Diesel Celebration..
You may be an Elvis fan, and so you celebrate The King’s birthday each year. Or maybe you were an admirer of Princess Diana and so you leave flowers for her every year on the anniversary of her death. Well, we all have our own interests and each industry also has its own heroes.
In the automotive industry, one of the biggest heroes is Rudolf Diesel who invented the diesel engine. While Rudolf died 95 years ago, had he still been alive, this year he would be celebrating his 150th birthday. Since he is not here to celebrate, the vehicle manufacturers who utilise and admire his technology are celebrating on his behalf.
Mercedes have announced they are releasing a new four-cylinder diesel engine this summer to commemorate Rudolf’s 150th birthday. The new engine will be first used in the C-Class as the C250 CDI, but it is actually a 2.1 litre, twin turbo charged unit with common rail injection.
What that means is that with 201 bhp and 369 lb ft of torque, the new diesel engine is 20% more powerful than the old C220 CDI and uses an environmentally friendly 25% less fuel. Mercedes is saying that the new diesel engine will allow the new C-Class to get 52.3 mpg.
These stats all go a long way to making sure the Mercedes C-Class gives its close competitors a run for their money. Producing the same horsepower and more torque than the BMW 123d Mercedes has proved that technology and vehicles made out of honour are just as good, if not better than those made out of spite.
Putting the most technologically advanced, fastest and fuel efficient diesel engine in their new 2008 production vehicle is the perfect honour for the creator of one of the most fuel efficient and more environmentally friendly engines in the world, and one which is still in production today.
