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The anchor leg was intended to start out with Motor Trend's Martini-brigade (St. Antoine, Lassa, Markus, and Vance) whooping it up in the downtown St. Louis blues clubs where legendary musicians like Albert King, Ike Turner, and Chuck Berry polished their chops, but one of the little stinker's glow plugs threw a six-hour wrench in that plan, delaying the Leg 3 team's Sunday-night arrival until just after every downtown kitchen had closed. Truck... // MotorTrend Magazine

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It's hot. Africa hot. Fry-eggs-on-grandpa's-hairless-head hot. The outside-temp gauge on the ML320 Bluetec following behind me, I learn via walkie-talkie, reads 107 degrees. Ah, but it's a dry…uh, no it is not. It's muggy as hell here in east Texas. The cows along the roadside, slow-roasting in the raw sunlight, are staring back with forlorn eyes and jaws agape, as if to say, "Ugh. How long do I have to wait to be a steak?" // MotorTrend Magazine

Back on I-84 East, our first stop is about 130 miles away in Twin Falls, Idaho. The Interstate is relatively flat along this stretch, and the 190 has no trouble keeping up with traffic. As was the case on the first day, where there are inclines, the '59 does lose momentum, but it cruises happily in the slow lane until it gets to the top. There's no reason to downshift -- it makes more sense to adapt to the car's pace and let it decide how quickly... // TruckTrend Magazine

Back on I-84 East, our first stop is about 130 miles away in Twin Falls, Idaho. The Interstate is relatively flat along this stretch, and the 190 has no trouble keeping up with traffic. As was the case on the first day, where there are inclines, the '59 does lose momentum, but it cruises happily in the slow lane until it gets to the top. There's no reason to downshift -- it makes more sense to adapt to the car's pace and let it decide how quickly... // TruckTrend Magazine

Nestled behind the huge steering wheel, which seems about as wide as the 190's 185/80R13 Dayton Thorobred Steel tires, I buckle the lap belt, pull the knob to warm up the glow plug, and, after about 30 seconds, extend the knob another notch to start her up. Without any hesitation, the aged oil burner comes to life, sending vibrations through the structure and that trademark rattle through my eardrums. It's a euphonious noise, though, and I begin to get excited, as I've only driven a handful of diesels and never one quite this old. I grab the wandlike gearshift on the steering column, push it into first gear, and then ease off the clutch as I gently depress the throttle. I'm moving! Even though... // TruckTrend Magazine

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It's 7 a.m. and I, as well as my teammates, associate editor Allyson Harwood and photographer Julia LaPalme, are already tired. We haven't even begun our 1400-mile drive from Seattle to Denver, and fatigue is already setting in. This is not a good start. The day before, Tuesday, July 29, a magnitude 5.4 earthquake hit L.A., shaking the city for several seconds, jarring residents but leaving no real damage. It did, however, rock LAX to the point that flights were delayed for several hours, which meant instead of our departing L.A. in time to arrive into Seattle in the early evening, we hit the tarmac well after midnight. In the end, though, we made it to the Emerald City safely, grabbed about five hours of sleep, and woke up with eyes burning, semi-ready to greet Team 1.

We cross over the... // MotorTrend Magazine

Representing Bluetec would be a fully loaded ML320, as it is the first platform to launch with the new powertrain, as an '09 model. For a 190D, we only had to go as far as the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center in Irvine, California, and its enthusiastic staff let by manager Mike Kunz. He sourced a restored example identical to our original tester, save for its deep crimson red paint job. Four-on-the-tree transmission, 13-inch wheels with hubcaps,... // TruckTrend Magazine