Mercedes-Benz S 400 launch on March 29, 2016

We had been the first to break the news that Mercedes’ flagship limousine, the ultra-luxurious S-class, was set to get a new petrol variant by the end of March 2016. Now, Mercedes has confirmed that it will be launching a new engine variant of its limousine, the S 400, on March 29.

The S-class has already been on sale in India with a generous number of variants on offer. There’s the S 350d diesel, S 500 petrol sold in long-wheelbase guise, the extra-long-wheelbase Mercedes-Maybach S-class in S 500 and S 600 guises, heavily armoured ‘S 600 Guard’ variants and even the high-performance 577bhp AMG S 63. And that doesn’t even count the Coupé and upcoming Cabriolet versions.

We’ve seen the ‘400’ suffix before, with the E-class cabriolet, and that implies that the new S will use a 3.0-litre, twin-turbocharged, direct-injection petrol V6 motor, producing 329bhp and 49kgm of torque. This motor is offered overseas with Merc’s 7G-Tronic seven-speed automatic gearbox, and it’s unclear yet if it will shift up to the new 9-speed gearbox that’s making its way through the company’s model range. As with every other S-class, expect the mechanical package to include standard air suspension at all four corners, and rear-wheel drive.

Thus far, if you wanted a petrol engine under the hood of your S-class, your most affordable option was the S 500 with its twin-turbo V8. The S 400 will change that, offering up smooth, silent petrol refinement with far more sensible running costs. We expect the S 400 to be positioned between the S 350d diesel and the S 500, which should put it somewhere around the Rs 1.2-1.4 crore mark (ex-showroom, Delhi). What will come as standard, though, is unrivalled levels of comfort, supreme cabin quality and all the prestige of the S-class badge.