2019 Mercedes-Benz GLE 450 Suspension Tech

2019 Mercedes-Benz GLE 450 Suspension Tech

Yesterday, the 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLE made its debut, and while we typically don't get all that excited about mid-size SUVs, this one is more interesting than most. The new GLE鈥攁 descendant of the ML-Class that debuted in the mid-'90s鈥攐ffers an electronically controlled hydropneumatic suspension system Mercedes calls E-Active Body Control. It's unlike anything else on the market today. E-Active Body Control does away with conventional anti-roll bars, allowing each wheel to move totally independently. Mercedes isn't alone here鈥攖he McLaren 720S is another recent vehicle that eschews anti-roll bars. The Mercedes system uses electronically adjustable dampers augmented by air springs to control body motion. Essentially, this allows the spring rate, damper stiffness and ride height to be adjusted independently, in real-time, at each corner. E-Active Body Control allows Mercedes to isolate the suspension motions at each wheel. Result: Body roll is minimized, Mercedes claims, without any affect on ride quality. This also allows Mercedes to give the GLE some neat tricks to improve performance on-road and off.

During off-roading, a page on the center display allows the driver to adjust the height of each wheel individually. This can help free the car if, say, one wheel is stuck in a ditch, struggling for traction. The Rolls-Royce Cullinan SUV can do something similar in its off-roading mode, where the air suspension system can apply suspension pressure to an individual wheel to help it find grip. There's also an air-suspension function that helps rock the GLE free if it's stuck in deep sand. The car bounces up and down on its air springs, helping the car find grip without digging itself further into the soft surface. A GLE equipped with E-Active Body Control can also lean into corners, not just mitigating body roll but actively counteracting it. A stereo camera mounted high in the windshield constantly scans the road surface ahead, measuring cambers and undulations. That data is sent to the chassis control system, which modulates spring and damper settings to keep the car as level as possible in the bends.

Other Mercedes products have offered a similar function, but they relied on active anti-roll bars rather than real-time spring and damper adjustments. In our opinion, the coolest feature of E-Active Body Control doesn't have to do with body control. This SUV's dampers can harvest the energy generated by suspension movement to charge up the battery powering the vehicle's 48V electrical system. Audi announced in 2016 that it was developing a similar system, but Mercedes seems to be the first automaker to put energy-regenerating dampers into production. E-Active Body Control is powered by Merc's new 48-volt electrical architecture. As such, it's only available in the GLE 450 equipped with the company's new 3.0-liter single-turbo inline-six mild hybrid. Lesser GLEs will come equipped with a conventional steel spring or air spring suspension system. The GLE 450 offers 362 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque, with an additional 22-horsepower boost available from the electric motor between the engine and transmission. It also gets a new four-wheel drive system, with fully variable torque distribution between the axles. Mercedes will offer a four-cylinder GLE with traditional 12-volt electronics, too鈥攖he GLE 350. It's equipped with a 255-hp 2.0-liter turbo, and in the GLE 350 4Matic, all-wheel drive with a permanent 50-50 front-rear torque split. Of course, the new GLE gets all the latest Mercedes infotainment and safety tech, and looks that draw on the new design language established by the CLS- and A-Class. It'll go on sale sometime next year.

On the intake side, special sports air filters make sure that aspiration is optimised, while a stainless steel sports exhaust pipe system optimises exhaust gas back pressure. A further performance-enhancing modification to the engine is improved intercooling to reduce the temperature of charge air. The upshot is that the V12 is constantly at the top of its game - allowing the driver to relax, with an abundance of power resources to draw on. An elegant vehicle with an incomparable finish, the Carlsson Aigner CK65 RS Blanchimont must surely represent the most thrilling and luxurious limousine ride currently available. For example, the Carlsson Aigner CK65 RS Blanchimont revels in a top speed of 320 km/h - electronically regulated for safety reasons - together with an acceleration of 0-100 km/h in just 3.9 seconds. Hardly surprising, then, that the Carlsson Aigner CK65 RS Blanchimont can test virtually any other sports car to its very limits.

The Carlsson sports exhaust gas system produces a particularly powerful sound as well as improved output. Dominating the rear view of the Carlsson Aigner CK65 RS Blanchimont are four exhaust tailpipes designed by Carlsson. The sporty, sonorous tones these generate are an impressive sound. In contrast to the regular production model, in this exhaust gas system both the exhaust gas back pressure and the pipe run have been optimised - thus allowing Carlsson to achieve an improved torque and higher output. Unlike the standard form of cast wheels, the Carlsson Ultra Light metal wheels are approximately. 50% lighter than the standard form of cast wheels. The result is that because of their reduced, unsprung mass, they are less inclined to tramp than cast wheels, thus providing an almost ideal level of contact with the road. For the driver, this mean improved handling, and thus greater driving safety and greater driving comfort. Carbon is normally only used as a material in motor sports the aerospace industry. For the engineers at Carlsson, however, it is the material of choice.