Mercedes-Benz S 600 Guard review, test drive

“Get used to the car first and then go for it,” said the instructor as we lined up at the start of the slalom course. I paid heed to this advice and, after sampling the lighter-armoured M-class Guard and E-class Guard, it was the turn of the S-Guard to be put to the agility test. My palms were sweating, as hurling a four-tonne car through a slalom course is not something you do every day. However, after weaving it around the cones, I was thoroughly impressed with the way the suspension and tyres dealt with the additional mass. And it doesn’t feel very different from a standard S-class at low speeds either. Later, we drove it on the 5.1km long F1 track, and my immediate reaction at the first corner was, “I can’t see the apex” – to which the trainer promptly quipped, “That’s a small price to pay for bulletproof security”. The edges on the front windshield around the A-pillar are so thick that it creates a blind spot.

Like the beefed up tyres and suspension, such a ludicrously heavy car also requires a fitting motor, so it’s not surprising that the Guard is an S 600. That of course means a 522bhp, 84.63kgm, 6.0-litre twin-turbo V12. It’s smooth and near silent on the inside and audible only at high revs, and the sound it makes when on full song is magnificent. The brakes on this car, with their massive six-piston calipers and larger discs, work seamlessly, and you soon learn to judge braking distances too. You need to use the brakes judiciously and early, as the car is so heavy that it doesn’t decelerate when you lift off the throttle.  

Overall, the S-Guard is easy to drive, but you have to be mindful of the weight, which you feel when transitioning quickly through corners. If you’re the VVIP being shot at, you’ll likely be in the back seat, but fret not, as Mercedes will take two of your chauffeurs to Germany to train them to properly handle this car.