2014 Detroit Motor Show: Mercedes-Benz 2015 S600 makes a big impression

German car maker Mercedes-Benz knows how to pull out all stops when it comes to luxury. Rather few would say that luxury is Mercedes’ middle name. Why is it so? The company’s product on display at the Detroit Motor Show makes one say so. Mercedes-Benz’s luxury flagship the 2015 S600 was unveiled to the public at this show and boy does it make an impression!

This car is a new 12-cylinder version of the S-Class. The 2015 Mercedes-Benz S600 packs a V-12 engine and slots in between the existing S550 and S63 AMG versions of the sedan. The car will only be available in long-wheelbase. 

It is the engine which is the talking point. Talking about actual figures, the twin-turbocharged V-12 engine now delivers 523bhp and 828Nm of torque from just 1,900rpm.  The S600 just got a bigger heart, which explains its 13bhp hike. It now fully justifies the car's 6.0-litre tag by growing from 5,513cc to 5,980cc of displacement, and it also features a new engine management computer and twin-spark ignition. Surprisingly, this is the least high-tech engine you’ll find in an S-Class. For starters, it makes do with three valves per cylinder and direct fuel injection is not for it. Coupled to a seven-speed automatic transmission, the S600 will do the 0 to 62mph sprint in 4.6 seconds and reach a top speed of 155mph. 

Aside from the bigger engine, the S600 is just like other S-Class models, which means it benefits from clever technology like “Magic Body Control” and is heavily tech-laden. It monitors road conditions via cameras to adjust the suspension and react in real-time to upcoming obstacles. A standard driving assistance package features lane keeping assist, blind spot monitoring, cross-traffic alert and an adaptive cruise control, plus a pedestrian recognition system with automatic braking.

New technology inside the S-Class includes a touchpad for written inputs of letters, numbers and special characters for control of the multimedia system. Also standard is a head-up display showing the vehicle's speed on the windshield along with the speed limit and navigation directions. Not included as standard, however, is an electrically heated windshield.

Now all this comfort and tech certainly does come for a price and needless to say it will be a heavy one, but that’s the price one pays for luxury of this kind.