Some people don’t like riding in a car if they can’t literally put their feet up while ensuring the cabin has exactly the fragrance they desire. Others prefer cars that can stand up to terrorist attacks. For those who fall into both categories, Mercedes-Benz offers the new S600 Guard, the armored version of its flagship S-Class sedan.
To protect dignitaries, diplomats and the 1 percent from gunfire, hand grenades and other threats, Mercedes made the body of the 2015 S600 tougher than a $5 steak. It added liberal amounts of armor to the underbody. It stuffed “special steel”—Mercedes isn’t saying just what makes it special—between the body structure and the outer skin. And it coated the windows and windshield with polycarbonate.
Such changes are to be expected when building what amounts to a rolling bank vault, but they nevertheless pose a challenge for Mercedes engineers: The S600 wasn’t designed to handle all that armor, which makes an already heavy car even more of a leviathan. And that hurts performance (not to mention fuel economy) and handling. That’s a problem, because if there’s one time when you want a fast, nimble car, it’s when the bullets start flying.
Mercedes couldn’t sacrifice the interior features like the “active perfuming system” and leg rest for the rear passenger; they’re what make the S-Class so luxurious. So to cope, Mercedes made key changes to four other areas of the car:
A new transmission: For the first time, Mercedes bolted the S-600′s car’s 6-liter, twin-turbo V12 engine to a 7G-Tronic seven-speed automatic transmission. The goal was to improve acceleration. Mercedes didn’t offer any specs on the Guard, but the standard S600 will hit 60 mph from a standstill in 4.5 seconds. That’s mighty impressive for a car that weighs 5,038 pounds. Top speed is limited to 130 mph.
An improved suspension: To handle the Guard’s extra bulk, Mercedes reinforced the air springs up front and added steel springs out back. It tweaked the electronic stability and acceleration skid control systems to handle the added mass. The Guard rides a bit higher than the standard S-600 to compensate for the reduced ground clearance from the underbody armor.
Durable tires: Michelin PAX run-flat tires are standard, and Mercedes says the car can drive 19 miles on damaged rubber.
Bigger brakes: To make sure the brakes are up to the task of stopping a car that surely weighs more than three tons, Mercedes installed bigger 6-piston calipers and “significantly larger” rotors on the front wheels.
One thing hasn’t changed: The car’s exterior appearance. That’s another safety feature, according to Mercedes. The fact it isn’t obviously an armored car meets “a further important requirement for special protection vehicles: maximum discretion thanks to unobtrusiveness.” (If keeping a low profile is really the best way to stay safe, maybe it’s time Ford looked into making an armored Focus. No one would look twice.)
All the extra hardware surely adds a hefty premium to the S600′s $166,900 base price—Mercedes won’t say what a Guard costs—but if you’re the kind of person who’s worried about armed gunmen and hand grenades, money probably is not a concern. LINK
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