UPDATE:
A four-wheel drive version will be unveiled at the 2021 IAA in Munich, with a lower top speed of 190kph.
FRANKFURT: For some drivers, safety means more than airbags and assistance systems. For those with extra needs, Mercedes is offering its S-Class as a bulletproof, grenade-proof, you-name-it-proof saloon with its own fire extinguishing system.
The S-Class Guard fulfils the highest ballistic test level (protection class VPAM VR10) for civilian vehicles allowing it to withstand not only explosive attacks but also hand grenades and sniper rifles, the manufacturer says.
Built for world leaders and members of royalty, the S-Class Guard uses a construction of overlapping armoured steel and special fibres under an aluminium body, as well as thick-as-your-arm window panes with particularly robust foils in between.
Despite sounding like a tank, the car's thick protection is almost invisible from the outside.
And yet all this safety comes at a price.
Those who order the S 680 Guard in its home market in Europe will need to pay upwards of €547,400 (RM2.8mil) to get this beat of an armoured car unlike any other series-produced vehicle.
At the same time, all this security also increases the weight, and because this car weighs more than four tonnes, the Guard version is only available as the S 680 with a V12 engine that produces the necessary 612hp.
That also means that top speed is limited to 210kph in consideration of the bullet-proof tyres.
While Mercedes hardly makes any compromises when it comes to comfort equipment and adds most of the extras from the S-Class, the German manufacturer has also developed a few more added security features.
These range from a discreetly hidden blue light to an integrated fire extinguishing system and the electric closing aid for the centimetre-thick armoured doors, project manager Andreas Zygan says.
Mercedes says it does check the reputation of its customers and delivers most Guard models to high-level officials, notably members of government and royal families.
But basically anyone can buy the car, says Zygan. Only the driver is limited: Given the weight of this behemoth, you need a truck driver's licence for this S-Class.
