Mercedes-Benz Ener-G-Force: Meet The Squad Car Of Tomorrow
Mercedes-Benz intros a ride sure to redefine cuffing season
More than a decade after Tom Cruise’s Minority Report freaked us out about high-tech law enforcement vehicles, Mercedes-Benz has come to throw away the key. The brand’s latest concept whip hints at what to expect—and
fear—in 2025. Presented at 2012’s L.A. Design Challenge, the Ener-G-Force model is a consumer cruiser that’s also being billed as the squad car of tomorrow.
Based off the rigid G-Class, a design that’s gone relatively unchanged for decades, the G-Force holds onto little from its inspiration, unless you count a road presence guaranteed to garner WTF-faces from anyone glimpsing one in their rearview. Fittingly debuted in the city that made the police-chase famous, Benz’s engineers envision a power train that will serve and protect the environment, as well as the wallets of civilian owners.
Utilizing a conceptual (translation: it doesn’t truly exist yet) “hydrotech converter,” the G will process recycled water into hydrogen, which will in turn power the truck’s fuel cells for an anticipated range of 500-plus miles. Crazy as that may come off, it’s a technology the brand says is a decade or so away. In case you hadn’t noticed, the retro trend is fading faster than partygoers popping Molly.
Regardless of whether your local precinct will have the interest or budget to upgrade its Chargers its safe to say the next generation of Gs will be less of a box, but still every bit as brolic as its predecessor. Let’s just hope if we’re sitting in back, it’s ’cause we’re all about that chauffeured good life.
Toyota’s profitable offspring is finally true to its DNA
Ten years ago, Toyota—a name long synonymous with vanilla—switched its style up with the launch of a sub-brand. The money piled up, but critics questioned why parents and gramps were scooping up cars built for Gen-Y.
Sales are sales, but with its new FR-S coupe, the name may finally nab that target demo. With a profile that’s a touch Italian in its design, the RWD scrappy 4-banger is an impractical, slightly irresponsible exercise in fun. Built in conjunction with Subaru, the lively FR-S may lack interior refinement, but it’s already been embraced by the aftermarket. It’s finally that fun, irreverent Scion we were expecting from the get-go.
