New world's best Cd for a current production car: 0.24, Mercedes 2009 E-Class coupe

[Cd]

I found this today. Short, but interesting smoke test :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jd71qpfUfEg

[89shelby]

It looks like the gap between the wheel wells and the wheels are very small as well.

[BrianAbington]

the new e-class sedans, and coupes are in my opinion the best looking cars currently being made. May buy one 15 yrs from now when its affordable.

[lunarhighway]

it's interesting to see there's a little ridge on the taillights that obviously helps greatly in producing a clean separation. it's at about 1:04 in the movie.

i suppose it's little details like this everywhere on the car that manage to lower the Cd that last little bit

[MetroMPG]

"The truth about cars" blog has a piece about the 0.24 Merc today.

They're calling out M-B for touting the 0.24 number without making it abundantly clear that the only model that will have that value is the low-volume "efficiency" version.

Presumably also none of the photos so far released show that model.

See: The Truth About The 2010 Mercedes E-Class Coupe’s Aerodynamics | The Truth About Cars

[winkosmosis]

Dirty tricks from Mercedes

[superchow]

Is there smoke coming out of the front of the tail lights? (See video at about 1:00 mark.) It's not much, but wouldn't that mean that the air is being sucked in from the back of the car through/behind the tail lights and rejoins the airflow on the side of the car?

I can't decide whether this is a good thing... but wouldn't that mean the pressure directly behind the car is lowered even more?

How about redirecting some air from the side of the car, duct it through the trunk area to fill the vacuum behind the car? (Not practical if you want to actually use the trunk, I know, but an ecomodder has no scruples, right? )

[MetroMPG]

Superchow: it's possible. MB has been playing around with vented tail lights to aid clean separation.

See http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...lights-89.html

[NeilBlanchard]

Here's a site with pictures of the specific model that has the Cd of 0.24:

http://www.caradvice.com.au/53160/me...w-road-test-2/

[Cd]

I guess the boxy 'old' 2001 Lexus LS-430 reigns supreme once again at a .25 Cd.

The standard LS-430 had a .26 Cd ( same as the Prius ) but could be purchased with the optional air suspension system that lowered it to a Cd that outdoes the Prius.



I see a lot of 'design room' between the shapes of the Prius and the LS-430.

I almost laughed out loud when I read Honda's excuse for copying the shape of the Prius ( They stated that they had to shape the Insight like the Prius to get the same aerodynamics out of the car )