Mercedes-Benz to return to straight six engines
Mercedes-Benz is thinking of returning to its roots and adopting straight six engines to its vehicles. This will be a big change over the existing V6 layouts that have been on offer for the past 15 years or so.
Mercedes-Benz has been using V6 engines since around 1996 while it has always been BMW that has used the inline six-cylinder layout. But things are about to change. It is believed both diesel and petrol V6 engines will be discontinued in the next four years, making way for turbocharged straight-six units.
According to a source from Mercedes-Benz engineering departments talking with CAR in the UK, Mercedes-Benz has signed off on a range of next-generation engines. These include a range of small four-cylinder units as well as a new lineup of small V8 engines, including a 4.0-litre turbocharged V8, as well as new inline sixes.
Like the current crop of V6 engines, the new inline sixes will power some of Mercedes-Benz's larger cars, such as the Mercedes-Benz E-Class variants and M-Class and M-Class derived SUVs.
The range of new engines have apparently been signed off for release in 2015.
What do you think? Could this be a good move by Mercedes-Benz? Let us know in the comments section below.