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If the blue light flashes in the Mercedes radiator grille, it is most likely an armored S-Class of the Guard category.
The upcoming new Federal Chancellor will also receive a car of this type
Photo: Tom Koenig / Daimler
The first impression:
State-supporting.
Even the normal S-Class inspires respect, but when standards are on the fenders and the blue light flashes in the radiator grille, some people like to hit their heels right away.
What the manufacturer says:
The safest car in the world. With this superlative, Andreas Zygan, chief engineer of the Mercedes S-Class, usually has the many electronic helpers in the limousine in mind, right up to the first autopilot after level 3. But when Zygan negotiates with police authorities, royal guards or the security of large companies, it works to protect against projectiles and plastic explosives. According to Zygan, the luxury sedan had to parry more than 300 rounds from large-caliber weapons and an explosion of 12.5 kilos of plastic explosives during an official test attack by the fire department in Ulm in order to obtain the highest protection class that can be achieved for civil vehicles: VR10 and VPAM ERV. Only the "beast" of the US president is likely to be a bit more resilient, the expert admits."But that's a tank in the disguise of a car, not an armored limousine." On top of that, the Cadillac is only sold to the Secret Service.
For Daimler, on the other hand, the Guard is also a business, says Zygan - one with tradition. The Swabians armored a Mercedes Nürburg more than 90 years ago and delivered it to the Japanese emperor as the first prominent customer. To date, around a hundred royal houses, governments, corporate headquarters and church princes have been supplied with cars of this type. For the new Guard, Zygan expects an annual production in the "solid three-digit" range.
We noticed that: the
S-Class remains the S-Class. Passengers hardly notice the heavy protective layer and indulge in the luxury of the ordinary model. Reclining seats with massage function, ambient lighting, individual air conditioning and lots of infotainment - the few millimeters less shoulder room due to the thicker body are hardly noticeable. Guard occupants only have to do without the panorama roof, for safety reasons, of course. And where a bar compartment is installed between the rear seats on request in other S-Classes, this space in the Guard model is required for the automatic fire extinguishing system and for the fresh air supply. In the event of a poison gas attack, this creates overpressure in the car and prevents pollutants from entering.
However, the driver of the car has to adapt.
Because this S-Class weighs more than twice as much as usual, the driver needs a truck driver's license for the 4.5 ton truck and a little more vision.
Because even the strongest brakes in the Mercedes program do not stop the colossus easily, and the heavily modified chassis does not entirely prevent it from rolling in corners.
The slalom in Hütchengasse, which is part of the standard training program for Guard VIP drivers at Mercedes, makes some people sweat.
Likewise, sliding over the aquaplaning surface.
Measured against the forces at work, however, the heavyweight feels almost manageable, even without rear-axle steering.
Even with a flat tire - for example after a bullet - the car can be easily controlled thanks to run-flat tires with a hard rubber core.
The Guard model is helped by the twelve-cylinder engine, which is otherwise reserved for Maybach customers. With 612 hp and 830 Nm torque, the 6.0-liter unit has easy play with the heavyweight and balances it from zero to 100 in 8.3 seconds. Mercedes limits the top speed to 190 km / h the special tires that can't cope with more speed. But experience shows that Guard customers are rarely involved in car chases, unlike in the cinema. "The point is to quickly leave a danger zone of a few hundred meters, after which the cavalry usually takes over," says Zygan. For this reason, Mercedes does not even install devices for active countermeasures in the car.
You have to know that:
The Guard looks like an S-Class, but it is a new design. "For the first time, we first designed the protective cell and then clad it with the S-Class body," says Zygan, explaining the principle. It takes 15 days in the Guard factory until the almost ten centimeter thick panes, the aramid mats and the armored steel are installed. A normal S-Class takes 1.5 days in the highly automated Factory 56. And each work cycle has 400 minutes instead of 90 seconds.
The effort has its price: While the normal S-Class in the long version starts at 101,019 euros, the Guard model is not available for less than 543,949 euros. In return, Mercedes sells the tank in a fur coat to everyone. "We only want the good customers as customers and take a close look at those interested, but we deliver to politicians as well as to companies or private individuals," says Zygan. However, they have to be a little careful when planning their trip: some borders are only passable for armored limousines with official approval.
Even in this niche, sustainability plays a role, as the head of the series, Zygan learned from potential customers.
That's why he's thinking about an armored version of the electric S-Class counterpart EQS.
“It's a little trickier from a technical point of view.
But sooner or later we won't get around it. "
We will not forget that:
the feeling when the doors, each weighing 180 kilograms, are pulled into the lock.
Even with electrical assistance, this is a feat and feels like closing a safe.
