Mercedes Spy Shots Cars

Mercedes previewed the CLA-Class with the Concept Style Coupe, then a year later showed up at the Detroit Auto Show with the very first CLA-Class – a new entry-level model and the true baby of the Mercedes lineup. It’s essentially as CLS sized down a bit but features that trending four-door coupe body style that we’ve had to get used to. With that said, the CLA has been around for a while now, and 2020 will be the mark for the second-gen model to hit the market. That means it will debut in 2019, but that doesn’t matter because we’re already getting a good look at it now, and it looks very much like its bigger brother, the CLS. It will ride on the same platform as the new Mercedes A-Class and will even get the same engine lineup – including a pair of over-powered and brawny-for-their-size AMG models.

Introduced in 2006 as the company’s first full-size SUV, the Mercedes-Benz GL developed from a longer version of the ML into a model of its own with unique features and an AMG version. Just like the ML, which became the GLE, the GL was renamed to GLS in 2016. Part of the brand’s revised nomenclature, the GLS badge signals that this vehicle is the SUV equivalent to the S-Class. On the market since 2012 in its second-generation, the GLS is about to get a big overhaul for the 2019 model year. Alongside the redesigned SUV, Mercedes will also launch a brand-new version of the AMG GLS63. Already spotted on public roads, the performance SUV will arrive sometime in 2019.

While the standard GLS has plenty of competition to go against, including the Cadillac Escalade, Lincoln Navigator, Lexus LX, and the Land Rover Range Rover, the AMG version is almost alone on the market. The Range Rover is the only SUV available with a high-performance drivetrain, and it will remain the only option until BMW launches the X7 and its M version. From this standpoint, the AMG GLS63 will remain a unique full-size SUV on the market and will enable Mercedes-Benz to dominate the niche in the high-performance realm. Let’s see what the upcoming AMG GLS63 might have in store for us.

Continue reading to learn more about the Mercedes-AMG GLS63.

After rumors and speculation, Mercedes-Benz finally dived into the pickup truck segment with the X-Class in 2017. Sure, Merc’s utility vehicle is mostly a rebodied Nissan Navarra, but it’s a welcomed addition to a compact segment that lacked the premium appointments of a Mercedes vehicle. Unfortunately, the X-Class didn’t get the green light for North America, where it would have provided solid competition for the popular Chevrolet Colorado and the newly launched Ford Ranger. Not all hope is lost though, as Mercedes has been spotted testing a new version of the X-Class with a longer bed. If recent rumors are accurate, this model will cross the pond to the U.S.

AMG might be responsible for Mercedes’ most-powerful and appealing models, but the high-performance brand has yet to use its full potential as a car manufacturer. Sure, the Affalterbach-based division brought us the awesome SLS AMG, and more recently, the AMG GT, but it hasn’t developed more than one stand-alone vehicle at a time. Until 2018, when Mercedes-AMG launched the GT 4-Door, a four-door, four-seat version of the AMG GT sports car. Unveiled at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show, it’s the brand’s highly anticipated competitor for the Porsche Panamera, and it includes the most powerful GT-badged model ever.

The company’s plans to develop a high-performance four-door became more than obvious at the 2017 Geneva Auto Show, where Mercedes-Benz unveiled the AMG GT concept. The show car also confirmed that the sedan will be based on the AMG GT in terms of design, but still feature some of the more traditional Mercedes cues seen on the regular sedans. The concept was pretty much a mash-up between the AMG GT sports car and the CLS four-door coupe, attributes that also made it on the production model. Let’s find out what Merc’s new performance sedan is all about in the review below.

Continue reading to learn more about the Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe.

After four years with the Audi A3 Sedan being the only four-door on the premium compact market, Mercedes-Benz decided its time to jump in with a three-box version of the popular A-Class. The company’s smallest sedan made its debut in concept form at the 2017 Shanghai Auto Show and the Germans were quick to confirm that a production version is in the making. With the fourth-generation hatchback just unveiled for 2018, the sedan is only months away from an official unveiling. And alongside the standard model, we’ll also get the potent AMG A45, and according to recent spy shots, a milder AMG variant too. The latter is rumored to be called the AMG A35 and it will take on the Audi S3 Sedan.

While the new A-Class is spectacular in just about every department and sports the most beautiful interior in the compact market, the really big news about the A-Class Sedan is that it will be a global vehicle. When the unveiling took place in Shanghai, I was almost certain that the German sedan will follow in the footsteps of the BMW 1 Series Sedan, which is only available in China as of 2018. But Merc has big plans for the A-Class and has already confirmed that the sedan will be sold in the U.S. The regular model should be followed by both AMG versions, including this one. Before we dig in, I want to stress that the A35 nameplate is by no means official. Last year, the less potent AMG was rumored to get an A40 badge, so it could be anything at this point.

Continue reading to learn more about the Mercedes-AMG A35.

The new Mercedes GLS-Class isn’t scheduled to arrive in dealerships until 2019, but as early as now, we’re already seeing the luxurious people-mover making public rounds, albeit covered in heavy layers of camouflage. Just recently, YouTube channel walkoART captured the GLS-Class driving around the streets of Germany (the road signs are in German). The footage itself doesn’t reveal too much about the SUV, but we do get a good look at some important bits, including the LED headlights peaking from underneath the camo wraps.

Although it received a new name for the 2016 model year, switching from M- to GLE-Class, Mercedes’ current midsize SUV is far from new. Sure, the facelift brought many updates inside and out, but the truth is that the GLE is already six years old as of 2017 and a bit long in the tooth. But this will change soon, as Mercedes-Benz is already testing prototypes of the next-generation model on public roads. The high-performance AMG GLE63 is the latest version to make contact with our paparazzi, on the iconic Nurburgring track.

The new GLE is set to gain numerous and important updates, most coming from the E-Class sedan, on which it is based on. The AMG version will get similar upgrades, including an almost identical drivetrain to the AMG E63 four-door. There will be a big tech update, as well as significant gains in the performance department, due to a lighter curb weight and a more powerful drivetrain. Details are still under wraps as of this writing, but the upcoming GLE63 isn’t much of a mystery since we already know everything about the AMG E63 sedan. Join me in my speculative review to find out more about this high-performance SUV.

Updated 12/06/2017: Our spy photographers caught the upcoming Mercedes-AMG GLE62 out for a new testing session, this time around the famous Nurburgring track.

Continue reading to learn more about the Mercedes-AMG GLE63.

So, remember that failed electric sports car that Mercedes tried to make happen back in 2013? You know; the one that started out as the SLS AMG E-Cell in 2011 and became a “production” model with the name SLS AMG Electric Drive. Well, I wouldn’t be surprised if you didn’t know what it was, considering not even 100 examples were sold when it went on sale. That was back just a few years ago when the four-motor car was good for all of about 160 miles on a full charge – not even enough to have a full day at the track or a nice Sunday drive. So why was Mercedes just caught testing one on public roads again? It was even caked with all kinds of testing equipment. Clearly, Mercedes has something new in the works. The question is: What?

Well, we have a feeling that Mercedes-AMG could be planning to bring an all-electric AMG GT to market before it signs the death warrant on the current generation. The current model is set to run to at least 2020, and if Mercedes plays its cards right, it could have an electric model on the market yet again by 2019. Whether or not it would perform any better sales-wise is a completely different story, but when you take into considering the fact that electric cars are more common now, battery technology is better, and new material can make cars lighter than before, a 250-mile all-electric GT is entirely feasible.

If this is actually the case, Mercedes could have retrofit an advanced, lightweight battery and lighter, more powerful motors into one of its old prototypes and is actually putting it through the paces to see if the technology can hold up to a beating. After all, a car like the AMG GT is meant to be driven, and hard, so if a second run at having an electric sports car is going to work, Mercedes needs to deliver something that can overshadow the best it’s got at this point in the GT lineup. The real question is whether or not an electric GT can actually be successful. After all, less than 100 of the SLS AMG Electric Drive were sold, so perhaps the truth is that we don’t want electric sports cars and maybe Mercedes should quit trying to make it a thing.

Mercedes is on a mission to replace its models every six years or so. So, with the current generation A-Class turning five years old as of 2017, it was no surprise to us when we saw the next-gen prototype putting in some work somewhere in Europe. Alongside the redesigned hatchback, Mercedes-Benz is also testing a new version of the AMG A45. More importantly, it seems that the German company wants to introduce a new model into the lineup. It’s reportedly called the AMG A40 and will slot below the familiar AMG A45.

As of June 2017, the prototype is still wrapped in lots of camo and padding, but that isn’t to say that we can’t identify some of the changes we can expect when the model does shed its prototype skin. It’s rather obvious that the next-gen A-Class will bring some evolutionary changes, all of which will find their way on the performance-oriented versions. The biggest news here is this new A40 trim, which will most likely be sold as an answer to the Audi S3 and BMW M140i. Until we get some official information, let’s have a closer look at what we already know about this hot hatch.

Update 10/23/2017: It’s only been a few weeks since we last so the Mercedes-AMG A40 out testing on the roads, and white as rain, it was caught in public again. Not a lot has changed, but there is something noteworthy to mention, so check out the spy shot section below for details.

Continue reading to learn more about the Mercedes-AMG A40.

Mercedes-AMG wasted no time releasing a hot-rod version of the all-new 2019 Mercedes-Benz G-Class SUV. The G-Class still retains its iconic, boxy design and ladder frame chassis, but is completely modernized in every other measure. From the twin-turbo V-8 and new suspension system to the high-tech, leather-lined interior, the new Mercedes-AMG G63 is the new high-water mark for the automaker.

Mercedes is set to officially debut the G63 at the 2018 Geneva International Motor Show on March 6, after which the production version will arrive in showrooms toward the end of 2018. Naturally, the price is steep – likely costing more than the 2018 G63’s $142,800 here in the U.S.

We should know more as Mercedes-AMG debut the 2019 G63 at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show, so stay tuned to TopSpeed.com.

Update: 02/13/2018: Mercedes-AMG has released photos and preliminary information about the all-new, 2019 G63 SUB ahead of its official debut at the 2018 Geneva International Motor Show on March 6.

Continue reading for more on the 2019 Mercedes-AMG G63.

Introduced in 2014, the Mercedes-AMG GT is no longer the company’s flagship sports car, but a full lineup of vehicles. In three years, AMG not only developed a Roadster but also launched a higher performance coupe and a beefed-up convertible too. Oh, and it also created two different race cars based on the GT. In all, the AMG GT includes seven members, which is darn impressive. But Mercedes-AMG won’t stop here. Although rumors of a Black Series model have yet to be confirmed, recent spy shots suggest that such a version is indeed underway. And we might just see it in the metal in 2018.

With the GT R in showrooms, a Black Series model might not make much sense, but Mercedes has plenty of room to either slot it between the GT S and GT R or place it above everything else as a range-topping model. The latter scenario is more likely, so we could get an AMG GT with close to 600 horsepower and built in a very limited run. We should find out more later this year, so make sure you stick around for updates. Meanwhile, have a look at my speculative review below.

Updated 08/28/2017: Our spy photographers caught what appears to be the road-going version of the GT4 race car. The prototype drops the usual central mounted exhaust pipe and features some exhaust pipes hidden in the diffuser on the left and right, side just like we saw on the GT4 race car. And, since Mercedes is going to use the GT4 name for its four-door super sedan, this can only be the Black Series version of the AMG GT.

Continue reading to learn more about the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series.

Mercedes debuted its all-new X-Class pickup truck July 18, 2017 in South Africa in celebration of it being Mercedes’ first international market. The correlation with the X-Class being Mercedes’ first pickup wasn’t breezed over during the short presentation. Corporate self-appreciation aside, the X-Class resides in a completely new segment for the German automaker, and one that’s teaming with established competitors. Mercedes’ sales pitch centers on the X-Class offering three trim levels catering to distinct customer groups, with four available engines, two transmissions, and three RWD/4WD mechanicals.

Of course, Mercedes isn’t venturing into the mid-size, metric-tonne pickup market alone. Renault-Nissan co-developed the X-Class by contributing the Navara NP300, one of the X-Class’ rivals. The Mercedes uses Nissan’s chassis and body structure under the skin, along with a few familiar Nissan buttons and knobs. While the cost-cutting is apparent inside, the proven Navara chassis – including the fully boxed ladder frame – ensures the X-Class starts on the right foot. The X-Class will arrive in European showrooms beginning in November of 2017 with a price of 37,000 euros, roughly $49,500 at current exchange rates. Sales will expand to South Africa and Australia in early 2018, followed by Argentina and Brazil in the beginning of 2019. Sadly, Mercedes has no plans to launch the X-Class in the U.S. However, that could change once the X-Class has proven itself and Ford reestablishes the mid-size Ranger pickup in the U.S. for 2019.

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