Mercedes beefs up S-Class with S600 Guard

One of the best looking cars on the road in 2006.

EL34

Very True...

it looks old and dated, the wheel arches looks silly..imo

it does not have the style of other lux. cars. Even the ls 460 looks much nicer than that thing.

^^ agree ( i dont like the fender flares either, their a bit overdone.) but the lexus def. doesnt look better, inside or out.

Lexus L-Finese design =

more wood than can be imagined
overall rounded car
oh oh oh and b4 will gets mad along with other lexus guys i cant forget the reclining seat :)

I wonder what the fuel economy is on that thing. Makes more sense if they'd use an S420 CDI.

Probably about 5mpg.

Wow... total innovation by Mercedes... something already offered by the other luxury brands, but since Mercedes did it, it's better, right?

But I have to ask-- why does Merc choose such ugly wheels for S600 models? This one's rims look worse than the standard S550 rims, and the normal S600 has those chubby five-spokes that make the car look obese.

That doesn't look like an S600 to me. Where are the "V12" badges?

Mercedes had a S500 Guard in 2001 I think. But BMW has an armoued 528i in 1998.

wheels? i think it's because of the runflats, they couldn't be bigger or the ride quality wouldn't be good, eh bmw?
and i'm sure i've seen those wheels in the brochure, i rather liked them...

That's nice and all, but what about more agressive measures?

It would be nice to be able to electify the exterior and drop spiked ojects from the rear. Celebrities are more likely to be bothered by paparazzi than by grenades.

Haha I agree..some people have taken it into their own hands in countries where car jacking is big business, I forget which countries and won't try to guess to avoid pissing anyone off but I've read about people installing flame throwers and spring loaded blades to incapacitate (or worse) anyone who comes up to the driver's door

Where is Audi or Lexus' armored car?

Ohh thats right they dont have one, because nobody important wants one.

LOL

LOOL that was funny..

No one that is at least, a little bit important would be seen in a Toyota much less trusting that it would protect them.

BTW, Audi has an armoured A8.

No, actually I belive Audi builds an armored A8L.

*Believe.

Important people don't want a Toyota??? In Japan the "important" people are driven around in a Toyota - called the Century (look it up). It has V-12 and is especially designed for people who are important - but don't want to be snobs.

Will Audi Makes a A8L Security

actually , the main car company in Transporter 2 was vw. and that a8 was heavily armored.. now it just leaves lexus?

can anyone say "geeks on call" thats who they will be transporting :)

Audi has a bulletproof A8

Yeah the guy from Transporter 2 drove the bulletproof A8L W12.

the guy drove a bomb proof one that flew and didn't scratch or dent

GO MERCEDES!!!

The new LEXUS LS kills this ungly S Class. The S Class no doubt has parts it shares with Chrysler. It will have shocking reliability with numerous breakdowns and recalls, which is pretty normal for a Mercedes these days.

Is your name mbrules? As in Mercedes Benz rules? Your comments sure dont suggest that..

Is that you, Will...Same IP address...hmmm....
WILL+MBRULES=the same 14 year-old kid that has wet dreams about getting his permit.

The S-Class is the best luxury sedan in the world.

And you're supposed to be the Merc lover!

Jason-

No, it's for when he finally gets that 1989 ES250 he's been waiting for... wow, a CD player! What an upgrade from the '89 Camry!

S4cabriofox, Yes, he was pretty excited about the Camry er..ES250 that he is getting in two years for his 16th birthday. The CD player is aftermarket. Will, It is funny how everything turns into "Lexus is the best..." argument.

MBRULES, you're an idiot. MB does not share parts with Chrysler. It's the other way around.

Lexus troll.

^^^no matter how much u try to explain the facts "bmw530i", the ignorance will never go away

Get over the name you fools. I noticed though that not one of you idiots disputed the facts about the shocking Mercedes quality instead you resorted to personal abuse, that's about the level of your intelligence though.

I ALWAYS hear of people whining about mercedes quality. Some people forget of what these "quality" issues arose from (notice the word "arose" suggests "in the past", etc).

A) The previous CEO/head of mercedes (before Dr.Z, I forget his name now) had a "its good enough to sell" attitude towards the company products. This attitude was disasterous for mercedes and has been done away with years ago.

B) Mercedes over-reacted to the Lexus threat (appropriately so) and rushed lots of their products out without testing the quality of subcontracted parts (most notably electronics).

C) People who whine about mercedes quality complain for the most mundane of things. We all must remember, a "problem" as defined by most automotive magazines and tests, could be blowing a head gasket the first week or could be that the driver doesnt like the position of the "on" button on the stereo.

WOW...If you wanted to talk about intelligence, why can't you type a coherent sentence to more effectively communicate your point. Will, for someone who claims they have an English minor; your sentence structures are laughable at best.


On a side note...Isn't if funny that when the Lex/ota fan boys have no car to compare to the S-Guard, they always revert to the reliability argument, then degress to personal attacks (Stand up Will/mbrules).

Will, where did I say that I was a German car fan? I actually like Lexus and Toyota - I really do. My beef is with you and your idiotic comments and attitudes about how Lexus/Toyota have cars that are so much better then other companies. I guess ignorance is bliss.

Yep Will, and you say I have a snobby tone. Get a life, kid. ;)

When did I bash Toyota/Lexus? I think you should read my comments before replying with your emotions. FOOL

Will, but in those posts/threads, when did I "bash" Toyota/Lexus.
But anyways, I hope you enjoy your LS, I have an IS350 and a 2006 ML350, both of which I love and appreciate for different things.

Also, (I forgot to mention), to fix these problems, mercedes has taken much subcontracted work away from subcontractors and is doing this work inhouse. An example would be the latest 4Matic system. Mercedes developed this entire system in-house. (it used to be an outside contractor's design)

neutral - YOU ARE CLEARLY TALKING THROUGH YOUR ASS. Dieter Zetsche only replaced Jurgen Schrempp on 01/01/2006, that is only 10 months ago, how can you then claim that Mercedes did away with its attitude of "it's good enough to sell" YEARS AGO.

Just because I said that Schrempp had a bad business attitude doesnt mean that it was not until Zetsche took over that "qualtiy problems" were fixed. Obviously Mercedes-Benz (as a company) addressed the deficiencies of Schrempp many years ago and had to get him to quit 2 years before his contract expired. It is obvious that you think an automotive company is a dictatorship where 1 man (in this case Schrempp) makes all the decisions. Read EXACTLY what I write next time and write an intelligent response. If I am wrong, kindly point it out. Also, I find your comment about me "talking out of my ASS" offensive. Did your mother not love you when you were a child and you find it necessary to belittle others in an attempt to gain some sort of personal enrichment?

JASONRBARE, I did type a coherent sentence, which got my point across quite effectively. It is obvious though, that you are a boxhead who would be flat out counting past ten.

MBRules,

Go back to school. Zetsche is doing a lot more for MB than Schrempp ever did. Look at how Zetsche turned Chrysler around.

Apparently, ignorant little trolls like you are unaware of that. Not everything in mentioned in JD Powers is true, dipshit.

^^^^^^
Why don't you read his post before you comment on him ??
He stated that "Dieter Zetsche only replaced Jurgen Schrempp on 01/01/2006, that is only 10 months ago, how can you then claim that Mercedes did away with its attitude of "it's good enough to sell" YEARS AGO."

So based on that, How can the products on the market today better than the previous ones (10 months is nowhere near long enough to engineer & test superior products to replace current sub-par ones )

You know what I like about the new S-Class?....it doesn't look like a race car. It has the timeless Mercedes elegance.

specially in white :)

YES, you hit the spot my friend, it looks like a timeless Mercedes, its heritage, its class, its prestige, its everything a Merc was and is...I love this car, and I am only 20, but when I am older, and I can afford this legendary car, you bet its gonna be sitting in my garage..

the ultimate g-unit mobile

BMW530i, you are at it again sprouting forth nonsense again. YOU ARE A DOG WHO KEEPS RETURNING TO ITS OWN VOMIT.

Actually,

'neutral' is correct in everything he writes. mbrules only went on the defensive (or should that be offensive;) ) because he was proved wrong by someone with vastly more automotive and English knowledge.

It seems the ignorant ones on this site are intimidated (and therefore react abusively) by anyone who speaks sense.

In summary, 'neutral' is whole-heatedly accurate in his statements.

NEUTRAL & MATTHEW - Clearly both of you know very little about DCX. Mercedes' quality nosedived under Jurgen Schrempp (CEO DCX) & Jurgen Hubbert (Chairman Mercedes Car Division) as they rushed models out to cover losses being incurred by Chrysler. Eckhard Cordes started a turnaround program called CORE (Costs down Revenue Up) but the emphasis on a return to the old Mercedes quality was only instigated as number one priority by Dieter Zetsche, when he became the new CEO. Hence his decision to remain the boss of DCX and Mercedes-Benz.

Next time try and include facts rather than just opinions in your post.

mbrules, once again you insult me with your sny "Next time try and include facts rather than just opinions in your post.".

In your comment, you state "Eckhard Cordes started a turnaround program called CORE (Costs down Revenue Up) but the emphasis on a return to the old Mercedes quality was only instigated as number one priority by Dieter Zetsche". I agree that this is one of Zetsche's main ideals and I applaud him for it. However, at the same time you negate your previous argument "Dieter Zetsche only replaced Jurgen Schrempp on 01/01/2006, that is only 10 months ago, how can you then claim that Mercedes did away with its attitude of "it's good enough to sell" YEARS AGO." Your attempt to insult me has failed because your arguments are not corroborative. In the one argument you make it seem as if Mercedes only recognized qualtiy defects 10 months ago and in the other argument, you state that under Schrempp, Mercedes recognized certain not-so-pleasant issues it was facing.

Now you state that this "turnaround" began under Eckhard Cordes who worked for Mr. Schrempp. According to Bloomberg in February 2005, Mr. Cordes is quoted saying "''Only satisfied customers can keep alive the future of a brand,'' Cordes told journalists in January at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. ''I will hold myself accountable for this.''"

Now if Mr. Cordes stated this in January of 2005, that means Mercedes-Benz recognized these problems far in advance of Mr. Cordes making these statements. For Mr. Cordes to say something like this, the top brass at Mercedes gave him the go-ahead to say so, and I would assume the board at Mercedes is very conservative about such statements. This is Mercedes-Benz after all.

Also, mbrules, I am a highly trained and experienced electrical engineer and I have restored and serviced numerous Mercedes vehicles in my lifetime (vehicles ranging from 1979 to the present). Rather than just reading Consumer Reports (which I despise), I base many of my comments on personal experience, both hands on and from speaking with other professionals. I know a few things about how big business works too.

mbrules,

Regardless of who is right and who is wrong, (in this case both of you have interesting points) thank you for providing an intelligent and insightful post, and not one of your one-line wonders ending in the words 'ass' or 'vomit'.

Mercedes-Benz was once the the pride and joy of our country. Sadly the merger with Chrysler of US has resulted in it losing its lusture. Nothing would bring more joy to my heart than seeing Daimler regain its old glory. Not sure if this will be possible under the current management. They need to learn from BMW and concentrate on Luxury. Mercedes does not need Chrysler.

you are really getting annoying, we know your stance on current Merc models, so STFU...