mimblr.com

What do four-valve technology, supercharging, common rail technology and CGI direct gasoline injection have in common? Answer: They all celebrated their Mercedes-Benz premieres in four-cylinder engines. Throughout the history of the brand from Stuttgart, this seemingly unspectacular engine type has always been at the cutting edge of outstanding innovation. Even the DIESOTTO technology, which was premiered in the F 700 research car at the 2007 International Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA), was first introduced by Mercedes-Benz in a four-cylinder engine.
Along with many other factors, the number of cylinders an engine has is indicative both of driving culture and prestige. The greater the number of cylinders, the better the ride quality – it is a rule of thumb followed by almost all markets worldwide. Mercedes-Benz Cars enjoys a reputation for supplying passenger cars equipped with a diversified range of superb internal combustion engines. The smart has three cylinders, the S-Class twelve, and between the two extremes there exists an entire spectrum of other configurations. While the four-cylinder versions may seem rather unspectacular at first sight, these are the very engines to which great importance is attached time and again.
The earliest vehicles had engines with one or two cylinders but if the automobile was to prove successful it was essential to boost output by increasing the number of cylinders to four. The Phoenix car of 1898 was the first Daimler road vehicle to feature a four-cylinder engine based on the principle devised by Nikolaus Otto. It had an output of 17 kW (23 hp) – quite impressive for the day. And true to Gottlieb Daimler’s vision of mobilizing vehicles on the land, on the water and in the air, it was not long before four-cylinder engines were also being used in aviation.
Developments with Carl Benz followed a similar course. One of his major achievements, for example, was the so-called contra engine, which made its debut in 1899 as a two-cylinder unit, bringing the principle of the horizontally-opposed piston engine to production standard before it appeared with four cylinders in 1900. However, this engine was used exclusively in what was the most powerful Benz racing car at the time. That same year DMG built a four-cylinder unit for use in the first Mercedes. In many ways it was a pioneering development, featuring for example intake and exhaust valves controlled by two lateral camshafts.

benzinsider.com