Imagine sitting at home and getting to know your vehicle’s location without even touching your smartphone. This is now possible with 2021 version of Mercedes me connect, integrated with home automation and voice assistance, the USP of the S-Class Maestro edition, which Mercedes-Benz has launched at a price of Rs 1.51 crore (ex-showroom, pan-India).
Based on the S 350 d variant of the S-Class, the S-Class Maestro edition boasts a 3-litre twin-turbo in-line-six diesel mill making 282bhp at 3400-4600rpm and 600Nm at 1200-3200rpm, for a 0-100kmph time of 6 seconds and a top speed of 250kmph.
More about Mercedes me connect
With the Mercedes me app on the phone, owners can track the location of the vehicle, remotely lock or unlock, open the windows and the sunroof, and set speed alerts for other users. The integrated e-Call/SOS button ensures emergency services 24x7 across India through Mercedes-Benz’ dedicated emergency call services. In addition, the in-car ‘Me’ call button ensures seamless connection to the customer assistance center for breakdown and on-road assistance.
Further, the 2021 iteration of me connect offers three new features, namely Alexa integration (so that the vehicle can be locked/unlocked as well as set reminders remotely), Google Home integration (for real-time vehicle updates on the moving vehicle from the owner’s home location), and finally Parking Locations, which can accessed both from the app as well as the in-vehicle navigation system.
Apart from the connected car bits, the S-Class Maestro also offers a two-section panoramic sunroof with switchable transparency, a front seat memory package with three pre-set positions for the driver as well as passenger seats and wing mirrors, and a new ‘Nut Brown’ leather upholstery and high-gloss brown eucalyptus wood trim.
The Mercedes-Benz S-Class Maestro edition comes at an approximate Rs 13 lakh mark-up over the 'basic' S 350 d, and goes up against other flagship offerings, like the 730Ld from BMW (Rs 1.38 crore, ex-showroom) and the 'affordable' (at Rs 1.18 crore, ex-showroom) A8L from Audi .