Welcome back ladies and gentlemen; I hope you all had a marvelous weekend (or for those of you in the Midwest, I hope you had a marvelous time shoveling and building snowmen).

To kick things off this morning, our good friends over at Autoblog.nl tipped us off to confirmation of a new S-Class variant that up until now hasn't been announced - a variant that likely won't be taking a trip to the U.S. anytime soon. The variant is the S280, and if our assumption that the luxury sedan will share the same powerplant as the one found on the E280, the new S will feature a 231 hp 3.0 liter V6 outputting 300 Nm of torque (at 2,500-5,000 rpm). As for how that compares to the single petrol V6-powered S-Class currently available in the S lineup, the S350 - the 3.5 liter model boasts a power output of 272 horsepower and torque of 350 Nm (at 2,400-5,000 rpm), an increase of roughly 40 horsepower and 50 Nm of torque.

While there's still been no official confirmation from Mercedes detailing the S280, we shouldn't have much longer to wait until the model's officially unveiled.

In the meantime, you can head over to - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER for some additional pics.

Enjoy.

Very very interesting. Why does MB offer these variants?

Mercedes has traditionally offered a low-end S-Class for certain markets where engine capacity taxes are a big consideration for buyers (and where excess power is not really needed).

I'll start with the W116 S-Class (1972-1980) which had the carburated 280S as its entry-level model. This car was designed for the Middle East, Africa and certain Asian markets where the local engineering couldn't yet cope with fuel-injected motors.

On the W126 S-Class (1979-1993), the 280S was again the entry-level model. Same reasons as above.

The W140 had a S280 option. On the W220, the S280 was only offered in RHD. Sorry to make this short but my mom is calling me to dinner!

Continuing this tradition is the W221 S-Class.

I do believe the smaller-engined versions make up for the bulk of S-class sales in most countries. Same goes for the 7-series (730i/730d) and A8 (3.2 FSI/3.0 TDI). In quite a few countries you pay an annual tax on your car, often based on engine size or emissions.

What a suprise. I thought 350 was the lowest number we would see on the rear of the new S. Although a 2.8L in an S-class turns me off I think it is a good idea. There is probably a large market for a low powered S-class. There are many people who just want to ride comfortably and slow.

Making it possible even for those that don't have a "fat wallet", but still want to have a 3 pointed star on the nose of their car... It'll sell, for sure...

The ones who will buy an S280 will probably degadge it to make people think they have a S600 but don't want to brag about it. That's atleast what i would have done.

And you're kiddin', right? Hence the smiley, otherwise w... t ... f ....?

I'm not kidding Sasha. If you drive an S280 you will probably be laughed at, gotta ride in style?

lol i would de badge it to..but this 280 doesent make it to europe often..
and never to the US..
so i dont think we will see many
its mainy for the other parts of the world