( Not really ... )
Stuttgart, Germany / Laredo, Texas, USA, May 02, 2005 The new Mercedes V6 CDI diesel engine, set to replace the existing five and six-cylinder in-line engines from summer 2005, has marked the start of its career with a string of world records. Fitted in three standard-production E 320 CDI models, the 165 kW/224 hp power plant covered the 100,000 kilometers, 50,000 and 100,000 miles respectively in world-record time* - and without any technical problems. Other class records for diesel vehicles add to the impressive record-breaking achievement on the high-speed circuit in Laredo, Texas. Despite the extreme stresses, the maintenance-free diesel particulate filter held up magnificently over the entire record distance without any deterioration in performance - further testimony to the reliability and durability of this exhaust technology. Mercedes-Benz set three cars at once on course for a record at the high-speed circuit in Laredo, Texas; all three successfully covered the record distance, thereby providing proof of the reliability of the E-Class three times over. To do so each of the three candidates did no fewer than 20,000 laps. Adding up the distances covered by all three cars gives an impressive total of 300,000 miles (482,802 kilometers) - one-and-a-quarter times the distance from the Earth to the Moon. In addition to the vast distance and dramatic variations in climatic conditions, the vehicles' suspension, chassis and electronics were subjected to particularly severe and relentless punishment from the vibrations generated by the uneven road surface. The 30 days of torture also proved the durability of the exhaust system with its integrated diesel particulate filter. Indeed, this event was a world first in that it marked the first time that this filter technology had been subjected to such massive and continuous punishment. As established by numerous test series (conducted both in the lab and on the road), success of Mercedes-Benz in this endurance run confirms that volume-manufactured diesel particulate filters can also be relied on to function perfectly over high mileages in everyday use.
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