STUTTGART, GERMANY – Mercedes-Benz is
due to offer the R, ML, and GL 320 BlueTEC in the United States, the world’s
first three diesel cars that not only meet the particularly demanding criteria
of the American Bin 5 standard, but also have the potential to fulfill the
stringent EU6 standard due in the future, according to www.theautochannel.com.
Mercedes-Benz
introduced the E 320 BlueTEC with its in-house BlueTEC technology in America first, and is now including a variant of this BlueTEC technology with AdBlue
injection in its cross-Atlantic range. This innovative drive technology enables
these large and powerful SUVs to meet the limits imposed by the US Bin 5
standard.
The
muscular V-6 diesel engine powering the new BlueTEC models in the GL, M, and
R-Class shows that a low fuel consumption and very low emissions are also
possible for large SUVs. It has an output of 155 kW/211 hp and develops a torque
of 540 Nm. Fuel economy is outstanding: the GL 320 BlueTEC, for example,
consumes just 9.5 liters of diesel fuel per 100 kilometers (25 mpg). This
represents an advantage of around 20 to 40 percent versus a comparable petrol
model, and makes the Mercedes-Benz GL 320 BlueTEC the most economical full-size
SUV in the United States.
Certain
features of the six-cylinder diesel engine had to be modified for use in the
new models for ML 320 BlueTEC, GL 320 BlueTEC, and R 320 BlueTEC with AdBlue
injection. The piston crowns were revised for an improved mixture formation,
and the compression ratio was reduced from 17.7 to 16.5. The VNT turbocharger
and engine control unit were also improved and reconfigured. All three of the
new SUVs are available only with the 7G-TRONIC seven-speed automatic
transmission, according to www.theautochannel.com.
As a
modular concept for an effective reduction in the fuel consumption and
emissions of diesel vehicles, the BlueTEC technology developed by Mercedes-Benz
puts in place a number of coordinated measures that both minimize untreated
emissions using in-engine features and ensure efficient exhaust gas
aftertreatment. All relevant emissions components are reduced to a minimum, in
part by using an oxidizing catalytic converter and a particulate filter. The
most important goal is to achieve a drastic reduction in nitrogen oxide
emissions, the only exhaust gas constituent which has inherently higher levels
in diesel engines than in petrol engines.
In the E
320 BlueTEC Saloon available in the United States
and the E 300 BlueTEC sold in Europe, an oxidizing
catalytic converter and a particulate filter are combined with a particularly
durable NOx storage-type catalytic converter and a special SCR (Selective
Catalytic Reduction) converter. The second BlueTEC version is used for the new
GL 320 BlueTEC, ML 320 BlueTEC, and R 320 BlueTEC models. In this case, AdBlue,
an aqueous urea solution, is injected into the stream of exhaust gases. This
releases ammonia, of which 80 percent is reduced to form harmless nitrogen and
water by the downstream SCR converter.
