2014 Mercedes-Benz S 600 Revealed

Eight months after the six and eight-cylinder models made their debut, Mercedes-Benz's flagship S-Class finally has a flagship of its own - the twelve-cylinder S 600.

Unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show this week, the S 600 produces 390kW and a gargantuan 830Nm of torque from its 6.0 litre twin turbocharged V12 - which is half a litre bigger in displacement than the previous-gen S 600.

And all of that torque is available between 1900rpm and 4000rpm, which in conjunction with Benz's slick 7-speed automatic promises effortless acceleration. 

But despite this brawn, Mercedes claims the 2014 S 600 drinks substantially less than its predecessor.

While the outgoing model guzzled 14.1 l/100km on the combined cycle, the addition of engine start-stop and a host of other efficiency measures sees the new S 600's thirst drop to 11.1 l/100km.