Mercedes-Benz S-Guard debuts on May 21, 2015 in India

Pic Caption: Controls in the centre console for the technology accommodated in the boot, such as the fresh air supply and emergency start battery.

With its Guard models, Mercedes-Benz has the world's widest range of special protection vehicles available ex factory. The Mercedes-Benz Guard range currently has models from the S, E, M and G-Class. The latest member of the Guard family is the Mercedes-Benz S 600 Guard.

You want to know how tough this car is?  The armouring of the S 600 Guard follows the principle of integrated protection based on many years of Mercedes-Benz experience in building special protection vehicles. The major advantages are:

Outstanding strength and stability thanks to specific reinforcement of the base structure which is integrated into the bodyshell production stage.

The high level of comfort is maintained by sophisticated integration and intelligent overlapping of all protective elements.

Already at the bodyshell stage, protective components of special steel are integrated into the cavities between the body structure and the outer skin. Special aramide and PE components provide additional splinter protection. Intelligent overlapping systems at particularly critical points ensure comprehensive ballistic protection.

The glass areas are an essential part of the protective concept. They are coated with polycarbonate on the inside for splinter protection, and have outstanding visual characteristics thanks to their laminated structure. Particular attention is devoted to the protective performance of the glass areas, with an appropriate choice of materials and thicknesses.

The interaction between all the components provides the occupants with a highly effective protective space which not only includes ballistic protection, but also comprehensive protection against explosive devices. The occupants are effectively protected by the armouring if a splintering explosive charge is fired at close range on either side.

With its sophisticated and strong protective system, the new S 600 Guard has immediately met all the personal protection requirements of the relevant authorities in Germany, and is the first vehicle to have been comprehensively certificated for highest ballistic protection in resistance class VR9 (according to BRV 2009, version 2).

Where explosive charges are concerned, the new S-Guard has demonstrated its protective capabilities by meeting the requirements of ERV2010 and the Federal Office of Criminal Investigation (in Germany). Innovative underbody armouring almost entirely covers the underbody for the first time, a unique feature in the civilian special protection segment.

Despite the extensive protective measures, the S 600 Guard is externally hardly distinguishable from the standard model. Its exterior has the same emphatic , the same striking design of the LED High Performance headlamps and the same LED rear light clusters inset like gemstones. As the S 600 Guard is hardly recognisable as an armoured saloon, it meets a further important requirement for special protection vehicles: maximum discretion thanks to unobtrusiveness.

 Like the flagship S-Class model, the S 600 Guard excels with exemplary headroom and elbow room in the rear, and is also in a class by itself in this segment in terms of comfort dimensions such as entry height and door apertures. In addition, for the first time and as the only car in this segment, the new S 600 Guard is available both as a 4-seater and as a fully-fledged 5-seater, and offers unrestricted day-to-day suitability by virtue of a 350-litre boot capacity and high payload.

Thanks to the intelligently integrated armouring, the Guard version retains the first-class ambience of the S-Class Saloon for its occupants, and meets the highest expectations with regard to perceived quality, appointments and comfort. The comfort features of the standard model, and especially its innovations, are also almost without exception available for the S-Guard.

In addition Mercedes-Benz offers further optional extras which were specifically developed for the S-Guard. These include:

Opaque roller blinds all-round in the rear

Heated windscreen and side windows

Easily operated panic alarm system

Fire extinguisher system with automatic activation

Emergency fresh air system protecting occupants from the ingress of smoke or irritant gases

Hydraulic power for the heavy side windows

Gimbal LED reading lamps in the rear

Special cooling compartment in the rear