Сбоить: Russian President Medvedev’s Mega Driving Gaffe Caught on Video

The man behind the “Forward Russia!” movement, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, took his campaign motto a smidgen too seriously when he almost...forwarded a Mercedes M-Class he was driving into a crowd of people cheerfully waiting for him on the side of the road.

While we can’t be 100 percent sure, from the video it looks like Medvedev either forgot to put the SUV’s handbrake on or even worse, didn’t shift out of drive and into park before jumping out of the vehicle to meet his voters.

Fortunately, Medvedev’s security was alert and managed to stop the Mercedes before it hit the crowd. The incident allegedly occurred in the city of Kazan on Monday. The video, which you can watch after the break, went viral and has already more than 200,000 views on Youtube in less than 24 hours.

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Rumors: Mercedes-Benz to Gun for BMW’s X6 with New GLS

It seems that 2014 is going to be a good year for SUV fans: after the news on Audi’s Q4, Mercedes-Benz is also reportedly planning to release another crossover, according to Autocar. However, this one will be more up-market and will have BMW’s X6 (and Audi's Q6, which is expected in 2016) squarely in its sights.

An obvious movement since the controversially styled SUV from BMW has sold more than 120,000 since its launch in 2009. Like its archrival from Munich, Mercedes’s sporty SUV will be a four-seater with a sporty design.

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Mercedes Drops 72 High-Res Photos and More Info on 2012 ML-Class SUV

The new 2012 ML-Class has been making the rounds on the web-o-sphere for a couple of days now, and today Mercedes-Benz’ press department finally decided to share the details and a high-resolution photo gallery of its newcomer with the rest of the world. We have already voiced our thoughts about the ML-Class’ styling so on this post we’re going to concentrate on the available engine lineup and specifications.

Starting with the North American model, the third-generation ML-Class will make its U.S. retail debut in September 2011 with two available models at launch, the ML350 4MATIC and the ML350 BlueTEC. More engines will be added down the road.

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Mercedes-Benz Shows Off its New 2012 ML-Class SUV on Film

By now, you know that Mercedes-Benz has released the new 2012 ML-Class ahead of its world premiere at September’s Frankfurt Motor Show. If you’re curious to see how the German firm’s American-made SUV looks on road, this is your lucky day as Mercedes has just published two official videos including a five-minute long film of its BMW X5 rival. You can watch both clips right after the break. Read more »

2012 Mercedes-Benz ML Class: First Official Photos hit the Web

A leaked brochure of the all-new 2012 Mercedes-Benz ML Class that was floating around the internet on Monday was followed up today with the release of the first official photos.

We are still waiting for Mercedes to come out with an announcement detailing the next iteration of its mid-size SUV, but aside from the evolved styling language, we learn that the ML also introduces a new engine lineup that will include a 2.1-liter turbocharged four-cylinder diesel engine with a little over 200-horses. A hybrid version based on the same turbocharged diesel powerplant will follow next year.

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BRABUS Widestar Tuning Package for the Mercedes M-Class Facelift

A firm believer of the phrase "better late than never", Mercedes-Benz tuning specialist BRABUS, has introduced a new Widestar package for the facelifted M-Class that was revealed at last year's New York Auto Show. The exterior of the M-Class is enhanced with a wide bodykit that includes new fender flares on front and rear axle that add five centimeters (two inches) to the width of the SUV as well as massive 23-inch alloy wheels fitted with high-performance tires in size 315/25 R 23 front and back.

Inside, BRABUS' appointments for the Mercedes M-Class interior include stainless-steel scuff plates with illuminated BRABUS logo, a sport steering wheel, and leather-covered door elements for upgrading the factory interior. Also available are a fully leather interior made from a combination of Mastik and Alcantara leather and seven-inch LCD screen with 16:9 aspect ratio and integrated DVD player integrated on the rear end of the front hearests.

The M-Class' handling is improved with the BRABUS control module for the standard AIRMATIC air suspension that lowers the ride height by some 30 millimeters (1.2 inches). To further optimize active safety the BRABUS WIDESTAR is optionally equipped with a high-performance brake system that consists of 12-piston aluminum fixed calipers grip front discs measuring 360 x 28 mm (14.2 x 1.1 inches). The rear axle features six-piston fixed calipers.

For the gasoline-powered models, BRABUS' engine tuning program starts with the B7 power kit which increases power output of the ML 350 to 287 HP while the ML 500 is available with the BRABUS 6.1 displacement engine generating 462HP. For the most powerful variant of the M-Class, the M 63 AMG, there's the B63 S kit that boosts output to 550HP. With this kit, the tuned top-of-the-line M-Class model sprints from rest to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.9 seconds and achieves a new top speed of 275 km/h (172 mph).

Those who prefer diesel engines can equip the ML 280 CDI with the BRABUS ECO PowerXtra D5 (III) kit that produces an extra 52HP. For the ML 320 CDI BRABUS has designed the D6 (III) power kit which bumps maximum power output to 272HP and produces a peak torque of 590 Nm (435 lb-ft) at just 1,600 rpm.

In the top-of-the-line diesel model, ML 420 CDI, the BRABUS ECO PowerXtra D8 (III) power kit boosts power from 306HP to 350HP while peak torque grows from 700 Nm to 800 Nm (516 to 590 lb-ft). The tuned ML 420 CDI sprints from 0 – 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 6.0 seconds, half a second less than the production car while top speed increases from 235 to 245 km/h (147 to 153 mph).