2012 Mercedes-Benz C350
It’s been a long, long time since a Mercedes-Benz passenger car utilized an inline-six-cylinder engine, but a new reports suggests the automaker is working on straight-sixes for a number of its larger passenger cars.
Car Magazine is reporting that Mercedes-Benz is continuing its trend of downsizing its engines for increased fuel economy and reduced carbon dioxide emissions. That trend is already alive and well in the United States, with the introduction of 4.6-liter and 5.5-liter turbocharged V-8 engines to replace the marque’s 5.5-liter and 6.3-liter normally aspirated V-8 engines, respectively.
But the trend is expected to continue even further throughout Benz’s lineup. Car reports that we’ll see a new crop of engines coming in 2015, with a couple of four-cylinder engines, and a 4.0-liter turbo V-8 that can be tuned to replace most of Benz’s larger V-8 options. Perhaps most intriguing is the notion of an inline-six. Car says diesel- and gasoline-fueled straight-sixes are under development, and will feature between one-to-two turbochargers, depending on the application and the desired output. Quite interesting, especially when rumors suggest Daimler could be sharing V-6 engines with new teammates Renault and Nissan.
If true, it’ll be the first gasoline-powered straight-six to grace a Benz passenger car since 1999, and the first diesel-sipping inline-six offered since 2001. It also spells a brighter future for the inline-six engine, especially after straight-six stalwart BMW is replacing its normally aspirated 3.0-liter engines with a turbocharged 2.0-liter I-4.
