Once the sole-preserve of heads of state, armoured cars have become the must-have mode of transport for everyone from CEOs to Hollywood A-listers. And in a country as crime-ridden as South Africa there is a growing demand for these vehicles no doubt. Once such car is the Mercedes-Benz M-Guard; a car that can be seen on the manufacturers’ stand at the Johannesburg International Motor Show until the 27th of this month.
The Mercedes-Benz M-Guard is an armoured version of the popular M-Class SUV and boasts numerous safety and security features. It offers resistance to bullets fired from firearms such as a Magnum .357 and a .44 handgun and even a blast from a DM51 hand grenade if fitted with the optional floor armour. All the components installed on M-Guard comply with defined ballistic requirements and comply with ‘VR 4’ protection class. That’s apparently very good and just perfect for surviving your daily Johannesburg commute.
What if the baddies shoot out the tyres, we hear you say? Well, the M-Guard is exclusively available with run-flat tyres, which makes it possible to drive on safely for up to 30 km at a maximum speed of 80 km/h. To drive all that extra armour, you’re going to need a decent whack of power so the M-Guard has Mercedes-Benz’s V8 petrol engine with 300 kW of power and 600 Nm of torque.
Mercedes-Benz say all its Guard models have protection systems integrated from the development phase of the vehicle’s architecture to enable all the advantages of the standard vehicle like the active and passive safety, the exceptional ride comfort and the agile driving dynamics. Retrofits burden the vehicle body structure with added weight but M-Guard’s bodyshell is strengthened from the start and armour is positioned for the best stability of the body structure.
Mercedes-Benz say, in spite of the increased weight caused by its armour, the special-protection variant features AIRMATIC air suspension system with Adaptive Damper System (ADS), with stronger axle components and M-Guard-specific torsion bars at the rear axle optimising roll behaviour.
Mercedes-Benz offers three special-protection models in South Africa, encompassing the S-, E-, and M-Class range: namely the E 500 Guard, M 500 Guard and S 600 Guard, all offered with a regular Mercedes-Benz warranty. The Mercedes-Benz M-Guard M 500 retails for R 2 295 000, excluding CO2 emissions.
