March 2006
New S Class in UK from March 2006. New features include infra red night vision 'sees' three times as far as headlights at night. Flashing LED stoplights. Improved everything over previous S Class. especially high speed body control. S600 once again a contender for 'Best Car in the World'.
Innovations
- ADAPTIVE BRAKE with additional functions
- Adaptive brake light
- Brake Assist PLUS with radar sensors
- COMAND with COMAND controller
- Crash-responsive high-comfort head restraints
- DISTRONIC PLUS
- Electric parking brake
- Dynamic multicontour seat with new massage function
- Night view assist based on infra-red technology
- Panoramic sliding roof (for long-wheelbase version)
- Second-generation PRE-SAFE®
- Reversing camera
March 2006
S65AMG announced with 612bhp, 1,000Nm torque, 0-60 in 4.2 seconds.
October 2008
S 600 Pullman Guard state limousine announced With the new S 600 Pullman state limousine intended for governments, business and crowned heads, the world’s oldest automaker is continuing its unique tradition of building large, armoured, prestige limousines.
The very first Mercedes-Benz automobile produced as a special-protection vehicle ex factory was a Pullman limousine from the Nürburg 460 series (W08) introduced in 1928. Ever since, special protection vehicles from Mercedes-Benz have served the heads of state of numerous countries, as well as royalty, as automobiles worthy of their standing.
Like the famous Pullman railway coaches, the new S 600 Pullman Guard is luxuriously spacious and outstandingly comfortable. To ensure this spaciousness, the wheelbase of the special protection long-wheelbase S-Class was extended by 115 centimetres, making it 4,315 millimetres in total. With an overall length of 6,356 millimetres, this means that the S 600 Pullman Guard has truly majestic proportions.
April 2009
Revamp announced for autumn 2009. Innovations in comfort and drive engineering combined with state-of-the-art technology for enhanced safety.
Engine range includes six modern petrol and diesel engines that all benefit from improved fuel consumption and lower emissions. With an average fuel consumption of 37.2 mpg, the S 350 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY is one of the most efficient models in the luxury segment. S-Class safety enhanced with combination of innovative camera and radar-based driver assistance systems. These include Adaptive Highbeam Assist, Lane Keeping Assist and the advanced Night View Assist PLUS facility. Other innovations include the ATTENTION ASSIST drowsiness detection function and automatic crosswind stabilisation.
S350 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY (235 hp) offers fuel econimy of 37.2mpg combines and emissions of 199-201g/km CO2. BlueEFFICIENCY package includes closed underbody panelling and decoupling of the 7G-TRONIC automatic transmission at standstill.
The range of petrol engines comprises the six-cylinder S350 (272 hp) with a displacement of 3.5 litres and S500 5.5 litre V8 (388 hp). Flagship remains S600 with 517hp 5.5 litre V12 biturbo, which accelerates the luxury saloon from 0-60 mph in 4.4 seconds. Mercedes-AMG high-performance contributions to the range are the S63 AMG with its 525hp 6.2 litre V8 and the S65 AMG with a 612hp 6.0 litre V12.
New assistance systems turn S-Class into "intelligent" partners for their drivers. The car is able to "see", "feel", to respond "instinctively" to detected dangers and to act "on its own initiative" in order to avoid accidents or to reduce the severity of accidents. Similar to the established Mercedes inventions ABS, ESP®, Brake Assist and PRE-SAFE®, the new assistance systems are also geared to the realities of how accidents occur and what consequences they entail.
The aim in developing these systems was to prevent particularly common and serious collisions. With this concept, the S-Class not only protects its own occupants but also plays a key role in enhancing safety for other motorists. To this end, Mercedes-Benz also deploys cameras which scan the road far ahead of the vehicle, monitor the surrounding area and interpret typical critical situations. Such cameras are employed as standard on the Adaptive Highbeam Assist system, for example. This system detects vehicles with their lights on which are travelling towards or ahead of the car in which the system is fitted and controls the headlamps such as to ensure the largest possible range without dazzling other drivers.
Night View Assist is now equipped with a special pedestrian detection function: as soon as the system detects pedestrians ahead of the car, they are highlighted on the display to make them more readily noticeable.
Lane Keeping Assist is another system that "looks ahead" for even safer driving. The system's computer is able to recognise lane markings by evaluating the contrasting images of the road surface and the markings. If the vehicle leaves the lane identified by the Assist function unintentionally, the driver is warned by short vibrations of the steering wheel.
Detailed fine-tuning has also given the 2009 S-Class better driving dynamics and agility. This is in large due to the new Direct-Steer system, where the ratio varies with the steering angle.
Mercedes-Benz has also added a crosswind stabilisation function (standard for S 600) to Active Body Control (ABC). For this purpose ABC uses the yaw rates and lateral acceleration sensors of the Electronic Stability Program ESP® to vary the wheel load distribution via the ABC spring struts, depending on the direction and intensity of the crosswind. This enables the effects of crosswinds to be compensated, or reduced to a minimum in the case of strong gusts.
The Torque Vectoring Brake provides the 2009 S-Class with added safety in critical conditions and even greater agility by specifically braking the inner rear wheel in bends so as to enable precise cornering by the saloon without compromising on driving dynamics.
As a world first, on request, Mercedes-Benz will equip its flagship model with the new SPLITVIEW technology for the COMAND control and display system centrally located in the centre console. This innovative display concept allows the driver and front passenger to view different content simultaneously on one and the same screen. While the driver uses the map-based navigation system, for example, the front passenger can be watching the latest film on DVD.
Mercedes-Benz has also extended the standard control and display system COMAND with additional functions, for example an SD memory card slot. Other new features include a modified Bluetooth® interface, which provides for a wireless link between a mobile phone and the standard onboard hands-free system, and a USB interface.
These enable customers to export saved data and import them into any other S-Class. It is also possible to transfer navigation data. As an optional extra Mercedes-Benz also offers a Media Interface – a universal interface in the glove compartment for mobile audio devices such as an iPod® and USB stick (standard for S 600).
The standard COMAND system is additionally equipped with a Europe-wide navigation system whose data are stored on a 40 GB hard disc. This allows particularly fast route calculation. The high level of navigating convenience is also aided by the detailed three-dimensional city map mode.
Musical entertainment is provided by a radio, a CD/DVD player with MP3 function, an equalizer with speed-dependent volume control and the Music Register with a 7.2 GB hard disc which stores around 2500 digital music files in MP3, AAC or WMA format.
The system recognises music files played on CD, DVD or from the Music Register using its stored Gracenote® database, and shows the title, album and performer in the colour display. The new Music Search function enables S-Class drivers and passengers to search SD memory cards, USB sticks, CDs and DVDs for specific music titles and performers. COMAND also includes the latest-generation LINGUATRONIC voice-operated control system, which operates the navigation, telephone and audio devices by whole-word commands. This has the advantage that the driver no longer has to spell out their commands.