Mercedes-Benz To Launch S-Class Facelift In India On February 26

The updated S-Class is expected sport a BSVI diesel engine under its hood

Mercedes-Benz’ flagship sedan, the S-Class, is set to get a major update in India and no, it’s not going to look much different from how it looks right now. While it’s true that the S-Class is going to receive a mild cosmetic update with redesigned bumpers, a new front grille and radar-based driver assistance features, the biggest change is expected to lie in the engine department, under the hood. The S-Class facelift might be powered by a BSVI diesel engine when Mercedes-Benz launches it later this month.

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The new diesel engine powering the S 350 d will be one of a kind since it’ll be the first BSVI diesel engine that can run on BSIV grade fuel as well. The German carmaker had already previewed the S-Class facelift with a BSVI engine before. Other carmakers have in the past proposed to launch BSVI engines in India but wanted the right grade fuel for them. Mercedes-Benz has however put no such restriction on fuel. The new diesel engine will replace the existing 3.0-litre, V6 diesel engine that powers the S 350 d and makes a maximum power of 258PS. It will be 6 per cent more fuel efficient and will also make more power than the outgoing workhorse.

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India will welcome the BSVI norms from April 2020, post which all new cars will be powered by BSVI petrol and diesel engines. The move is in line with global standards and will certainly reduce the vehicular carbon footprint in India. But it will also accompany an increase in new car prices, which will be more significant in the case of mass market diesel cars. BSVI diesel engines come with after-exhaust treatment technology like DPF (diesel particulate filter), which is expensive. We expect the price of a small diesel car to go up by about Rs 60,000 to Rs 80,000 when it draws power from a BSVI engine. Petrol cars with BSVI engines will not see as big a price hike.

Prices of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class currently start from around Rs 1.19 crore for the 350 d. With cosmetic updates and a new engine, we expect the price to go up by a few lakhs and the tailpipe emissions to come down by a significant margin. The S-Class competes with the BMW 7 Series, Audi A8 and Jaguar XJ in India.

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