CEO of armoured car company sits in Merc as it gets sprayed by an AK-47

Mercedes being sprayed by AK-47

More often than not, companies over promise and under deliver when selling products to consumers. However this is not the case with the San Antonio based company – Texas Armoring Corporation. They are so confident with their products that they are willing to risk their own lives when putting them to the test.

In their latest promo video TAC President and CEO Trent Kimball is so sure of his company’s armoured cars that he volunteered to get behind the wheel of one of their custom bullet proof Mercedes Benz SUV’s, while another employee unloaded an AK-47 on the windshield of the car – I’m guessing he has a good medical plan. *Spoiler alert* No one dies in this video. Infact, its a little underwhelming as the bullets bounce off the windscreen like snowballs.

At the end of the video boss Kimball can be heard saying “That was frigging amazing… it could have taken a lot more!”

Take a look for yourself…

The New 2016 Mercedes-AMG GT Revealed

Mercedes have released images and video footage of the new 2016 AMG GT.
Following the global success of the SLS AMG, the new Mercedes-AMG GT is the second sports car developed fully independently by Mercedes-AMG.
According to the German car manufacturer “the new Mercedes-AMG GT skillfully combines sportiness and emotion and makes not only hearts of sport car enthusiasts’ leaping for joy.”
AMG have taken the old SLS platform and have made a conscious effort to try and reign in what was previously a brutal beast, making this new car much more focused, which would offer the driver a more usable power plant.
Thie AMG GT will offer two different versions of their brand-new M178 twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 as the power plant.
Replacing the spectacular M156/M159 naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V-8, this new engine will also power a wide range of upcoming AMG models, including the next-gen C63 AMG, a crossover GLC63 AMG, and the next E63 AMG.
The AMG GT’s version makes 456 horsepower at 6000 rpm and 443 lb-ft of torque between 1600 to 5000 rpm. In the upgraded GT S model, the M178 produces 503 horsepower at 6250 rpm, although the peak moves to span 6000 to 6500 rpm when ordered with the optional AMG Dynamic Plus package.
Mercedes claims the standard GT reaches 60 mph in 3.9 seconds and a top speed of 189 mph; the sharper GT S will apparently take another 0.2 second from the sprint to 60 and is capable of 193 mph. The GT S is fitted as standard with active exhaust flaps, which are optional on the standard model. Also worth noting is the fact that AMG has hinted at a GT3 version will be offered somewhere down the line.
The top-spec Mercedes-AMG GT S is expected to reach the UK in the spring of 2015, while the lesser spec’d GT will follow the next year.

What are your thoughts on the new AMG GT, is it an improvement on the SLS?

New Jaguar XE S Revealed

The new Jaguar XE S was revealed tonight and will be Jaguars new assault on the car market, going head to head with the likes of the BMW 3 Series, the Audi A4 and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class.
The all new sports saloon will be priced around £27,000, only one motor for the new XE was revealed in detail, a 3.0L Supercharged V6 that makes 340 hp and produces 332 lb-ft of torque and will be controlled by an eight-speed automatic gearbox. This engine will take the car from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.9 seconds. Additionally, with the introduction of a new 2.0-litre diesel engine emitting just 99g/km, Jaguar could well make an impact on their rivals share of the luxury saloon market.
More details on the car will be revealed at this years Paris Motor Show.
What are your thoughts on the car? Will Jaguar be able to take on their German rivals with this latest addition to their line up?

Jaguar XE S

Jaguar XE S Interior

Jaguar XE S Exhaust

Jaguar XE S Centre Console

Sneak peek at the new Mercedes-AMG GT

Mercedes have given us a sneak peek at their next AMG performance car, the Mercedes-AMG GT. 

Although were are only getting a few teasing interior shots of the car, MB say the car will feature “aviation-inspired design” and that it will “define the concept of Modern Luxury”.
After looking at the interior shots they have given us this certainly seems to be true, with the GT clad in fine leather with a striking black and red colour combination, an impressive centre console that emerges from an armrest emblazoned with the AMG logo,  which leads to a large tablet style control centre where you can command the AMG gadgetry that this car is sure to come packed with.
The car won’t be officially revealed until Autumn of this year, but lets hope some more images of the car are released before then. 

Baby Benz all grown up?

Mercedes have released details of their all new 2014 C-Class ahead of its official unveiling at the Detroit Motor Show in January.
And its seems they aren’t playing around, as their biggest selling model and the rival to the 3-Series, the luxury car maker have beefed up the C-Class compared to the outgoing model, with an 8cm increase in wheelbase, while overall the vehicle is 9.5cm longer and 4cm wider. This will apparently offer more room for rear passengers and create more boot space. Yet despite the size increase the car boasts an impressive weight loss with its robust and innovative aluminum bodyshell it sheds 100kg, benefitting the cars fuel consumption.

The midrange baby saloon looks more like something from their S-Class than the previous C-Class we’ve come to know and that’s not surprising considering it borrows much of the new S-Class’s ‘intelligent driving’ tech,  allowing the the car to scan for danger ahead and brake autonomously from 125mph. At speeds under 37mph, the C-Class will follow the car in front at a safe distance and with its EALKA system, it will prevent you from veering overing the lines.  The improvements don’t stop there,  the stylish interior includes a touchpad that recognizes gestures similar to those used on smartphones and in addition to their high tech nav system you get an 8.4-inch central display screen. That’s a lot of tech for a car that is expected to sell for roughly £30,000 when it goes on sale in the UK in spring 2014.

Three engine variants are available at the market launch – a diesel in the guise of the C 220 BlueTEC, offering 70.6mpg and 103g/km CO2 and the two petrol models, C 180 and C 200, the latter of which will be capable of 62mph in 7.5 seconds. After launch Mercedes is set to expand the engine range to include a 1.6-litre diesel engine and furthermore a plug-in hybrid is also due to be released. More interestingly though is the AMG version which is expected to use a new bi-turbo V8 engine capable of making at least 450bhp.

On paper this car looks very promising and with all things considered, a worthy adversary of the 3-series.
Have Mercedes got it right? Will bigger mean better in the battle of the luxury mid-range saloon car?
What do you think of the new C-Class? Leave a comment below.