Mercedes E320 BLUETEC Diesel

Mercedes showcased its BLUETEC E320 at the New York International Auto Show in April of 2006. Mercedes labels BLUETEC as the “cleanest diesel technology in the world” and claims that it can meet the most stringent emissions standards.

Essentially, BLUETEC is Diamler Chryslers name for its Nitrogen Oxide reducing system for use in its vehicles. The E320 BLUETEC incorporates a system called the DeNox in its exhaust stream which is basically a catalytic converter and a particulate filter in addition to other reducing technologies. Diamler Chrysler designed this system to meet the stringent emissions standards in Europe. To further reduce Nitrous Oxide emissions, the car can be equipped with a urea-based injection system called AdBlue. AdBlue is a water based urea solution which is injected in minute quantities into the exhaust to convert the Nitrous Oxide into harmless Nitrogen and water.

The BLUETEC E320 has a new 3.0 liter V6 turbodiesel engine which produces 210 hp and replaces the original in-line 6 in the E320 CDI. It runs on ultra low-sulfur diesel fuel that is now becoming widely available across the US and can travel up to 780 miles on a single tank of gas. The BLUETEC E320 gives an impressive mileage of 35 mpg on the highway and can accelerate from 0 to 60 in 6.6 seconds.

The car is priced at around $53,000 MSRP and comes with all the trimmings of a Mercedes such as 10-way power-adjustable front seats, lumbar support on both driver and passenger side, leather trimmed steering wheel, Burl Walnut wood trim on the dashboard, Harmon Kardon Logic7 surround-sound system, 6-disc CD changer, GPS navigation system and more.