Page 2 – Germany – The Green Car Driver –

The 18-month mark of a long-term test car is a bittersweet moment.  In one respect, we’ve gotten to know the car really well over the past year and a half.  On the other hand, we know its time with us is coming to a close.
Our 2011 Palladium Silver Mercedes-Benz E350 …

MUNICH—A BMW ActiveHybrid 5 is the newest member of The Diesel Driver’s long-term fleet, but it arrived a bit late   The Azurite Black ActiveHybrid 5 was to be delivered to Jonathan Spira and Christian Stampfer at the BMW Welt in Munich Thursday but, over the preceding weekend, a hailstorm pelted …

It’s uncanny how our long-term cars seem to hit 10,000 km (6214 miles) at the one-year anniversary mark.  Indeed, such was the case with our 2011 Palladium Silver Mercedes-Benz E350 BlueTec sedan.
Over the past year, since taking delivery at the Mercedes-Benz Kundencenter in Sindelfingen, Germany (Sindelfingen is a town near …

Located on the shores of Lake Constance (Bodensee), Bregenz, the capital of Austria’s western-most state of Vorarlberg, is the site of the Bregenzer Festspieler (Bregenz Festival), a performing arts event that typically draws over 200,000 people to over 100 performances.
Home to more than 27,000 inhabitants, the city is tucked in …

European Delivery, also known as Factory Delivery is the only way I know of buying a new car.  Indeed, I have found memories of accompanying my parents to the local Mercedes-Benz dealer to discuss ordering a vehicle when I was just ten years old.  Unlike the way my friends’ parents …

Leipzig, the second largest city (after Dresden) within the free state of Saxony, was one of the most important cities during the fall of communism in the former East Germany in 1989 and is situated about 200 km (124 miles) south of Berlin. The city is today home to over …

Out of the five automakers that offer European Delivery programs in the United States – Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, and Volvo – only two, Audi and Mercedes-Benz, currently offer diesels via their program.
Mercedes-Benz offers customers residing in the United States the opportunity to purchase a new Mercedes E-Class or S-Class …

Maastricht, the capital of the province Limburg, is located in the southern part of the Netherlands. It was also our first destination after taking delivery of The Diesel Driver’s new long-term test car, a Mercedes-Benz E350 BlueTec diesel sedan.
TDD Editor Jonathan Spira and I started out from the Mercedes-Benz Kundencenter …

A Mercedes-Benz E350 BlueTec is now part of The Diesel Driver’s long-term test fleet.  37% of Diesel Driver readers correctly guessed that the new auto would be a Mercedes.   26.4% said VW, 20.8% said Audi, and 15.1% voted for BMW.
We’ve liked the new E-Class since we drove one last fall.  …

Sélestat, also known as the city of Schlettstadt, is a small town located in north-eastern France, in the province of Alsace-Lorraine (Elsaß-Lothringen). The cities of Freiburg (Germany) and Strasbourg (France) are only a drive of 40 km (24.8 miles) away.
Sélestat is home to nearly 20.000 inhabitants and offers its …

Frankfurt am Main, Europe’s largest and most important financial center, is situated along the Main River in the south-western part of the German state Hessen (Hesse). Germany’s fifth largest city is home to over 672.000 people and was named one of the 10 most liveable cities in the world by …

The Diesel Driver’s 2011 BMW 335d calendar is now available online for  immediate delivery. This calendar captures the elegance and raw power of the BMW 335d sedan.

Jonathan Spira picked up this particular 335d in Munich at the BMW Welt and drove it in Austria, Germany, and the United …