Even though diesel is topping $5 a gallon in some areas of the U.S., Mercedes-Benz believes that its new line of 50-state clean-diesel Blutec vehicles will account for 15 percent of SUV and crossover sales. Ready to go on sale this October, Mercedes-Benz will debut the new R 320 BlueTec, ML 320 BlueTec and GL 320 BlueTec.
All are powered by a 3.0L V6 BlueTec diesel engine that produces 211-hp with a peak torque of 398 lb-ft. All models are 20 to 33 percent more fuel-efficient than their gasoline counterparts. Not to mention the payback period is two years faster than that of a hybrid SUV. Flaunting some figures, Mercedes-Benz says that the ML 320 BlueTec can travel up 600 miles on a single fill, while the GL 320 BlueTec can average a combined fuel-economy of 24mpg and the RL 320 BlueTec improves fuel-economy by 20 percent compared to its gasoline brother.
Mercedes-Benz says that it will charge a premium of about $1,000 for its new diesel SUVs and crossovers, said Stephen Cannon, vice president of marketing for Mercedes-Benz USA.
That’s nice, but if you take a look at the ML 320 BlueTec and the GL 320 BlueTec and compare it to their closest rivals, say the Lexus RX for the ML and the Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid for the GL, things don’t seem too bright for Mercedes-Benz.
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