Stuttgart/Colorado Springs. Mercedes-Benz has set a new record for the diesels in the legendary Pikes Peak hill-climb race with a near-production C 300 d 4MATIC: Test driver Uwe Nittel completed the 19.99 km long route which includes more than150 bends at a range in altitude of nearly 1400 metres in just 11.37 minutes.

1. Daimler Communications, 70546 Stuttgart, Germany
Mercedes-Benz – A Daimler Brand
New record for series-production diesel car in US hill-climb race
Mercedes-Benz C 300 d 4MATIC sets new record at
Pikes Peak
Stuttgart/Colorado Springs. Mercedes-Benz has set a new record for the diesels
in the legendary Pikes Peak hill-climb race with a near-production C 300 d
4MATIC: Test driver Uwe Nittel completed the 19.99 km long route which
includes more than150 bends at a range in altitude of nearly 1400 metres in just
11.37 minutes.
"With extensive simulation measures,gruelling durability road tests and
exhaustive trial driving at test sites all over the world, Mercedes-Benz's testing
programme is undoubtedly one of the most rigorous in the automotive branch,"
says
Prof. Dr Thomas Weber,member of the board of management of Daimler AG,
responsible for Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars Development. "Pikes
Peak raised the crossbar still further. And the virtually series-production
C 300 d 4MATIC demonstrated in this test that sporty performance and clean
exhaust technology go together perfectly."
The test drive at Pikes Peak also demonstrated how well Mercedes-Benz diesel
powertrains are adapted to the special requirements of the US market, which
include extreme climatic conditions.
The course’s numerous switchbacks put the suspension and the 4MATIC
powertrain through their paces when accelerating out of the bends. Another
challenge for the diesel engine was the thin mountain air – the finishing point is
an impressive 4301 metres above sea level. Test driver Uwe Nittel, 46, reports:
"Shoving a series diesel saloon with automatic transmission up Pikes Peak
sounds like a crazy idea, put it was a lot of fun. And it showed that all the
prejudices regarding diesel vehicles are well out of time."
Press Information
30 June 2015

2. Daimler Communications, 70546 Stuttgart, Germany
Mercedes-Benz – A Daimler Brand
Page 2Nittel comes from rallying: numerous victories in national championships and the
rally world championship culminated in the vice world champion's title in group
N (1996). In 2011 he belonged to the team that won the FIA truck racing
European championship.
The 150 kW(204 hp) C 300 d 4MATIC (in Europe known as 250 d) fitted with a
7G-TRONIC PLUS automatic transmission competed in the hill-climb race in
largely series-production configuration. As is customary for a racing car,the
interior was cleared out. The modifications included the safety measures required
by the regulations, such as a roll-over cage,racing tank, fire extinguishing
system, enhanced brakes and ultra-high-performance tyres (UHP).
The environment-friendly engine technology remained completely unchanged.
Thanks to the highly effective emission control system, the C 300 d is the first
diesel model to undercut the American ULEV 70 emissions limits, which are
among the strictest in the world. With a combined range of 34 miles to the gallon
(corresponding to 4.1 litres of diesel per 100 kilometres), the C 300 d attains a
level of fuel efficiency which is superior to that of most hybrid vehicles on the
US market. In inter-urban traffic the vehicle runs on 42 mpg (FE Highway).
The engine technology: clean and economical
The C 300 d is powered by a four-cylinder diesel engine with fourth-generation
common rail direct injection featuring piezo injectors, two-stage turbocharging
and exhaust gas recirculation. A highly sensitive engine control system responds
precisely to the most diverse operating conditions, thereby optimising the
combustion processes. The emission control system incorporates a close-coupled
electrically heated oxidation catalytic converter and a diesel particulate filter
which is located in the area of the bulkhead. This shortens the regeneration times.
The core of the emission control system takes the form of an SCR (Selective
Catalytic Reduction) catalytic converter, with an "AdBlue®
" injector connected
upstream. "AdBlue®
" is a synthetic aqueous urea solution which causes the
nitrogen oxides (NOx) to be reduced to harmless nitrogen in the SCR catalytic
converters. Monitoring and diagnosis of the complex exhaust gas aftertreatment
processes are performed by various sensors, including a differential pressure
sensor, a lambda sensor, NOx and temperature sensors.

3. Daimler Communications, 70546 Stuttgart, Germany
Mercedes-Benz – A Daimler Brand
Page 3The hill-climb race: legendary and gruelling
156 bends and a difference in altitude of 1439 metres over a distance of just
under 20 kilometres – the "Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb"
(PPIHC) in the US state of Colorado is arguably the most spectacular and
demanding hill-climb race in the world. The uphill gradient averages seven
percent. The epithet "Race to the clouds" derives from the alpine topography:
The race begins at an ample altitude of 2862 metres, and the finishing point at the
summit of Pikes Peak in the Rocky Mountains is no less than 4301 metres above
sea level. The entire route has been asphalted since 2011.
PPIHC is one of the very oldest motorsport events:Races for automobiles and
motorcycles have been held here since 1916, and this year's event was the 93rd in
the course's history. The best-known winners include the American Bobby
Unser,who won the hill-climb race 13 times in all, Indycar drivers Mario
Andretti (1969) and Rick Mears (1976) and rally drivers Michèle Mouton (1984,
1985), Walter Röhrl (1987), Ari Vatanen (1988) and Sebastien Loeb (2013).
Further information is available at http://www.ppihc.com/
Contacts:
Oliver Kapffenstein, tel. no.: +49 (0) 711 17-57004, oliver.kapffenstein@daimler.com
Steffen Schierholz, tel. no.: +49 (0) 711 17-75852, steffen.schierholz@daimler.com
Further information about Mercedes-Benz is available online:
www.media.daimler.com and www.mercedes-benz.com