We have had significant exposures to the new W222 Mercedes-Benz S-Class. This included road tests and first drives of the S350 Bluetec, S400 Hybrid and S63 AMG. However, Mercedes-Benz South Africa has now confirmed that the local introduction of another pair of S-Class models could happen as early as in May.
S600
Although neither the fastest nor the most powerful in the range (does it matter in an S-Class?), the S600 will be the flagship of the range. Power is supplied by a 6,0-litre, V12 turbocharged engine that develops 390 kW (from 4 900 to 5 300 r/min) and 830 N.m (1 900–4 000 r/min). Claimed fuel consumption is 11,1 litres per 100 km and the S600 is said to sprint from zero to 100 km/h in 4,6 seconds.
S65 AMG
This model is likely to be the most powerful W222 model for the foreseeable future. Powered by the same basic engine as the S600, the S65 AMG delivers 463 kW (4 800 to 5 400 r/min) and a colossal 1 000 N.m of torque from 2 300 to 4 300 r/min. The latter is a benchmark that we have come to expect from “65” labelled AMG products. The claimed fuel consumption of the S65 (on the combined cycle) is said to be 11,9 litres per 100 km. The acceleration run (0-100 km/h) will only take 4,3 seconds.
Pricing:
S600 – R2 158 000
S65 AMG – R2 830 000
