This is Mercedes’ 947bhp S-Class for the seas

Oh buoy! We don’t speak boat here very often at Top Gear, but there’s been plenty of interesting car-based nautical news over the last few weeks.

Just recently we showed you the exceedingly opulent AM37, a wooden decked 1,000bhp powerboat from Aston Martin. But now, Mercedes wants a slice of the sea. It’s just released its own luxury yacht, the Arrow460–Granturismo.

It’s not the fist time the German car maker has got its feet wet and melded its motoring knowledge with boats. A few years ago, Merc’s go-faster arm – AMG – took the electronic gubbins from a radiation-spec yellow Mercedes SLS Electric Drive and shoved them into a cigarette racing boat to make the world’s most powerful electric powerboat. Where that was designed solely for speed, the new luxo yatch is for opulent cruising of the seas.

If its engineers are to be believed, they threw the best parts of Merc’s motoring nous into a blender alongside the bleeding-edge of boat technology. The end result is a curvaceous 14-metre, 947bhp wonder-dinghy that can accommodate up to ten people. 

Just like the Mercedes-Benz GLA, the Arrow460–Granturismo is a crossover. But instead of offering a high-driving position with city-friendly dimensions, it has a clamshell at the front that allows for the advantages of a traditional open boat, but can also transform into a hull cabin cruiser when the sun goes down.

It’s also pretty stunning inside. Designed by Mercedes Style – the same people who can make your apartment look like the inside of an S-Class – the whole of the interior is clad in wood, while those large side windows are retractable. Beds pop out of places as and when they’re needed, and there’s a luxurious bathroom, plus a dressing room. It’s also decked out with air-conditioning, a banging sound system, wine cellar and ice-making machines for your daytime daiquiris.

Power comes from two Yanmar 6LY3-ETP diesel engines good for 947bhp and a top speed of 46mph. However, it’s recommended you don’t go flat-out everywhere and just chill at a steady 35-ish. It’s more in keeping with the vessel’s ethos. But with a 1,200 litre fuel tank, you should be able to cover the Med in no time. And think of all those Nectar points when you fill up…

No word on price yet, but we do know the first one first example  has been christened "Mercedes”. Hardly ‘Boaty McBoatface’, is it?

But what would you call this sleek specimen for the seas? Let us know below.