That is until I was right in front of it. Now I must admit that it really is a head turner.

Two variants are available: the 5.5 liter, V8, 382 horsepower CLS 550 and the 6.2 liter 507 hp CLS 63AMG.

Both come equipped with the seven speed automatic transmissions with Sportronic Manual Shift capability.

Optional for the CLS 550 are paddle shifters while in the CLS 63AMG it’s standard equipment.

For 2009, both trims get reshaped LED taillights, an updated twin bar grille, trapezoidal shaped exhaust tips, restyled wheels, larger heated mirrors with integrated turn signals, a revised command interface and a sportier steering wheel with the CLS 63AMG getting a flat bottom.

On the outside, it really is eye catching and really worth a double take, very few will come close.

The styling, materials and overall finish is first rate; all the panels are securely fit and the leather extremely soft.

The wooden appointments appear to be more like polished furniture than part of a car interior.

The attention to detail was above and beyond.

We were given a CLS 550 painted in Metallic Barolo Red, Black Leather interior and Laurel Wood Trim to play with.

She also came equipped with three packages- the 318 Trim, Sport and the Premium package.

Also installed were the optional Distronic Proximity Control and Parktronic system.

You can get more details from one of the Houston Mercedes Dealers.

What do you do? Flip them the bird.

Providing that you’re in your Mercedes E Guard that is.

For those that just got their Mercedes S 600 Guard and think B7 armor rating is a tad too much especially if you’re just going to the 711 in Beverly Hills, then the Mercedes E Guard is just right for you.

The E Guard was created specifically for the wealthy businessman and/or famous people whose primary threats are muggers and overzealous fans and paparazzi.

The S 600 Guard’s clientele on the other hand are mostly heads of state, diplomats, royalty and the occasional drug lord if I may add.

With the exception of the drug lord, these individuals do actually face the risk from acts of terrorism each time they are in public hence the higher protection requirements.

You can think of the E Guard as the baby brother of the S Guard.

Born in the same production line as its non-armored sibling in order to ensure overall quality standards, the vehicle is then pulled out so it may receive the protective elements which are all installed by hand.

Integrated protection is what Mercedes calls it. “The protective measures integrated into the E-Class E-Guard offer exceptional levels of protection in extreme situations and against threats from the outside.

Integrated protection means that the safety features are built up from the inside out.

In order to incorporate all the precautions necessary to meet your personal safety requirements, our specialists start with the body shell.

The result is a vehicle that provides you with the best possible protection, without the exterior differing in any way from the “standard production model.”

The bad news is that you probably won’t find one of these on the showroom floor of your Houston Mercedes Dealership.

The Prime Edition comes equipped with a new 2.2-Liter diesel power plant which is capable of propelling the C-Class from 0-62 mph in just 7.0 seconds and hitting a top speed of 155 mph.

But what really is different and unique about this new C250/engine is that it consumes only 45mpg or 5.2 liters/100km.

Some of the highlights of this new engine are:
• 200 bar maximum ignition pressure;

• Dual stage Supercharging;

• A variable water pump and larger, variable oil spray nozzles;

• The camshaft drive is positioned at the rear;

• A fourth-generation common-rail technology with a rail pressure increased by 400 bar to 2000 bar;

• A new piezo-injector concept with direct nozzle needle control for greater flexibility in injection timing, which leads to smoother running of the engine.

Another thing is that it can be installed either lengthways or sideways in the other model series, and several power rating variants will be made available.

Considering its impressive output/performance data, the new engine could quite possibly replace higher-displacement engines in the heavier vehicles thus effectively reducing fuel consumption.

Incidentally, this new engine will indeed replace four of Mercedes’ existing diesel power plants and will be/is installed in E, GLK Class and the much awaited E-Class Coupé.

In order to further improve on consumption, the C 250 has:

• A newly developed gearshift display on the dashboard that informs him of the optimum time to shift gears in order to better save on fuel;

• An instrument cluster that shows the precise current rate of fuel consumption;

• Smooth under body cladding;

• Airflow enhancing exterior mirror housings;

• Newly developed tires that reduce rolling resistance by as much as10 percent;

• An effective energy management system with adaptive power steering which, with the help of an additional valve, shuts the flow of the power steering pump when not needed.

Check with your Mercedes Houston Dealer about becoming one of the lucky 5000.

At first and even second glance, it appears that you’re just looking at just another S600.

This inconspicuous look is mainly due to the fact that the armoring was integrated in the vehicle production process and not as an “afterthought”.

In fact, Mercedes engineers began studying this design consideration more than 2 years before the first non-armored production car came off the line.

Powered by a 5.5 liter, v12, biturbo engine that produces 512hp and 830nm of torque, the S600 Guards’ top speed is electronically regulated at 150mph.

Not too shabby considering its curb weight of 8455lbs.

This is 3000lbs. heavier than the regular S600 whose top speed is 155mph and yet has the same v12 engine.

Again the fact that the armoring was incorporated into the production process rather than after enabled Mercedes engineers to tweak the engine in order to properly and efficiently handle the additional 3000lbs.

In addition, the engineers also redesigned the chassis again to cope with the extra weight and maintain the “exceptional level of comfort that Mercedes cars are renowned for”.

The following were the primary focuses of the redesign:
• Reinforcement of the links between the chassis components and the body shell ;
• Specifically targeted modification of the chassis components themselves;
• An additional steel spring on the rear axle to support the air suspension;
• Larger twin-caliper front brake discs, for outstanding deceleration whenever and wherever required;
• Electronic Stability Program-to compensate for the additional/extra weight and requirements of an armored vehicle.

ESP by the way is basically a system that assists the driver remain/regain control of the car when it gets into a skid.

What it does is that it gathers data from the steering wheel, ABS and the gyroscope then either/or activates the brakes in the front or rear wheels in order to stabilize the car when cornering, accelerating or decelerating.

In layman’s terms it simply means it either detects or prevents skids and helps the driver regain and/or keep control when driving on slippery roads or during a sudden, panicked swerve.

Essentially, when the system detects a loss of control in steering, the system automatically applies individual brakes to individual wheels to counter either oversteering or understeering. Based on studies, ESC can reduce fatal single vehicle crashes by as much as 56%.

In 1959, Mercedes Benz invented a system that stopped the wheels from spinning at the transmission, brakes and engine level. In 1987, Mercedes Benz introduced the Traction Control System., a system that controls both acceleration and braking. This was later followed by the Electronic Stability Program or ESP and ESC.

The first Mercedes Benz vehicle to be equipped with ESC was the W140 S-Class way back in 1995. Though other car manufacturers have their own versions of ESC-Mitsubishi has ASTC and VSC for Toyota, Mercedes Benz’s will always be truly heralded as the world’s first stability control system.

To find out more, talk with your Mercedes dealer

Instead of taking apart a new S600 and retrofitting all the plate armor into the doors, side panel and a couple of inches of polycarbonate glass in place of the standard windows, these are instead installed during production in the factory in Sindelfingen Germany.

The S600 is powered by a v12 byturbo engine which produces 380KW/517 hp-more than enough power to get out of those sticky and dangerous situations. Due to the added weight of the armor plating and the like, the suspension has been reinforced as with the brakes.

For protection, the S600 Guard Pullman has a level IV (B7) rating. This means that its armor is capable of withstanding gunfire anything from 9mm to 5.56 to armor piercing 7.62 X 51 NATO rounds. Other security features include a fire extinguishing system, run-flat tires and a self sealing gas tank.

You may want to special order this one since you might not see this one on the showroom floor at your local Mercedes Benz Dealership!

A favorite is the Mercedes Benz E200 Kompressor. One of the rarest luxury cars appreciated worldwide because of its astounding looks and performance.

It is loaded with number of comfort features like: thermo-electronic climate control, highly comfortable seats with adjustable headrests, safety belts, aero wipers, steering wheels with multifunctional capabilities, etc.

The Mercedes Benz E 200 Kompressor comes with a sophisticated engine that has 4 in line cylinders. The engine displacement is about 1796 cubic cm.

The of the Mercedes Benz E 200 Kompressor has a bore and stroke of 82 * 85 mm and a compression ratio of about 8.5:1.

There 4 valves in each cylinder deliver about 116 kw @ 5500 rpm and generates a torque of about 221 Nm @ 3500-4500 rpm. of the engine.

Mixture formation is done by the microprocessor controlled petrol injection system (HFM), inter-cooler and supercharger.

Also, the superb suspension system of Mercedes Benz E 200 Kompressor ensures a highly comfortable ride.

In front of the car, lies the four link independent suspension system with coil springs while the rear portion has a multi link independent suspension system with coil springs.

Mercedes Benz E200 Kompressor comes with a rack and pinion power steering that makes driving quite easy. Mercedes Benz E200 Kompressor has a gross weight of 2105 kg and kerb weight of about 1605 kg.

The total length, width and height of the car are about 4818 mm, 1822 mm and 1420 mm respectively. The wheel base of the vehicle is about 2854 mm and it has a ground clearance of about 123 mm.

Mercedes Benz E200 Kompressor has a fuel tank capacity of about 80 liters with 8 liters reserve. With these packages, truly Mercedes Benz E200 Kompressor fits just about any taste for a dream luxury car.

It is currently available at any worldwide Mercedes Dealership.