Published : Aug. 13, 2017 - 17:44
German luxury automaker Mercedes-Benz aims to continue capturing Korean customers with its facelifted S-Class lineup upgraded with new engines. Unveiled to the world in April at the Shanghai Auto Show, the new sixth generation S-Class will go on sale here in September, according to the company’s local retailer in Korea last week.
The new S-Class models come with three engine options that are more powerful than their predecessors, the company said. The German carmaker has changed the model numbers, from S400 to S450, and from S500 to S560, to highlight the difference in power of the upgraded luxury sedans.
The new S-Class (Photo courtesy of Mercedes-Benz)
The models boast diesel and gasoline variants of six-cylinder in-line engines and a new V8 bi-turbo gasoline engine.
The new diesel powertrain OM656 that the company created with approximately 4 trillion won of investment will power the S350d 4MATIC and S400d 4MATIC Long models.
The new 4.0 liter V8 bi-turbo will come with the Mercedes-Benz S560 and Mercedes-Maybach S560 4MATIC to produce 463 horsepower and a maximum of 71 kilogram-meters torque.
The Mercedes-AMG S63 is also equipped with a 4.0-liter V8 bi-turbo engine with cylinder shutoff, compared to the predecessor’s a 5.5-liter V8 bi-turbo. The new 4.0-liter V8 b-iturbo engine provides 612 horsepower with a maximum of 91.7 kilogram-meters torque.
The model is equipped with features including an advanced intelligence system that allows better autonomous driving, as well as cutting-edge functions that provide drivers with safety and convenience.
The facelifted S-Class features semiautonomous driving technologies that were previously introduced with E-Class models, including the active speed limit assist and active lane change assist.
The new S-Class sedan will also come with the automaker’s own connected car service, Mercedes me connect, that allows the remote checking of car conditions. The service provides remote parking assistance that allows drivers of the S-Class models to park and unpark without being inside their cars by using their smartphones.
An array of safety features have also been added to S-Class models. For instance, the active distance assist DISTRONIC automatically slows down the vehicle if it encounters obstacles, corners and vehicles in front.
Mercedes also plans to release later this year the mild-hybrid version of the S-Class that comes equipped with 48-volt systems. The plug-in hybrid version of the S-Class will come with a 13.3 kilowatt-hour battery pack that will allow all-electric driving of some 50 kilometers.
During the first half of this year, Mercedes-Benz sold around 2,500 S-Class vehicles in Korea, which was a bigger sales volume than that in Germany.
“With significant improvements on current and the introduction of numerous new features and functions that elevate comfort and safety to a whole new level, the S-Class remains the pioneer of automotive engineering. It is very promising to receive such a great response from our customers. Korea remains one of the most important markets for Mercedes-Benz.”says Martin Schulz, Vice President Sales & Marketing at Mercedes-Benz Korea.
Prices of S-Class models will range from 145.5 million won ($127,018) to 250.5 million won here, some 500 to 10 million won more expensive than previous models.
By Shim Woo-hyun (ws@heraldcorp.com)