For decades, Mercedes has kept a new S-class packed with innovations; technique that later trickles down to other models. This is no different for the youngest generation. Has the bar been raised again?
Mercedes-Benz wants to show what it is capable of with its new S-Class. We don’t see any more revolutions physically here; it seems mainly a matter of fine-tuning the mechanics. However, if we zoom in on the electronics, we see that a lot of functionality has been added and that considerable leaps have been made. All with the aim to make your stay in this car as pleasant and above all as safe as possible.
The S-class offers a wealth of space and seating comfort. You will not be short of anything in the front, nor in the rear, not to mention the generous legroom that you get for the rear seat or optional armchairs in the long wheelbase version. In the middentunnel is no longer a possibility to operate the infotainment system, because the central button has disappeared. This also applies to the physical keys to operate the air conditioning. What you get in return is a larger, almost square MBUX multimedia screen. However prominent the large touchscreen is, swiping on the screen is already outdated. You can also easily operate the system with your thumb via a touch-sensitive surface on the steering wheel or even simpler: via voice control. The latter has been further developed in such a way that it not only knows how to handle instructions even better, but also knows where the command comes from. For example, if the passenger at the rear right calls out that the seat heating should be on, then the seat heating will actually turn on at the right rear and nowhere else. It shows how the Mercedes is increasingly able to adapt to its occupants instead of the other way around.
The use of materials in the S-class closely resembles what we know from Rolls-Royce and Bentley and the level of finish even exceeds that. The S-Class is a bubble in which you can disconnect from the rest of the world, comfortable and fully equipped, with a quiet interior design. Mercedes is definitely taking another step forward with the electronic functionality. Just take the three-dimensionally projected instruments, which turn clear information provision into an attraction.
Better six-cylinder
Mercedes kicks off the new S-class with two more or less well-known, but more refined six-cylinder in-line engines: a 3.0-liter petrol engine and a 2.9-liter diesel, both of which are available in two power variants. With the least potent diesel (still 286 hp) there is a choice of rear or four-wheel drive, with all other engines all four wheels are driven as standard. Mercedes also offers the choice of a short or a long wheelbase in combination with all drive variants. The test car is equipped with a six-cylinder petrol engine, which peaks at 435 hp. The S-class has a 48-volt starter generator (it is a mild hybrid) that especially comes into its own at the bottom and with a big sweep the petrol engine gets going. That’s nice. Due to the lack of vibrations, vibrations and noise and the character of the further refined six-cylinder in combination with the silky smooth shifting nine-speed automatic transmission, the S-class approaches the level of a purely electric powertrain. It does not come to us that quickly a conventional powertrain where all that is so well done. Power train electrification is primarily intended to minimize what comes out of the exhaust. A favorable side effect is the reduction in fuel consumption. With its MHEV technology, we register an entirely acceptable average of 9.3 l / 100 km for the large Benz.
Air suspension is a standard ingredient in this top limousine and gives you the choice of more comfortable and more dynamic settings via the electronics, whereby comfort continues to prevail in the car in the latter modes. However much everything seems to be aimed at pleasing you, the Mercedes chassis does not let you down anyway when you dive into a corner just a little faster than intended. He is not light-footed, but he is able to make you believe that you are on the road with fewer kilos than stated on the registration certificate. As an option, the S-class is available with rear-wheel steering, which is available in two variants. One where the rear wheels can turn in a maximum of 4.5 degrees and with which the turning circle is reduced by 90 centimeters and one where you can even turn in up to 10 degrees. The latter is located under the test car and reduces the turning circle of the extended specimen by 1.9 meters: to below A-class level! It works great when parking, which the car can also do independently if desired. The rear-wheel steering contributes directly to a pleasantly stable and predictable handling at speed.
More stable
The dividing line between comfort and safety is not always clear, but Mercedes is ready to let the S-class drive a lot more independently as soon as it is legally permitted. Now the autonomy ends with actively keeping a distance from the vehicle in front and staying within the lines. The S-class remains on course and stays on track. If you tap the stem of the turn signal, the S will also change lanes independently, at least if there is no traffic in the road and if your tap on the stem is neither too long nor too short, because that is quite listening. narrow. Furthermore, the test car has optional headlamps that not only have the now well-known high-beam assistance, but can also project information on and off the road as projectors with 1.3 million pixels per unit. It is amazing what effect this has on deserted polder roads in the dark. These lights in combination with the augmented reality navigation information in the large head-up display, which pretends to conjure up arrows on the road, gives driving a new dimension. Of course all those innovations come at a price. Much of the new technology has to be paid for in the form of individual options or packages.