Mercedes S 600 Guard, BMW 7 series High Security, Audi A8L Security: Spec comparo

Mercedes-Benz launched the armoured variant of its S-class, the S 600 Guard, in India on Thursday at
Rs 8.9 crore (ex-showroom, Delhi). Mercedes has called its latest heavily armoured offering ‘one of the safest luxury spots on earth’.

The other ‘spots’ competing with the S 600 Guard are the BMW 7 Series High Security and the Audi's A8 L Security that also offer high levels of protection along with the luxury quotient. While the S 600 Guard, or a Pullman version of it, is the car favoured by the President of India, the BMW 7 Series High Security has been transporting India’s Prime Ministers since 2003.

So let’s pit the three fortresses against each other and see how they stack up, shall we?

Under the hood

While both the S 600 Guard and BMW 760Li High Security have massive V12’s under its hood, the Audi A8 L Security is powered by a 6.0litre W12 engine that also powers the Bentleys. The engine in the
7 series is slightly more powerful than the S-class and much powerful than the A8 Security. Although both the BMW and Merc armored cars have the 6.0L V12 engine, at 544bhp, the BMW makes 14bhp power more that the S 600 and a significant 44bhp higher than the Audi A8.

Audi is also offering the A8 L with a 4.0 liter V8 engine delivering 435bhp of power and 61kgm.
However, the S 600 scores higher in the torque category as it generates 84.63kgm, 8kgm more than the BMW and almost 20kgm more than the Audi. So the real competitors in this power output space are just the 760Li and the S600.

While the power advantage that BMW 7 Series has may not seem huge, it is definitely significant. It is  the extra 8kgm of torque that makes the difference. Armoured cars such as these are incredibly heavy due to a ballistic-resistant exterior, and in that case, more torque is always better.

Ballistic-protection grade

This is possibly the most important criteria in this comparison of armoured vehicles. While the S 600 Guard comes with the highest VR9-level ballistics protection as per the BRV 2009 guidelines for its occupants as standard, the BMW 760 Li and the Audi's A8 L Security offer VR7-level ballistics protection (BRV 2009).

However, BMW says that the non-transparent area in the 7-series and many components of the transparent area also meet the requirements of the VR9-level. The A8 L Security, too, has armour plating in some areas that comply with VR9 and VR10 requirements.

The VR9 certification, one of the highest levels for civilians, signifies that the car can withstand 7.62x51mm rifle rounds on multiple areas of the body from various angles. The 7.62x51mm rifle round is used in a sniper or a machine gun. On the other hand, the VR7 certification signifies that the car can endure a 7.62x39mm round usually used in an AK-47 rifle.  So, the S 600 has a slight edge over both the other cars in this category.

Equipment and safety

All the three armoured vehicles are well equipped and offer protected and luxurious environments.
The S 600 Guard, the BMW 760 Li and the Audi's A8 L Security get an armoured underbody to prevent injury to the occupants from explosive devices, windows made of thick laminated glass with polycarbonate coating and special run-flat tyres to allow the occupant to keep moving until out of danger.

Moreover, the cars come with optional extras specifically made for armoured cars for added safety and comfort like the emergency fresh air system protecting the occupants from ingress of smoke, fire extinguisher with alarm system and hydraulic power for heavy side windows. The BMW also has a self-sealing fuel tank to prevent it from exploding. The A8 also gets pyrotechnic fracture bolts in the door hinges that allow passengers to literally blow the doors off in case of an emergency, and special LED signal system for convoy driving.

The armour and protection systems add to the weight of the car, so mechanicals have been modified to get the occupants out safely in case of an emergency. All three heavy-duty cars maintain a high level of comfort by elegantly integrating the protective equipment with luxury equipment.

Pricing

All the three armoured cars are priced very closely. Mercedes has priced the S 600 Guard at Rs 8.9 crore onwards (ex-showroom Delhi). Pricing for the BMW 760 Li is an estimated Rs 8.7 crore, while the Audi A8 L Security is estimated at around Rs 9 crore.

This new S 600 Guard joins two other Guard Mercs India; the the E-Guard and M-Guard. All these armoured cars are made by Mercedes off its assembly lines, and are not retrofitted with protective panels.