Just when you thought it was safe to proclaim the V-12 engine a relic in Mercedes-Benz’s engine lineup, now comes word that the mighty V-12 might not be done yet. Daimler chairman Ola Källenius made that point to GT Spirit on the sidelines of the 2019 Guangzhou Auto Show in China. According to Källenius, the next-generation Mercedes S-Class will be offered with a V-12. He didn’t dive into the specifics of the said engine, but speculation is rampant that the next-generation S-Class’ V-12 engine will be an updated version of the 6.0-liter V-12 unit that’s currently available in the Mercedes-Maybach S650.
It Didn't Look Good for the V-12 Engine Before
Last year, AMG CEO Tobias Moers dropped a bombshell on fans of AMG’s bi-turbocharged V-12 engine. Speaking with Car and Driver back in April 2018, Moers announced that the brand’s mighty 12-cylinder engine would be phased out of high-tier AMG models. The decision was made in part because of increasingly stringent regulations on massive gas-guzzlers, but more importantly because of increased focus on hybridization and electrification.
AMG wasn’t immune to this shift. It even rolled out the Mercedes-AMG S65 Final Edition at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, allowing fans of the performance brand the chance to say goodbye to the V-12 engine.
Several recent Mercedes models are already using the V-8 in either setup and as Mercedes and Mercedes-AMG continue to try to appease specific markets and their respective rules and regulations, it did feel like the end of the V-12 engine was nigh. It wasn’t expected to be completely gone, but its use was believed to have been set specifically for Mercedes-Maybach models. Currently, the Mercedes-Maybach 650 uses the mighty 6.0-liter V-12 engine. But apart from that, Mercedes and Mercedes-AMG models were thought to be done with the V-12 engines, or at least that’s what most people were led to believe.
The Next-Generation S-Class Will Have an Option, But What About Others?
It seemed that everyone had come to grips with the V-12’s departure from the Mercedes lineup. Alarm bells even sounded when Mercedes unveiled the Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 earlier this week with a V-8 engine, a dramatic shift from its previous incarnation where it was offered with the iconic V-12 engine.
But just as the eulogy was being written, no other than Daimler CEO Källenius dropped his own bombshell.
It will come as an option, but still, it’s better than nothing, right?>
Källenius didn’t dive into the specifics on what kind of V-12 engine the next-generation S-Class will receive, but there are rums that the current 6.0-liter twin-turbo V-12 (M279) engine will be the powertrain-of-choice, albeit an updated version of the existing setup. The unit packs 621 horsepower and 731 pound-feet of torque in its current state of tune but considering that the engine will receive updates in line with the stature of the next-generation S-Class, expect an increase in both power and torque for that model. How much of an increase? Perhaps something in the lines of 700 horsepower and 770 pound-feet of torque isn’t out of the question.
Mind you, the V-12’s lease on life extends only on the next-generation S-Class, which isn’t scheduled to arrive until 2020. The current-generation S-Class models will no longer come with a V-12 engine.
What About The Maybachs?
The super-luxury SUV was released last week with a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 engine paired with EQ Boost and a 48-volt mild-hybrid system. The setup produces 550 horsepower and 538 pound-feet of torque. Those numbers suit the luxury SUV relative to its competition — the Rolls-Royce Cullinan’s 6.7-liter twin-turbo V-12, for example, produces 562 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque.
A V-12 engine would’ve sounded exciting, but Mercedes isn’t keen on using it on any model it sees fit. It has to choose the right model to get the V-12 engine, and the Maybach GLS SUV isn’t one of them. The more polished Maybach S600 sedan, though, is another story. If the V-12 engine is offered as an option to the Mercedes S600, it’s not unlikely that Daimler will also offer it in the next Maybach S600 as well.