Set for UK delivery in early 2021, the luxurious four-door has been comprehensively re-engineered around a new body structure that’s claimed to be 60kg lighter than the old S-Class’s despite added levels of rigidity and, it’s claimed, even greater refinement.
Key among the revisions to the Audi A8 and BMW 7 Series rival is a newly developed plug-in petrol-electric hybrid drivetrain. The new S580e model promises an electric range of up to 62 miles on the WLTP test cycle. That’s more than double the zero-emission range of its predecessor, the S560e.
Despite a renewed focus on electrification, though, Mercedes has confirmed to Autocar that it will hold true to a tradition started in 1992 by continuing to offer the S-Class with a twin-turbocharged 6.0-litre V12 petrol engine. It will be used by a new, yet to be revealed replacement for the Maybach S650 flagship.
Bringing it in line with its key rivals, the Mercedes flagship also offers buyers the choice of two optional rear-wheel steering systems, the most extreme of which provides the rear wheels with up to 10deg of steering angle and a turning circle that’s 1.9m tighter than the old car’s, at 10.9m, less than the A-Class hatchback’s. The system also boosts high-speed stability as well as low-speed manoeuvrability.
In a significant move, the new S-Class, codenamed W223, will be the first Mercedes model to offer level three autonomous driving capability at speeds of up to 37mph. Although not planned from the beginning of deliveries, the new Drive Pilot system, which uses lidar among a range of different sensors, will be introduced during the second half of 2021. It allows the driver to go hands-off for extended periods in high traffic density and “suitable sections of motorway”, Mercedes says, although LED lights integrated into the steering wheel prompt the driver to take control when necessary.
The S-Class’s reputation for cutting-edge headlight technology is boosted by an optional Digital Light function. Made up of three main LEDs that, through refraction, achieve a resolution of more than 1.3 million pixels per headlight, it allows the projection of warning symbols on to the road for added safety.
A further first for the S-Class is over-the-air update capability to reduce dealer visits. Many of the developments in the new S-Class will also appear on Mercedes’ new pure-electric EQ S, aimed at competing with the Tesla Model S and forthcoming BMW i7.
The existing S-Class Coupé and Cabriolet are not due to be replaced, leaving the saloon, in both short and long-wheelbase guises, as the only S-Class bodystyle. As with the outgoing model, it will sire various AMG, Maybach and Pullman derivatives.
The S-Class has undergone a thorough redesign for 2021. While the smooth surfacing, understated sculpting and flowing C-pillar treatment remain familiar from its predecessor, the new model sports a bolder-looking grille, slimmer headlights and new horizontally mounted tail-lights that extend into a bootlid that is not so different from the current CLS’s.
For the first time on the S-Class, Mercedes is giving buyers a choice of door handles: conventional grip handles come as standard and new flush-fitting electric pop-out handles are among a long list of optional equipment.
The new S-Class is bigger than the car it replaces but not significantly so. The long-wheelbase version is 34mm longer than before, at 5255mm, with a 51mm increase in the wheelbase, at 3216mm. Width is also up by 55mm, at 1954mm, and the new car is 12mm taller, at 1503mm.
Rear leg room is claimed to have risen by 24mm in the long-wheelbase model, although rear shoulder room has actually decreased by 32mm. Boot capacity is up by 20 litres to 550 litres.
Despite a larger frontal area, Mercedes says, the drag co-efficient has been reduced from a previous 0.24 to a class-leading 0.22, making it one of the most aerodynamically efficient cars to enter series production.
In contrast to the evolved exterior, the interior has been comprehensively redesigned with developments that will be mirrored on future Mercedes models, including the upcoming fifth-generation C-Class due in December.
Up front, there’s a new-look dashboard with substantial trim elements, including open-pore wood veneer with aluminium inlays, and four centrally mounted rectangular air vents in the upper fascia. Key features include a 12.3in digital instrument display with an optional 3D function as well as an 11.9in portrait-format central touchscreen dominating the centre console. Climate functions are incorporated into this screen.
There are 27 fewer analogue controls than before, with the emphasis shifted to swipe, voice and gesture controls via a further developed MBUX operating system. An advanced new head-up display featuring augmented reality and a display area claimed to be equivalent to a 77in monitor comes as an option, as does a new 30-speaker, 1750W Burmester 4D sound system that has subwoofers in the backrests of the front seats.
The rear, meanwhile, receives two optional 11.6in touchscreen displays sited in the back of the front seats, also using MBUX software, in combination with a control tablet that can be used both in and outside the car. Other key developments include a rear-seat airbag that deploys from the back of the front seats.
At launch, the new S-class will be offered with two in-line six-cylinder engines – both carried over from the outgoing sixth-generation car – in an initial four-model line-up.