For VIPs with fat bank accounts and a natural taste for luxury, Mercedes-Benz has a special line of armored vehicles that ensure excellent safety in the most unexpected of situations. Until recently, the German automaker only offered the G, S, and E classes with armoring packages, but now its Guard line of extra safe cars also includes the M-Class.
We are already sure that there is a great market for these new goodies, as they merge the very best qualities in terms of functionality, power, versatility, design, luxury and of course safety. What celebrity wouldn’t want all these in one single package? So for all those interested in Mercedes’s new offer, here are a few details.
The two new models that come with extra safety features are ML350 BlueTEC and the ML500. They now feature fresh bodywork: reinforced front structure, armored doors, and special glass with and extra polycarbonate layer that can face explosion debris. A special and very strong type of steel was used for the roof rails and the roof itself. The alloy wheels are 20 inches in diameter and wrapped in flat tires that help keep the vehicle rolling at up to 50 mph for 30 miles.
The ML500 is equipped with a V8 gasoline engine, putting out 408 HP and 600 Nm, and coupled with a seven-speed automatic 7G-TRONIC PLUS transmission. The second model features a V6 diesel engine delivering 408 HP and 600 Nm, while the gearbox is the same.
Priced at about $140,000, the new armored M-Class cars weigh around 2.7 tons. Their performance figures, however, are pretty good for their size: the ML500 completes the 0-60 sprint in 6.5 seconds, while the ML350 BlueTEC does the same in 9.4 seconds.
