News Source: topspeed.com

Back in 2014, Mercedes  released the long-wheelbase S500  and long-wheelbase S600  that were fully certified as ballistic protection level VR9, which was the highest level of ballistics protection available for civilian vehicles at the time. Now, Mercedes has stepped its game up again with the Mercedes-Maybach S600 Guard – the first vehicle to be certified with ballistic protection level VR10.

Effectively combining the luxury of the S-Class with the exclusivity of Maybach,  this S600 Guard has been extended to 5,453 mm long, with a wheelbase of 3,365 mm – 20 mm longer than the long-wheelbase S-Class sedan.  The kicker here is that while the S600 Guard may be a bit longer, it’s virtually indistinguishable, from the outside, as anything other than a standard long-wheelbase S-Class sedan. 

As far as occupant protection goes, the S600 Guard offers the highest level of ballistic and blast protection available for a non-military vehicle. So, what went into making the S600 Guard the safest civilian vehicle available? Well, a lot of work went into making it that way, so keep reading to find out all of the juicy details.

As I mentioned previously, you can’t tell the vehicle in these images is an S600 Guard. Aside from a slightly longer length and wheelbase, from the outside, it looks like your everyday, long-wheelbase S600. First off, the base structure of the vehicle was strengthened during the production of the body shell, so from the very start, this S600 was special. By integrating special steel into the cavities between the body structure and the outer body skin, the overall strength of the vehicle was increased dramatically. To help make the vehicle more bulletproof, a special “intelligent” overlapping system was used at all critical points, such as body component intersections and material transition areas.

Special aramid and PE components, along with the “intelligent” overlapping, help to provide comprehensive protection against explosive devices. Underneath, new underbody armoring covers the entire underbody – protecting against explosives placed under the vehicle or on the road. This is a unique feature in the civilian special-protection segment, and surely raises the bar for civilian-based armored vehicles.

To be certified as VR10 compliant by the Ballistics Authority in Ulm, the S600 Guard has to be able to withstand hardened steel core bullets fired from an assault rifle. The testing and rating criteria for vehicles like this is a closely guarded secret, but we do know that all glass on the vehicle is fixed, and is coated with polycarbonate on the inside to prevent glass splintering in the event of an assault on the vehicle. Despite being laminated, the windows are exceptionally clear and do not give a hint as to their bulletproof nature.

Inside the S600 Guard, you’ll find a lot of the same design and styling cues as the normal S600. In the rear, however, the extra length gives more space to passengers. Two executive seats come as standard equipment in the rear, and there are other exclusivities like innovative voice amplification. Compared to the standard S600, the most noticeable difference inside is that the executive seats are positioned farther back to provide greater privacy – something made possible by the extra length associated with the S600 Guard.

Mercedes didn’t offer any further details about the interior, but as you can see from the image of the rear, it’s rather spacious and luxurious with those seats positioned farther back. That long center console in the rear provides personal space for each rear passenger, and you really can’t tell that the car is an armored model. Each passenger has their own touch screen display mounted to the rear of the front seats. This screen provides information and control for the rear HVAC system and infotainment controls. It certainly goes without saying that the passengers of the S600 Guard will not only be protected, but they will be comfortable too, and you really can’t beat that.