New Mercedes V6 and V8 engines

Mercedes-Benz will introduce a new generation of V6 and V8 petrol engines from the autumn.

The engines are more powerful and have more torque than the ones they replace, yet fuel economy and carbon dioxide emissions are improved.

The Mercedes CL will be the first car to get the new V8 in the autumn. The S-Class will get both new engines at the start of 2011.

Smaller, but more powerful
The V8 has shrunk from 5461cc to 4663cc and Mercedes says the high power output from a smaller engine has been made possible by using two turbochargers – one for each bank of cylinders.

Most of the power is available at low revs, so, Mercedes says, there's no delay in the turbos kicking in.

Vital stats for the new CL500 compared with current car

Vital stats for the new S350 compared with the current car


Both new engines have stop-start systems, which can be used to work in conjunction with any future hybrid versions.

The new V6 is naturally aspirated, but Mercedes says it has been designed so that a turbocharger could be fitted to it in the future.

No downsized V12
The company has no plans to give its V12 engines the same treatment as the downsized V6 and V8. Mercedes believes that its V12 customers wouldn't want an engine with a smaller displacement, and the costs of developing such a version would be restrictively high for a small market.


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