Mercedes Hire Midlands..

To coincide with the 150th anniversary of Rudolf Diesel's birth, Mercedes-Benz has announced the release of a brand new generation of four-cylinder diesel engines. They outstrip all previous benchmarks for performance, torque, emission properties and, most notably, fuel economy in their segment.

The new four-cylinder diesel generation from Mercedes-Benz limousine can be briefly summed up as follows: greater power, greater economy, and greater cleanliness. As far as the figures are concerned, the most powerful variant of the new diesel engine extracts 150 kW/204 hp from its displacement of 2143 cubic centimetres. This represents an increase of some 20 per cent compared to its predecessor, despite the displacement being almost identical.

The engineers also took care to ensure the new diesel engine is a paragon of fuel efficiency. In spite of the substantial power boost of 25 kW, the engine makes even more frugal use of diesel than its predecessor, which was itself a most modest consumer of fuel. This takes the new four-cylinder unit into a realm which has so far been the preserve of three-litre six-cylinder diesel or large V8 petrol engines.

The new diesel engine is set to supersede four different power plants in all, and will be fitted in a number of variants across a wide range of model series, even including the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. Thanks to its high power potential it has been possible to apply the downsizing principle, where smaller engines with fewer cylinders are used in order to lower fuel consumption very effectively.

The new drive unit has a powerful feel to it, its response is agile, it delights with its tremendous pulling power and impresses with admirable levels of smoothness for a four-cylinder engine. Quite apart from its outstanding power output data, the new drive unit also boasts markedly superior torque build-up from low revs compared to the engine it replaces, along with a class-beating torque characteristic curve. This means that the engine can be run extremely economically at low rev speeds in routine driving situations.

Three different variants are initially planned for use in passenger cars; this will undoubtedly see the engine finding its way into the limousine hire market. This means that it will soon be possible to hire an environmentally friendly, fuel efficient limousine without having to sacrifice on the performance and luxurious ride one expects from a limousine. You will soon be able to hire a limousine that is more economical, and therefore more environmentally friendly, than your typical family car.