Exceptional acid test for the new-generation E-Class - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

ML320 · #1 09-28-2006, 08:47 PM

Exceptional acid test for the new-generation E-Class: 450,000 kilometres in 26 days: with 33 E-Class cars from Europe to Asia

October 21, 2006: Start of the marathon from Paris to Beijing

Route follows the traces of the first trans-continental long-distance race in 1907

More than 13,600 kilometres through Europe and Asia in 26 days

Paris, Sep 28, 2006

The new-generation Mercedes-Benz E-Class, which has been on the market since June, is to be subjected to an extraordinary endurance test: on October 21, 33 E-Class models equipped with V6 diesel engines will start out on a long-distance journey from Paris to Beijing, where local production of the business saloon has now commenced. Over long stretches of the journey, the symbolic bridging between Europe and Asia follows the route of the first transcontinental car race in history, which was started exactly 99 years ago and led from Beijing to Paris in 62 days. With the modern E-Class cars, Mercedes-Benz aims to accomplish this journey, which in parts runs through roadless terrain, in only 26 days.

The E-Class fleet which starts from Paris on October 21 consists of 33 series-production E-Class models with diesel engines, half of them equipped with 4MATIC four-wheel drive. Alongside thirty E 320 CDI models, three E 320 BLUETEC models (US version) will take part in the journey. The E 320 BLUETEC features the world’s cleanest diesel engine. “70 years after Mercedes-Benz as the first car producer introduced the diesel engine in passenger cars, we now want to underline the performance and economy of our modern diesel technology with the long-distance drive from Paris to Beijing”, explains Dr. Thomas Weber, member of the board of DaimlerChrysler AG, responsible for Group Research & Development at Mercedes Car Group.

Throughout the journey Aral, a part of the BP group, will exclusively supply the fleet with lubricants and low-sulphur diesel fuel, which is necessary to operate modern diesel engines but is not yet available in Eastern Europe and Asia.

13,600 kilometres in five stages

The long-distance drive Paris – Beijing 2006 will start in the heart of Paris on October 21, and spans a total distance of approximately 13,600 kilometres, crossing the borders of eight countries, to finish in Beijing where the teams are expected to arrive on November 17. In this drive, the sportive challenge for the participants lies in achieving the lowest possible fuel consumption on both the individual stages and in total, and all this in spite of the ambitious time schedule. Added together, the 33 E-Classes will drive more than 450,000 kilometres in 28 days, two of which are resting days for the teams. This equals more than eleven times the circumference of the equator.

Altogether 330 drivers from 40 countries around the globe will be sitting behind the steering wheels of the cars, taking the stages in turns. They include journalists, taxi-drivers and celebrities, as well as Mercedes customers and aficionados. Within a few weeks, 50,000 people from all parts of the world applied to take part in the run.

The first stage stretches over approximately 3,400 kilometres from Paris to Stuttgart, Berlin and Warsaw as well as the Baltic capitals of Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn to finish in St. Petersburg. On their way, the participants pass some of the most beautiful places of old Europe, as well as widely unspoiled regions like the Masurian Lake District in the north east of Poland. East of Moscow, which the teams will reach at the beginning of the second stage, the lesser-known part of Europe begins. Cities like Nizhny Novgorod and Kazan on the so-called “Volga Highway”, the inland port of Perm or Yekaterinburg, situated on the other side of the Ural Mountains, the imaginary frontier between Europe and Asia, are to most participants, “terra incognita”, as much as the regions they are driving through for around 2,700 kilometres: Chuvashia, Tatarstan and Udmurtia.

Reminiscence of the first transcontinental car race in history

On July 19, 1907, Yekaterinburg was also the intermediate destination of Prince Scipione Borghese. 39 days earlier in Beijing, he had started out on the first trans-continental car race in history together with ten intrepid companions travelling in five vehicles: Borghese in an Italian Itala with 40 hp, the Frenchman Charles Godard in a Dutch Spyker with 15 hp. Two other vehicles, De Dion Boutons with 10 hp from the workshop of Albert de Dion, winner of the 1894 Paris race, were driven by the car dealers Collignon and Cormier, and another Frenchman, Auguste Pons, participated with a three-wheeled Contal with 6 hp.

62 days and 10,000 miles later, after stresses and strains which are hard to imagine today, Scipione Borghese was the first to reach Paris. Collignon, Cormier and Godard reached their destination three weeks later. Auguste Pons had been obliged to retire from the race shortly after the start, as his three-wheeler had not survived the rigours of the Gobi desert.

From Europe’s east to China’s west

At Yekaterinburg the E-Class fleet turns off the original route of 1907 and – rather than going through Siberia – makes its way through Kazakhstan in the direction of China. The third stage with its 2,500 kilometres leads from Qostanai and the new Kazakhian capital of Astana to Almaty, the country’s old capital. For this trip, the participants cross the seemingly endless vastness of the Kazakhian steppe and the “Steppe of Hunger”, in the middle of which lies an uninhabited region the size of Hungary.

From here, the fourth stage of approximately 3,100 kilometres takes the drivers into China’s Wild West. North of the Taklamakan desert, the contrasts could not be any more glaring. Only a few hours drive lie between the lonely yurt camps of the nomads and the new metropolises like Ürümqi and the sandy oasis town of Turfan. On the legendary Silk Road, the participants will reach the western offshoots of the Great Wall on the way to Lanzhou.

About 1,900 kilometres remain to be covered before the drivers reach the journey’s final destination. First, the route follows the valley of the Yellow River, then crosses the outer edge of the Gobi desert and the grass pastures of Inner Mongolia. On November 17, the drivers are expected to reach the destination of this exceptional long-distance drive of 13,600 kilometres: the walls of the Forbidden City in the centre of Beijing. On the following day, “AutoChina 2006”, the most important Chinese motor show at which the new-generation E-Class will also be presented, opens its doors.

The E-Class: business class for Chinese drivers

The E-Class made in China counts amongst the highlights of the leading Chinese automotive fair, which takes place biannually in turns with the “Auto Shanghai”. The business saloon for Chinese customers will be produced in a completely new plant in the Beijing Development Area, in the southeast of the city. Beijing Benz-DaimlerChrysler Automotive Ltd. (BBDC) is a joint venture of DaimlerChrysler AG and their long standing partner Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Company (BAIC). BBDC is an expansion of the Beijing Jeep Corp., China’s first automotive joint venture, which started building Jeeps in 1984.

The safest car in its class

The new-generation E-Class, which has been gradually introduced into the major sales markets since June of this year, has been extremely well received by cus-tomers and once again resumed its world market leadership in the luxury class since July.

The new generation of the E-Class as a technology trendsetter again sets new standards, and with the standard-fitted PRE-SAFE® safety system, standard NECK-PRO head restraints, the novel Intelligent Light System and adaptive brake lights, it presents innovations which no other automobile worldwide has to offer in this market segment. This comprehensive safety equipment makes the E-Class the safest car in its class. The new DIRECT CONTROL package with more direct steering, a newly tuned chassis and six new or enhanced engines ensure signify-cantly more agility and driving pleasure. Maintaining an invariably economic fuel consumption, the new E-Class develops up to 26 per cent more performance and 18 per cent more torque. Altogether, in the new E-Class around 2,000 components have been newly developed or enhanced.

Six-cylinder diesel with world record experience

The V6 diesel engine of the E 320 CDI which will be the power plant in the cars of the fleet during the long-distance drive has 165 kW/224 hp and a maximum torque of 540 Nm. The economical and clean power pack had its debut in May 2005, again with an unusual acid test. In three series production E 320 CDI cars, the engine completed a failure-free, 30-day test marathon on the high-speed course in Laredo, Texas. The results were three FIA-acknowledged diesel world records over 100,000 kilometres (at an average speed of 225.93 km/h), 50,000 miles (at 225.456 km/h) and 100,000 miles (at 224 km/h). In spite of the extraordinary stresses, the maintenance-free diesel particulate filter worked without any losses over the entire record distance – clear proof of the reliability and longevity of this exhaust technology. With the long-distance drive from Paris to Beijing, Mercedes-Benz is following up on this outstanding achievement.

With the E-Class from Paris to Beijing

More about this extraordinary long-distance journey from Paris to Beijing is avail-able at: http://www.e-class-experience.com

For journalistic research please go to:
http://www.paris-beijing2006.com
Login: mercedes-benz, Password: paris-beijing

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Boardmonger · #2 09-28-2006, 08:52 PM

Wow, that is quite a drive in a very short amount of time. I am guessing 1 or 2 will have some problems but it should be interesting. I'll try to follow this once it gets started.

#3 09-28-2006, 09:01 PM

Well that's 8450 miles in 26 days. I'm in the middle of my second round trip from CO to NY in 3 weeks, that's about 7200 miles in about 23 days in my 82 with 350K miles.

Hatterasguy · #4 09-28-2006, 09:50 PM

Yeah but in the US we have roads! These cars will be driving on some roads with pot holes large enough to swallow an H2, heck road is a relative term where these cars are going. This is not a drive down I-95.

Very cool, I suspect that most of them make it without a hitch. Modern cars are pretty amazing.

pawoSD · #5 09-29-2006, 02:00 AM

Eh, I bet most of our (well maintained) cars could make the trip too. After seeing videos of those W123 and W126's coming flying over hills 8 feet in the air and then slamming down onto the ground and continuing onward no problem, I would give them credit as being able to withstand most anything. Only additions I'd make if I took my car on the trip would be an aux 25-30gallon fuel tank, a supply of filters (maybe a dozen

) and other fluids, and I'd equip the car with heavy undercarriage armor/skid plates to make sure no boulders hurt anything.

Oh, and some extremely high quality offroad duty tires, with a couple spares pre-mounted on rims in the trunk.

Jim B. · #6 09-29-2006, 06:26 AM

That's some trip - wow!

I wonder if the fuel quality will be good throughout the trip, certainly I would think dust on some of the roads could be a big concern.

Are they going to drive the cars back to Paris when it's over, sell them in China or ship them home?

If I were in China, (or anywhere else) I believe I'd prefer a German assembled new E class over a Chinese assembled one, as there is no proven quality assurance program in place there, and I've heard enough to think even in
Germany today quality controk is less than it was 20 years ago!

Rashakor · #7 09-29-2006, 09:35 AM

eh! Do the 1-800 number free assistance Mercedes work in this case???

Hatterasguy · #8 09-29-2006, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rashakor

eh! Do the 1-800 number free assistance Mercedes work in this case???

You would be surprised where that number works!

Russia has a lot of MB dealers in them middle of freaken no where. I kid not.

Jeremy5848 · #9 09-29-2006, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim B.

I wonder if the fuel quality will be good throughout the trip...

"Throughout the journey Aral, a part of the BP group, will exclusively supply the fleet with lubricants and low-sulphur diesel fuel, which is necessary to operate modern diesel engines but is not yet available in Eastern Europe and Asia."

Diesel Fan · #10 09-29-2006, 10:54 PM

I wonder if they'll have a source for broken window regulators along the way. With that little mileage they shouldn't need the expensive $3,000 glow plug change but the rattling may cause an early dashboard crack or two. Of course, the sunroofs will not be used along the way so they should be ok as long as the transmissions don't fail. I wish them well.

arcticathlon · #11 09-30-2006, 02:14 AM

i wonder how they work out he oil change intervals with that kind of mileage.

Hatterasguy · #12 09-30-2006, 06:42 PM

13,600 kilometres is certainly less than the 13,000 mile oil changes MB specs now. So they shouldn't need service along the route. But since the conditions are poor the computer may call for it sooner, the new cars are pretty smart in that regard.

TheDon · #13 09-30-2006, 06:47 PM

doing it old school style

pawoSD · #14 10-01-2006, 03:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheDon

doing it old school style

Thats what I am talking about!

Lostyankee · #15 10-01-2006, 11:55 AM

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