It has taken about 10 years, but European automakers are finally wrapping their heads around the idea that perhaps diesel engines aren’t the only solution to fuel efficiency. Several European automakers are joining in on gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles, once the sole domain of Toyota and Honda. Mercedes-Benz will feature the technology in a luxury car, though the system in the S400 BlueHybrid is unrelated to the two-mode system codeveloped with BMW, Chrysler, and General Motors. For the S-class hybrid, Mercedes is relying on a less complex system developed by Continental Automotive for the S400 BlueHybrid.

The Mercedes-Benz E-class is the sedan that bridges the showroom gap between the six-figure S-class and the $30,000 C-class. Without the E, the Mercedes lineup would simply encompass two extremes of luxury sedans, with a bunch of SUVs occupying the space between. Mercedes has thoroughly redone its mid-size E-class range for 2010. Thoroughly means this is not a mere styling refresh; but the design indeed has evolved, and it’s the most obvious change. For its past two generations, the E-class has worn four oval-shaped headlights, a look that became iconic enough for the Koreans to copy it on the Kia Amanti and the previous Hyundai Sonata.

In car-speak, acronyms have their pros and cons. Alphanumeric, gobbledygook names force customers to use the parent company’s name every time they identify a car, casting a halo effect for the brand. “I drive a Legend,” for example, did less for Acura than, “I drive an Acura.” And so the RL was born. Now apply that thinking to Mercedes-Benz, which, to be fair, has always used alphanumeric names. But as the company expanded its lineup to some 15 separate nameplates—not counting the AMG models—it resulted in confusion on the showroom floor and significant marketing challenges in promoting individual models. Things needed to get simpler, and they have. The replacements for Mercedes’ mid-size CLK-class coupe and cabriolet models will henceforth be identified as part of the E-class family. (The CL coupes will become part of the S-class lineup.)

When the SL65 AMG debuted, we said that, in terms of the global horsepower war, Mercedes-Benz was taking off a glove and slapping the rest of the industry in the face. As a follow-up, Mercedes has decided to moon every other automaker with the debut of its SL65 AMG Black Series, and those rosy cheeks are low, wide, and made of carbon fiber. But figuratively speaking, this latest Black Series car is much more serious than our childish analogy suggests. As did the two previous Black Series cars—an SLK55 that wasn’t sold in the U.S. and the CLK63 for 2008—the SL65 version represents the ultimate in performance and exclusivity in a Mercedes-Benz. The cold facts are: 661 horsepower, a $300,000 price tag, and a limited run of 350 cars, of which 175 are coming to our shores starting in January.

We've tested and reported extensively on the Mercedes-Benz C350 and like it a lot: modern, aggressive design, grippy front end, willing powerplant, superb seven-speed auto trans, more room than in any previous C-Class, and a feeling of quality that previous Cs have lacked.

An under-the-radar, unofficial product debut took place out on the frigid streets in front of Cobo Hall during the 2009 North American International Auto Show, when brief drives of an ML350 Bluehybrid prototype were offered to a select few. Slated for introduction in the second half of 2009, this will be the first "offshore" application of the two-mode hybrid system that was jointly developed by General Motors, DaimlerChrysler, and BMW. (For the record, the hybrid transmission will be assembled in Europe, with final vehicle assembly in Alabama.)

Mercedes-Benz and diesels go together like bratwursts and warm beer - the automaker claims to have built the first ever diesel-powered passenger car. Safe to say, the engineers in Stuttgart know what they're doing when piecing together oil-burning machines like the 2009 Mercedes-Benz ML320 BlueTEC, which features the German automaker's 50-state legal, 3.0L V-6 turbodiesel powerplant rated at 210 hp @ 3800 rpm and 398 lb-ft of torque @ 1600 rpm. The engine is also an option for both the GL and R-Class.

The E-Class is the car that still defines Mercedes-Benz: The solid, respectable, reassuringly expensive automobile for the solid, respectable, reassuringly bourgeois citizen. Despite forays into the supercar stratosphere with the head-banging AMG and McLaren models, and attempts to get down on the streets with the Golf-rivalling A-Class, the E-Class is Mercedes-Benz's heartland car. The launch of a new one is therefore a major event; this is a car Mercedes-Benz simply cannot afford to screw up.

It’s not often the entire Top Gear office is stopped in its collective tracks, rendered speechless by a new car. This is one of those moments. This is the Mercedes McLaren SLR Stirling Moss, and – well, just look at it. This isn’t one of those high concepts that’ll never ever make production. This exists.

It's probably best to call the new Mercedes-Benz S400 BlueHybrid a mild, rather than full, hybrid, because it can't propel itself on electrical power alone. In other words, the BlueHybrid is not powered by the two-mode system co-developed with GM for big SUVs, which will be an option for the M-Class next year. This is a smaller, cheaper system designed to be scaleable across all Mercedes car lines.

It is not often that one thinks of large sedans a fuel efficient vehicles. But that is precisely what Mercedes-Benz had in mind when developing the F700 DiesOtto. The DiesOtto engine, from where this vehicle gets its name, is capable of achieving just as much power as the typical sedan, and emits half of the emissions, or around the same amount as a typical compact car. If you ask me, this is what luxury vehicles should be aiming for.

The following is not something that would normally cross your mind when you drive an ‘ordinary’ C63 AMG... “I know what this car could do with – a Performance Pack. The handling’s far too wallowy, and I can’t stand the fact it doesn’t get a limited-slip diff.”

As Mercedes-Benz winds down its long-running alliance with McLaren, the partners are preparing to launch one of their final joint efforts, the limited-edition Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster 722 S. It will be formally unveiled this week at the 2008 Paris Auto Show.

Such a pity that Mercedes doesn't do a beefed-up version of the new SL. A pity because, if you want an SL with a bit more road presence, you'll have to opt for this, the gilled-up-to-the-max Lorinser version. Yes, it's another German tuning house special, compromising a massive body kit and more holes than the Valhalla golf course.

The best-looking car on sale today. Discuss. Whatever your opinion, there's no disputing the fact that the Mercedes SL is one of the most sorted large roadsters currently available. The Mercedes SL is the best big roadster on the market today, with a choice of engines that includes the SL65 AMG.

You spend all that money and you end up with something that looks like a Mercedes SL. The SLR McLaren sounds amazing, though. And, of course, it goes like stink. One of the world's fastest, in fact....