's probably not good for the warranty.

AdBlue is a 32,5 % solution of urea in demineralised water. Urine on the other hand is 95 % water and only 2,5 % urea. The other 2,5 % is mostly formed by minerals (calcium, magnesium) and acids (phosphoric acid, sulfuric acid). So I doubt peeing in your AdBlue tank will work.

Whoa nice Rear LED´s.

Oh no, God forbid!

"The diesel V6 is mated to a quick-shifting seven-speed automatic transmission with the same column-mounted shift lever you'll find in the Mercedes R-Class"

So how popular are these cars? I've barely seen any diesels MB's at all. I hope these European diesels start doing better.

Love the new FL treatment