Upload
rushlane
View
365
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
New record for series-production diesel car in US hill-climb race
Mercedes-Benz C 300 d 4MATIC sets new
record at Pikes Peak
Stuttgart/Colorado Springs. Mercedes-Benz has set a new
record for the diesels in the legendary Pikes Peak hill-climb race
with a near-production C 300 d 4MATIC: Test driver Uwe Nittel
completed the 19.99 km long route which includes more
than150 bends at a range in altitude of nearly 1400 metres in
just 11.37 minutes.
"With extensive simulation measures, gruelling durability road
tests and exhaustive trial driving at test sites all over the world,
Mercedes-Benz's testing programme is undoubtedly one of the
most rigorous in the automotive branch," says
Prof. Dr Thomas Weber, member of the board of management of
Daimler AG, responsible for Group Research and Mercedes-Benz
Cars Development. "Pikes Peak raised the crossbar still further.
And the virtually series-production
C 300 d 4MATIC demonstrated in this test that sporty
performance and clean exhaust technology go together
perfectly."
The test drive at Pikes Peak also demonstrated how well
Mercedes-Benz diesel powertrains are adapted to the special
requirements of the US market, which include extreme climatic
conditions.
The course’s numerous switchbacks put the suspension and the
4MATIC powertrain through their paces when accelerating out of
the bends. Another challenge for the diesel engine was the thin
mountain air – the finishing point is an impressive 4301 metres
Daimler Communications, 70546 Stuttgart, Germany Mercedes-Benz – A Daimler Brand
Press Information30 June 2015
above sea level. Test driver Uwe Nittel, 46, reports: "Shoving a
series diesel saloon with automatic transmission up Pikes Peak
sounds like a crazy idea, put it was a lot of fun. And it showed
that all the prejudices regarding diesel vehicles are well out of
time."
Nittel comes from rallying: numerous victories in national
championships and the rally world championship culminated in
the vice world champion's title in group N (1996). In 2011 he
belonged to the team that won the FIA truck racing European
championship.
The 150 kW (204 hp) C 300 d 4MATIC (in Europe known as 250
d) fitted with a 7G-TRONIC PLUS automatic transmission
competed in the hill-climb race in largely series-production
configuration. As is customary for a racing car, the interior was
cleared out. The modifications included the safety measures
required by the regulations, such as a roll-over cage, racing
tank, fire extinguishing system, enhanced brakes and ultra-high-
performance tyres (UHP).
The environment-friendly engine technology remained
completely unchanged. Thanks to the highly effective emission
control system, the C 300 d is the first diesel model to undercut
the American ULEV 70 emissions limits, which are among the
strictest in the world. With a combined range of 34 miles to the
gallon (corresponding to 4.1 litres of diesel per 100 kilometres),
the C 300 d attains a level of fuel efficiency which is superior to
that of most hybrid vehicles on the US market. In inter-urban
traffic the vehicle runs on 42 mpg (FE Highway).
Daimler Communications, 70546 Stuttgart, Germany Mercedes-Benz – A Daimler Brand
The engine technology: clean and economical
The C 300 d is powered by a four-cylinder diesel engine with
fourth-generation common rail direct injection featuring piezo
injectors, two-stage turbocharging and exhaust gas
recirculation. A highly sensitive engine control system responds
precisely to the most diverse operating conditions, thereby
optimising the combustion processes. The emission control
system incorporates a close-coupled electrically heated
oxidation catalytic converter and a diesel particulate filter which
is located in the area of the bulkhead. This shortens the
regeneration times.
The core of the emission control system takes the form of an
SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) catalytic converter, with an
"AdBlue®" injector connected upstream. "AdBlue®" is a synthetic
aqueous urea solution which causes the nitrogen oxides (NOx)
to be reduced to harmless nitrogen in the SCR catalytic
converters. Monitoring and diagnosis of the complex exhaust
gas aftertreatment processes are performed by various sensors,
including a differential pressure sensor, a lambda sensor, NOx
and temperature sensors.
The hill-climb race: legendary and gruelling
156 bends and a difference in altitude of 1439 metres over a
distance of just under 20 kilometres – the "Broadmoor Pikes
Peak International Hill Climb" (PPIHC) in the US state of Colorado
is arguably the most spectacular and demanding hill-climb race
in the world. The uphill gradient averages seven percent. The
epithet "Race to the clouds" derives from the alpine topography:
The race begins at an ample altitude of 2862 metres, and the
finishing point at the summit of Pikes Peak in the Rocky
Daimler Communications, 70546 Stuttgart, Germany Mercedes-Benz – A Daimler Brand
Mountains is no less than 4301 metres above sea level. The
entire route has been asphalted since 2011.
PPIHC is one of the very oldest motorsport events:Races for
automobiles and motorcycles have been held here since 1916,
and this year's event was the 93rd in the course's history. The
best-known winners include the American Bobby Unser, who
won the hill-climb race 13 times in all, Indycar drivers Mario
Andretti (1969) and Rick Mears (1976) and rally drivers Michèle
Mouton (1984, 1985), Walter Röhrl (1987), Ari Vatanen (1988)
and Sebastien Loeb (2013).
Further information is available at http://www.ppihc.com/
Contacts:
Oliver Kapffenstein, tel. no.: +49 (0) 711 17-57004,
Steffen Schierholz, tel. no.: +49 (0) 711 17-75852,
Further information about Mercedes-Benz is available online:
www.media.daimler.com and www.mercedes-benz.com
Daimler Communications, 70546 Stuttgart, Germany Mercedes-Benz – A Daimler Brand