2010 Mercedes-Benz ML450 Hybrid - New York Times Review

The New York Times recently reviewed the new ML450 Hybrid that will be arriving at Classic Mercedes-Benz this December.

"The gas-electric version of the popular ML-class S.U.V. easily beats the mileage of the regular 6- and 8-cylinder models: 21 miles a gallon in the city and 24 on the highway"

"Even in the barely crawling traffic, I returned to the New York auto show at the Javits Center showing 22 m.p.g. on the trip computer, convinced I could have done much better in a longer test."

"Mercedes is hoping that its luxury buyers are more receptive to a midsize S.U.V. hybrid, which officials said would be priced between current V-6 and V-8 models: Figure roughly $51,000 to start."

"Drivers can select an economy mode that maximizes mileage, or a sport mode that mimics having eight conventional gears, which can be operated by steering-wheel paddle shifters."

Read the full New York Times Review of the 2010 ML450

Call or email me to schedule your ML-Class demonstration drive today at 903.534.7060 or Michael@classictyler.com.

2009 S-Class, The Benchmark in Luxury

The Mercedes-Benz S-Class has been the benchmark for the luxury class automobile for many years. Just take a look at the following video and you'll see why.

SPLITVIEW display - fyi 7.9L/100Km = 29 mpg

Call or email me to schedule your S-Class demonstration drive today. 903.534.7060 or Michael@classictyler.com.

Chemo is Done!

I would like to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers over the last nine months while I was going through chemo for my cancer. And I am glad to say that I am done with chemo! A chapter in my life that I am glad to see put behind me.

Now I should have more time to work on the iCarGuy blog and bring more information to you on a regular basis. And since I have moved to our Mercedes-Benz dealership in March, most of the new post's will be about the Mercedes-Benz line of cars.

Again, thank you for your prayers and emails. Without you this journey would have been much more difficult.

Myths About Leasing - Part 5 of 5

Myth 5: Leasing is a mistake if you put high mileage on a car.

Do you believe that racking up high mileage on a car you own carries no cost? The difference is that when you buy, you realize the loss as a lower trade-in value. With a lease, you pay out of pocket when you turn in the car.

If you expect to drive more than the 12,000 to 15,000 miles per year built into a typical lease contract, negotiate a higher mileage limit. That's likely to cost less than 10 cents per mile per year -- a less painful prospect than paying a penalty of 15 cents or 25 cents per mile over the contract ceiling.

The 2010 Mercedes-Benz GLK 350

With the new Mercedes-Benz GLK 350 now available for delivery, I wanted to post some reviews for you to see.


"The transmission rocks. While the GLK's seven-speed auto allows for manual shifting by rocking the shift lever left to right, driver input really isn't necessary. Switch the vehicle from Comfort Mode to Sport mode and the seven-speed will hold gears longer, allowing quick bursts between turns without ever changing cogs." http://www.motortrend.com/

"Few Mercedes-Benz owners in the U.S. ever take their vehicles off-road, a reality the German automaker not only realizes but embraces. Thus, the GLK is targeted at affluent women -- and it appears Mercedes has hit its mark. This baby Benz has clearly been refined for the on-road market." http://www.emercedesbenz.com/

"Good vehicle safety integrates the prevention of accidents via quick response to driver input, electronic assistance (ABS, stability control, brake assist), progressive impact absorption, controlling the body movement of passengers due to impact, and quick emergency response to passengers in severe impacts. The 2010 GLK fulfills each of these five elements in this increasing scale of safety concerns: As such it's ideal for today's family, whether they're visiting relatives halfway across the country or running errands around town." http://www.sfgate.com/

The all new GLK is here and ready for you! Call or email me to schedule your personal demonstration of the latest Mercedes-Benz SUV.

Myths About Leasing - Part 4 of 5

Myth 4: Early-termination fees exact a far heavier penalty than if you change your mind when you buy a car.

It only seems that way. If you decide to bail out of a car purchase, you'll pay the piper, too. The car may be worth far less than you still owe on the loan. And because depreciation is spread evenly over the term of the lease, if you turn in the car early, you are sure to have "used up" more of the car than you've paid for, particularly if you made no down payment.

The early-termination fee is the way the dealer evens things up.

Moral: Plan to keep your car to the end of the lease. It doesn't make sense to stretch out the term to get lower payments if you're likely to break the lease early.

Toyota Is World's Top Automaker

Toyota has dethroned Detroit rival General Motors as the world's top automaker, but there were no celebrations Thursday at the crisis-hit Japanese giant, which is bracing for its first-ever loss.

For many automakers around the world, particularly the US Big Three, the main priority is not to be the biggest, but just to survive a global economic downturn that has sent demand for cars plunging.

Figures from the companies showed Toyota had ended General Motors' 77-year reign as the world's biggest automaker last year, selling 8.97 million vehicles against GM's 8.35 million.

But both makers suffered from weak demand. GM's sales tumbled 11 percent while Toyota saw a four percent drop in global demand -- the Japanese group's first decline in a decade.

"Toyota's rise to the top wasn't really positive because it was achieved not by growth in sales but by a sharper decline in GM's sales," said Mamoru Kato, auto analyst at Tokai Tokyo Research Centre.

"The gap between the sales of Toyota and GM will probably expand for a few years because of growth in the market for environmentally-friendly cars where Toyota has a lead with its hybrids," he said.

"Then, hopefully, a few years later GM will begin to catch up with Toyota, which would be the best scenario for the auto industry. But at this point it's not clear if this scenario will be realised," Kato said.

"Being number one in terms of size has never really been our goal. Our main objective is to be number one in terms of quality and customer service," Toyota spokesman Paul Nolasco.

But despite all its troubles, Toyota is still in better shape than GM, which will run out of cash if it does not get the second part of a federal bridge loan next month.

GM president Fritz Henderson said the situation was dire for his company, which received a four-billion-dollar emergency loan last month and is due to collect another instalment of the bridge loan in February.