Mercedes-Benz Car Names Explained

See the BMW naming system explained here.

By 2020, Mercedes-Benz is hoping to have 30 cars in its lineup, 11 of them will be all-new. It’s changing its naming system in the hope to make it easier to understand the models in its range. All SUVs will start with “G”, taken from the iconic ‘G-Class’, and finish with the relevant letters to differentiate between the models. The 4-door coupés in the range will start with “CL” and will have another letter added to denote which exact model it is. Roadsters will start with “SL” and an additional letter will be added (but not for the ‘SL-Class’) in the same way as it does for all models. Mercedes’ in-house tuning brand ‘AMG’ is now considered a separate sub-brand, named ‘Mercedes-AMG’. Therefore, the previous ‘SLS AMG’ is now called the ‘Mercedes-AMG GT(S)’.

Mechanical connections between models are signified by certain letters, so the previously known ‘GLK’ becomes the ‘GLC’ as it shares some of its components with the ‘C-Class’. The ‘GL’ becomes the ‘GLS’ as it’s the upmarket SUV, just like the ‘S-Class’ is the upmarket saloon. You get the picture. To add to the confusion, the model will be finished in the number to denote its place in the hierarchy of that specific model. For example the ‘C220’. All normal so far. But to finish it off, Mercedes will be adding a letter to show you what fuel it uses. They are as follows:

It’s strange, and I’m not fond of the decision, but Merc will not add a letter for its petrol models. Also, in case you weren’t aware, the 4MATIC is Mercedes’ 4WD/AWD system. A question I’ve always had is “What are the numbers that you get after the class?”. After a bit of research, I’ve found out, and I’m here to tell you in the simplest way I can. Previously, the number went with the engine size. So a ‘C220’ would’ve had a 2.2 litre engine. An ‘E350’ would’ve had a 3.5 litre engine. And an ‘A160’ would’ve had a 1.6 litre engine. But since the introduction of turbochargers and other modern technology, Mercedes has been able to reduce the size of their engines whilst keeping the same / similar output. So the ‘C200 BlueTEC’ nowadays isn’t a 2.0 litre, rather a 1.6 litre with the power output of a conventional 2.0 litre engine. So from the ‘C200 BlueTEC’, it will become the  ‘C200d’. As mentioned above, not only will you have to become accustomed to some additional letters at the end, but re-branding will commence soon turning the ‘ML-Class’ into the ‘GLE’. Even more to have to remember! The numbers after Merc’s AMG cars follows the same meanings, so the ‘C63’ would’ve had a 6.3 litre engine originally, now it’s just a 4.0 litre V8 with the output of a standard 6.3 litre engine. Easy.

Recap

So there are three components to a Mercedes-Benz car name:

• There are new classes to remember, but similarities are in the vehicle’s class (like the aforementioned ‘G-Class’).
• Numbers after the letters will tell you what size engine it would’ve been, but now it just has the power output of that size engine (most of the time).
• After the letters and numbers come more letters! These denote the fuel type.

Example: GLS350d It’s a ‘GLS’, formerly known as just the ‘GL’, it has the power output of a standard 3.5 litre engine, and it runs off diesel. Unless you’re a real Mercedes geek and know all the engines off by heart, you’re not going to know what size engine it has. And sorry, I’m not, so I don’t! 

What do I think?

Yes, it’s confusing, but I love Mercedes’ new idea. It helps you to make connections between models and know more about the car in less writing. It comes across as daunting, I agree, but after time it’ll make much more sense.