The North American International Auto Show saw another big launch, quite literally, in the new Mercedes-Benz S600. The big V12-engined super-luxury limo takes forward the game for Mercedes-Benz with what has become one of North America’s most recognised model badge.
The new S600 still uses a bi-turbo V12 engine, but the size has gone up from 5.5-litres to 6.0-litres. The corresponding increase in output is a mere 13 PS, with the new car making 530 PS over a wider rev range, from 4,900 to 5,300 RPM. Torque remains unchanged at 830 Nm, and is available from 1,900 RPM up to 4,000 RPM. There are a number of changes apart from the displacement.
There’s an all-aluminium crankcase, which brings weight down considerably, together with a one-piece chain drive. The crankshaft is forged in high-grade quenched and tempered steel and is connected to modified forged pistons. There’s a new dedicated ignition coil with twin-spark ignition and a new ECU. The engine uses 3 valves/cylinder – two intake and one outlet – the latter of which is a hollow-stemmed unit filled with sodium; and a cam follower. A low-temperature cooling-water circulation with a separate expansion reservoir is also one of the changes. A lower fuel consumption figure – 9 km/l – sees an improvement of 21%.
The new S600, from March 2014, will also includes some new features such as the optional touchpad, which recognises letters, numbers and characters in handwriting. This becomes another full-function input method apart from the COMAND Controller and Linguatronic. The addition of Collision Prevention Assist Plus sees autonomous braking till 200 km/h, with stationary vehicle detection at speeds of up to 50 km/h. Optional electric windscreen heating prevents fogging up of the front windscreen even at sub-zero temperatures.
