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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. Daimler Communications, 70546 Stuttgart, Germany Mercedes-Benz – A Daimler Brand Press Information 30 June 2015

Mercedes Benz C 300 CDI (250 CDI in Europe) sets Pikes Peak record

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Page 1: Mercedes Benz C 300 CDI (250 CDI in Europe) sets Pikes Peak record

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

Page 2: Mercedes Benz C 300 CDI (250 CDI in Europe) sets Pikes Peak record

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

Page 3: Mercedes Benz C 300 CDI (250 CDI in Europe) sets Pikes Peak record

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

Page 4: Mercedes Benz C 300 CDI (250 CDI in Europe) sets Pikes Peak record

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,

[email protected]

Steffen Schierholz, tel. no.: +49 (0) 711 17-75852,

[email protected]

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