For luxury-car buyers, everything is never enough.
Mercedes-Benz luxury flagship gets even more luxurious with the addition of the S600 model to the lineup.
Unveiled at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show, the S600 features all of the luxurious and technology of the 2014 S550, but with a 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged V12 under the hood.
That engine produces and 523 horsepower 612 pound-feet of torque. That’s an increase over the previous S600’s 510 hp, (torque remains the same) and appropriate step up from the 4.6-liter twin-turbocharged V8 S550’s 449 hp and 516 lb-ft.
Coupled to a seven-speed automatic transmission, the S600 will do 0 to 62 mph in 4.6 seconds and reach a top speed of 155 mph. Not bad for a yacht that weighs 4,817 pounds in mandatory long-wheelbase form.
The S600 isn’t all about performance, though. The big V12 gets a start-stop system, which Mercedes says will increase fuel economy by 21 percent over the previous model. If that’s true, it’s a huge achievement.
That 2013 S600, by the way, was rated at 12 mpg city, 19 mph highway, and 14 mpg combined by the EPA. Fuel-consumption figures for the new model will be revealed closer to its launch.
Aside from the bigger engine, the S600 is just like other S-Class models. That means it benefits from clever technology like “Magic Body Control”, an adaptive suspension system that scans the road ahead for bumps and girds itself accordingly.
Mercedes will also replace last year’s Collision Prevention Assist package with Collision Prevention Assist Plus, which can now autonomously brake the S-Class to mitigate collisions at speeds up to 125 mph.
Beginning in March, Mercedes will also offer a touchpad infotainment controller, head-up display, and electric windshield heating on S-Class models. What will they think of next?
Pricing for the 2015 S600 will be announced closer to the car’s on-sale date, but expect it to top the Mercedes lineup. At least until the new S65 AMG arrives, that is.
