Mercedes is giving its S-Class a significant facelift. Aside from the usual updates, the limousine gets a nice gimmick: heated seatbelts!
The market share of the luxury F-segment limousine has shrunk considerably over the past ten years. Small players like Jaguar and Maserati have stopped or nearly stopped in this segment, and BMW and Audi have long not sold the numbers of the 7-series and A8 that they used to. But the originator of the luxury top sedan naturally remains Mercedes with its S-Class. The current generation received a significant facelift, and upon viewing, it becomes clear that the car still clearly distances itself from any direct competitor.
Mercedes is not worried about the segment’s shrinkage. “Of course, we see that luxury SUVs in this class are increasingly preferred, but the S-Class still remains a model with its own aura. Demand is more than sufficient. And besides: with the Mercedes GLS and luxury ‘vans’, we have enough other offerings in-house for people who want something bigger or taller.”
The Mercedes S-Class features a new MBUX infotainment system with the MBOS from the new CLA
(Almost) no more V12
The brand itself speaks of the biggest facelift on an S-Class ever, with 50 percent of the parts being new or “newly designed.” The body remained unchanged, but, as expected, received a new front end. The already not-small grille was enlarged by another 50 percent, and the lighting adopted the new star-style that we know from the E-Class, among others. In addition, the familiar star on the hood is now illuminated – if local regulations permit – as is the trim around the grille. Under the hood, we find a significantly revamped V8 biturbo with electric support for the S580. This now has 537 hp of power. Strikingly, it went from crossplane to flatplane ignition, primarily because this offers the Germans more room to meet not only current but also future emission requirements.
The entry-level S450 gets the well-known inline-six mild hybrid with 450 hp. The S580e will be a plug-in hybrid with an inline-six and a powerful electric motor. With 585 hp, it will have more power than the V8, while being considerably cheaper, especially in the Netherlands. The battery has 25 kWh and, on paper, gives you 100 electric kilometers of range. And yes, there will be excellent diesels, but the question is whether they will be sold or even delivered in the Netherlands. A V12 is no longer available. Or is it, with one exception: the S680 Guard is so heavy and limited that there are somewhat more flexible emission requirements. As a result, it still gets the familiar V12 biturbo engine with over 600 hp.
Another improvement is the updated air suspension (with optional E-Body control, which keeps the body more stable in corners), which now has an ‘intelligent damping’ function. This uses data collected by other Mercedes models to predict potholes or other road imperfections and adjust damping accordingly via a Car-to-X system. However, the data for this must be collected by comparable models with this system, such as the new GLC. But there aren’t that many yet. The longer you have the car, the better the system should become.
The Mercedes S-Class now has an even larger grille…
Heated seatbelts for the Mercedes S-Class
Inside, there’s a nice premiere in the form of heated seatbelts. Not only pleasantly warm, but according to Mercedes also safer because many people keep their thick winter coats on in the car, which reduces seatbelt effectiveness. Supplier ZF recently announced this innovation, remarkably enough with electric cars primarily in mind, because surface heating is much more efficient there than heating the entire cabin. Nevertheless, the system is now debuting in the new S-Class. Surprisingly, only for front occupants!
What stands out more is the new MBUX infotainment system, which features the same new MBOS as the recently launched Mercedes CLA. A supercomputer keeps the S constantly connected to the cloud, ensuring the car is continuously up-to-date. Multiple AI models, including Gemini and ChatGPT, form the basis for the My Mercedes voice system, which can provide a factually correct answer to any question.
You’ll certainly be comfortable in the back, especially in the long-wheelbase version.
If the standard brochure doesn’t meet your wishes, you can turn to Mercedes Manufactur for extreme personalization of the exterior and interior, because driving an S-Class is certainly not for the masses. And if even that isn’t special enough? Just wait for the facelifted Maybach and AMG versions, which will undoubtedly follow at a later stage.