to tell the truth, I'm surprised they used an inline 6 instead of a V6. I would think the V6 would have been a smaller overall package.
Not that it would matter much to me, I'm not going to buy a new vehicle with one in it, and I don't foresee me hanging around long enough to have one in my hot rod.
There are many current benefits to the inline-six configuration — especially for the manufacturer. Back in the day when displacement ruled the world, V6 motors could be built off of the same, but shrunken, block as V8s. Now that our automotive multi-verse is organized around smaller motors and forced induction, it makes more sense to have an inline motor where the six-pot version can just be a further development of the inline-four. Do the math: Benz's forthcoming new 2.0-liter inline-four linearly extrapolates to this 3.0-liter inline-six. Welcome to contemporary economies of scale.
"We build one engine as a family," says Weller. "It must be flexible on the production line, and must meet the same hard mounting points in every car. This new block can do that."
Additionally, because it's a straight-six engine, and not a V, there is a nice long "cool" intake (non-exhaust) side to the motor on which many of these advanced components can be safely housed, obviating the need for pricey and complex systems to stabilize their temperature or prolong their lifespan. Compare that to the complexity involved in keeping the bits of a "hot-vee" turbocharged V8, like the company's biturbo 4.0-liter V8, cool and happy. More savings for Benz.
Intriguingly, there are benefits to the consumer as well. Much has been made of the unique mechanical and technological advances integrated in this motor, and they're quite impressive. It is the first Mercedes with a 48-volt electrical system, its intense (shocking?) power generated by what Mercedes calls the "Integrated Starter Generator," sandwiched between the motor and the transmission.
