Mercedes-Benz has announced that its BlueTEC line of clean diesel will be available exclusively in the U.S. beginning this fall. The clean diesel technology will first debut in Mercedes’ lineup of SUVs — the R 320 BlueTEC, ML 320 BlueTEC and GL 320 BlueTEC — but will spread to MB’s other cars in the coming years.
The BlueTEC technology uses Mercedes-Benz’s AdBlue urea injection system to meet the U.S.’s strict Bin 5 regulations, and the system could even be compliant with Europe’s upcoming EU6 standards.
Each vehicle will be fitted with a 7 gallon — 8.5 gallon in the case of the larger GL — urea tank which, when combined with water, virtually eliminates NOx. The urea will be consumed at a rate about 1 to 3 percent of diesel consumption, meaning the tanks should be good for 15,000 miles between fill-ups.
Despite the 320 moniker, all three vehicles will actually be fitted with a 3.0L turbo-diesel V6. The diesel powerplant will be rated at 211 horsepower and 398 lb-ft of torque.
The BlueTEC R-Class and M-Class models will be rated at 18/24 mpg city/highway — compared to 15/20 for an M-Class fitted with a gasoline V6 and 13/18 for a V8 powered model — with the GL achieving a rating of 17/23.
