2012 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
There's a reason why many call the
2012 Mercedes-Benz S-Class the flagship of the Mercedes-Benz brand. The company has introduced many innovative technologies in the sedan, including drivetrain technology and seatbelt pretensioners. In the 40 years since its first introduction, the S-Class has shattered the test of time as it remains a bestseller and benchmark that all others attempt to reach.
The engineering and design of the 2012 S-Class puts it way ahead of its time. Just look to its ancestors. The Mercedes-Benz S-Class introduced fuel injection in 1957; the 1960s 300 SEL debuted a safety-cage body and dual-circuit brakes and the 1970s S-Class unveiled standard airbags, active cruise control and push button keyless start. All innovations that we can't believe have been around that long, and yet we can't imagine today's cars without these innovations.
Aside from the S400 Hybrid, the S-Class has four piping hot models. The S550 Sedan wears a new-generation and fashionable 4.6-liter twin-turbo V-8 engine with 429 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque. It comes in a rear-wheel and 4MATIC® All-Wheel Drive. Whichever option you choose, the S550 delivers on every aspect of performance with a 12 percent power boost, greater efficiency from its reengineered seven-speed automatic with paddle shifters and up to 45 percent more low-end torque.
The S600 calling card is its flawless and eternal thrust with its 5.5-liter V-12 engine delivering an incredible 510 hp and 612 lb-ft of torque to its rear wheels through its stout five-speed automatic with paddle shifters.
In the AMG® corner is the S63 AMG® with a handcrafted AMG® 5.5-liter biturbo V-8 engine reaping 536 hp and 590-lb-ft of torque. For the most powerful of them all, check out the S65 AMG® and its handcrafted AMG® 6.0-liter biturbo V-12 engine. It musters a whopping 612 hp and 738 lb-ft of torque that hurls it from 0 to 60 in 4.2 seconds.
Interior Trim: Burl Walnut (S550, S63 AMG®, S65 AMG®), Brown Poplar (S600) and Carbon Fiber/Black Piano Lacquer (S63 AMG®, S65 AMG®)
Leather upholstery: Richly grained leather is selected and fitted by hand to the seats, armrests, side bolsters and head restraints.
Seating: Each
2012 Mercedes-Benz S-Class front seat is power-adjustable 16 ways -- including four zones of lumbar support -- and features a three-position memory. The front seats are also heated and Active Ventilated, for added dimensions of comfort in any season. Optional active multi-contour front seats can provide increased lateral support during cornering maneuvers, offer an invigorating massage, and feature adjustable head-restraint side wings. The available Rear Seat Package adds heated and Active Ventilated rear seats with eight-way power, adjustment, along with four-zone climate control.
Panorama roof: The optional Panorama roof offers an expansive view of the sky from every seat. The front section tilts up or slides open. When closed, a power sliding screen helps filter sunlight. Side windows feature heat-absorbing laminated glass.
COMAND® system: The COMAND® system offers simple, illustrated control of numerous comfort features. In addition to personalizing countless vehicle settings, you can fine-tune the location and intensity of the available front-seat massage. You can also select any of three-color profiles for the ambient cabin lighting — a network of LEDs and fiber optics whose soft glow has been shown to help reduce nighttime stress and driving fatigue.
Elegant in motion or at a standstill, the commanding presence of the
2012 Mercedes-Benz S-Class starts with a majestic grille that sweeps elegantly from the chiseled front bumper. Windswept side mirrors integrating LED turn indicators complement the modern yet timeless profile, while chrome lower side trim accentuates the long wheelbase. Wraparound LED tail lamps highlight the car's confident stance, underscored by a sculpted rear valance with dual trapezoidal polished-chrome exhaust tips.
Colors, metallic: Barolo Red, Lunar Blue, Diamond White, Andorite Grey, Iridium Silver, Jade Greene, Magnetite Black and Palladium Silver
Colors, non-metallic: Black
Wheels: Abundant luxury need not preclude a driver from enjoying athletic performance. The two optional Sport Packages offer compelling proof, and visible evidence of the agility within every
2012 Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Both feature legendary AMG® alloy wheels in a striking new 19-inch triple five-spoke design or a 20-inch 5-spoke design, set off by aggressively sculpted lower bodywork encircling the car and hugging the road.
Lighting: Bi-Xenon headlamps generate light that's closer in perception to natural daylight than halogen headlamps. They also feature Active Curve Illumination and Adaptive Highbeam Assist -- advanced systems that continuously vary the angle and beam pattern of the headlamps, to maximize the illumination of corners and straight-aways without creating glare for other drivers.
Corner-illuminating front lamps help brighten your path into sharp turns and driveways, while headlamp washers help keep the lamps cleaner in poor weather with a high-pressure spray of heated fluid. Brilliant white LED Daytime Running Lamps and LED tail lamps help assert your presence and actions more immediately to other drivers on the road.
Look back over the life story of the automobile and you'll find Mercedes-Benz continually leading the way in safety innovation: Inventing the first crumple zone over 60 years ago. Earning a patent for the air bag. And pioneering a long list of active safety systems that eventually found their way into most every car, like the Antilock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Stability Program (ESP®) and emergency-sensing Brake Assist.
Today, the groundbreaking PRE-SAFE® system can actually detect and help prepare for a collision before it happens. True to its heritage, the 2012 S-Class is engineered with visionary safety advances that watch the road ahead and to your side. Help you to see and be seen. And respond to help make an accident less severe, less damaging, or even less likely. All cars might do this someday. The protection the
Mercedes-Benz S-Class offers today could rewrite the story of your own life.
Mercedes-Benz mbrace®: From your car, online or via the mbrace® Mobile Application on your compatible smartphone, mbrace® helps keep you connected with nearly 20 different security, destination planning and convenience services. Combining advanced technology with 24-hour support from helpful experts, two available service packages can help you plan a trip, remember where you parked, or even handle an unexpected emergency. Every new Mercedes-Benz equipped with mbrace® includes a complimentary six-month trial subscription
DISTRONIC PLUS®: A Mercedes-Benz innovation that takes cruise control to a new level of convenience, this optional system adapts your set cruising speed in response to traffic ahead — automatically slowing until your path is clear again. If traffic stops, DISTRONIC PLUS® can even brake the car to a full halt, then resume automatically when your path clears.
PRE-SAFE® Brake: DISTRONIC PLUS® also integrates a system that uses radar-based sensors to help detect an impending collision with a vehicle ahead. Even if you’re not using the cruise control, PRE-SAFE® Brake can automatically apply up to 100% of the car’s braking force to help reduce the severity of impact.
Active Blind Spot and Lane Keeping Assist: These optional systems can alert the driver to some unseen vehicles in the adjacent lane, and can warn the driver of unintended drifting across visible lane markings. On the S550 and S600 models, both of these systems also feature advanced active technology that can help guide the car back into its own lane, should the driver disregard the alerts.
Adaptive Brakes: Every
2012 Mercedes-Benz S-Class comes with powerful four-wheel ventilated disc brakes, including four-piston calipers grasping perforated front rotors. In addition, an integrated system of braking advances helps to make driving more reassuring and relaxing in a variety of situations. If the driver lifts off the accelerator quickly, Predictive Brake Priming sets the pads closer to the discs for more immediate response when the driver steps on the brakes.
In the rain, Automatic Brake Drying gently applies the brakes periodically, to sweep away water buildup on the discs. During uphill starts, Hill-Start Assist helps prevent unwanted rollback. And a HOLD feature can make driving in stop-and-go traffic a little easier.
Night View Assist PLUS with Pedestrian Detection: When driving in darkness, this remarkable option projects infrared beams that are invisible to the human eye and reads them with a special camera. The system displays a clearer, supplemental real-time view of the road ahead on an 8" in-dash screen positioned directly in front of the driver. It can also identify, point out and even direct light from the headlamps toward pedestrians.
Eight air bags: Three decades ago, the S-Class was the first series-production car with standard front air bags. Today, a system of eight air bags offers 10-way protection. Every model is equipped with dual-stage front air bags, front and rear side-impact air bags, and side curtain air bags for all four outboard seats.
2012 Mercedes-Benz S550: A new 429-hp 4.6-liter V-8 in the 2012 Mercedes-Benz S550 combines numerous advances and twin turbos to deliver noticeably more low-end torque. New rapid-multispark ignition can fire up to four times per millisecond, while high-pressure Direct Injection microscopically tunes the fuel spray to reduce emissions, fuel consumption and noise. A lightweight die cast-alloy block, quicker and more widely variable valve timing, reduced friction, and clever "on-demand" ancillary components like the alternator further boost efficiency.
2012 Mercedes-Benz S600: The 2012 Mercedes-Benz S660 has a 5.5L twin-turbo V-12 engine. The numbers only tell part of the story: 12 cylinders, 510 hp and 612 lb-ft of peak torque from 1,800-3,500 rpm. The rest you have to feel for yourself. Staggering acceleration and low-end torque stems from two advanced, compact turbochargers, which nearly eliminate "turbo lag." Two liquid-to-air intercoolers further intensify combustion for seemingly endless thrust at any rpm. And with high-strength components like a die cast block, it's both seamlessly smooth and stunningly strong.
2012 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG®: A handcrafted 536 hp 5.5-liter biturbo V-8 delivers 60 mph in 4.4 seconds. An optional AMG® Performance Package ups the ante to 563 hp and 4.3 seconds. The S63 AMG® seven-speed AMG® SPEEDSHIFT® MCT transmission offers a fuel-saving ECO Start/Stop system and shifts as quick as 100 milliseconds. It rolls on AMG®-calibrated Active Body Control (ABC®), massive composite brakes and 20" AMG® wheels.
2012 Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG®: A 4.2.second run to 60 mph arrives courtesy of a 621-hp 6.0-liter biturbo V-12 whose 738 lb0ft of peak torque is the highest output of any AMG® engine to date. A reinforced five-speed AMG® SPEEDSHIFT® transmission includes a paddle-shifted manual mode. It, too, features AMG®-recalibrated ABC and huge composite brakes with dual front calipers, while its forged-alloy 20" wheels set the S65 AMG® apart.
2012 3.0L BlueTEC® turbodiesel V-6 engine: BlueTEC® clean diesel technology in the Mercedes-Benz S350 BlueTEC® is the state of the art for all 50 states. The 3.0-liter turbodiesel V-6 delivers 240 hp, a massive 455 lb-ft of torque, and acceleration on par with many gasoline V-8s. Mercedes-Benz, pioneer of the original diesel car, has reinvented it without the noise, odor and emissions of old. By injecting a solution called AdBlue into the exhaust, BlueTEC® reduces smog-causing NOx to harmless nitrogen and water vapor. And with better highway mpg than some four-cylinders and hybrids, if offers a cruising range of over 700 miles.
7-speed automatic transmission: Included in the Mercedes-Benz S350 BlueTEC® is the industry's first 7-speed automatic is smoother, more responsive and more efficient. A wide range of closely spaced gear ratios delivers the ideal response in virtually every driving situation, for relaxed cruising, quick acceleration, and thanks to two overdrive ratios, better highway fuel efficiency. Adaptive logic adjusts the shift points to match your driving style, while paddle shifters on the steering wheel let you enjoy manual-style control anytime you wish.
Paddle shifters: A pair of paddles strategically positioned behind the upper steering-wheel spokes allows you to manually upshift and downshift the 7-speed automatic transmission with just a flick of your fingers.
Like the rest of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class cars, the
2012 Mercedes-Benz S350 BlueTEC® radiates Mercedes-Benz in that it's roomy, sumptuous and meticulous reflecting the company's famed slogan. As the creator of the original diesel car, Mercedes-Benz has reformulated 2012 Mercedes-Benz S350 BlueTEC® to produce a vehicle without the noise, odor and emissions of the original. What's old is new again and better.
The S350 BlueTEC® sedan — the diesel ambassador of the S-Class — is the first diesel car from Mercedes-Benz in the U.S. after a 15-year absence. Powered by a 3.0-liter turbodiesel V-6 engine producing 240 hp with an explosive 455 lb-ft of torque, the acceleration in the S350 is comparable to many gasoline V-8 vehicles. Standard 4MATIC® All-Wheel Drive distributes the clean-diesel torque to its 18" wheels with paddle shifters accompanying the new-generation 7-speed automatic.
The AdBlue urea injection treatment system makes it possible for the
2012 Mercedes-Benz S350 BlueTEC® to meet all 50 states' strict emissions requirements. Mercedes-Benz is the developer of BlueTEC® technology, which lowers emissions turning the sedan into one of the cleanest diesel engines on the market that gets a super efficient 31 mpg on the highway and 20 mpg in the city.
The magic happens when AdBlue goes in the exhaust and converts smog-affecting nitrogen oxides (NOx) into harmless nitrogen and water vapor. The diesel engine requires no extra or special treatment other than filling up the AdBlue reservoir, which sits underneath the spare tire.
The S350 BlueTEC® may be unique, but it ranks right up there with the best of the Mercedes-Benz cars in safety. That's one asset you can expect in a
Mercedes-Benz, no matter the model or engine. Standard in the sedan are 10-way air bag protection, ATTENTION ASSIST®, PRE-SAFE® and mbrace®.
No other luxury brand offers a diesel-powered engine. While Mercedes-Benz may be the only option, its precise engineers have created the best one knowing that others will attempt to follow. To appreciate the benefits of luxurious diesel car, experience the Mercedes-Benz S350 BlueTEC®.
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