The new Mercedes-Benz S-Class is here, the seventh generation of a car that’s always launched as a pioneer of comfort, convenience and safety tech. This time around it’s no different. And it’s amazing stuff.
The basics first, then. You’ll be able to order one very soon (within weeks) and although the prices aren’t confirmed yet we’re looking at about £80,000 for a kick off. That’ll get you an S350d diesel, which has 282bhp despite the badge, and there’s an S400d with 325bhp too. Both are six-cylinder and fairly rapid, with 0-62mph times of 6.4- and 5.4 seconds respectively.
At launch there’ll be a petrol S500 too, also six-cylinder and which includes a 48v mild hybrid system, getting the big S-Class saloon to 62mph in 4.9 seconds. Fuel economy figures aren’t homologated yet, quite
But look, we’re getting all bogged down in the minutiae when, in fact, it’s the ground-breaking tech of this huge fella that’s really worth talking about. The inverted pyramid is taking a big hit here. And so…
In a press release that runs to 32,000 words – about the same number of words as the Book of Exodus, during which God gave Moses the Ten Commandments then helped him lead the Israelites out of captivity by parting the sea, possibly not in that order – Mercedes runs through an astonishing array of tech including self-driving, rear-axle steering, and…get this…mind control. Biblical.
It *sort of* has mind control. In fact it’s not mind control at all, but if it works (and that’s a big IF) then it’ll appear that way, because the S-Class features a system called Interior Assist that tracks eye and body movement then determines what the user is intending to do. It means that if the driver reaches over to the passenger side to pick something up, that part of the car will automatically illuminate. It also means that if the driver looks at one of the rear window blinds for a few moments it’ll open or close. Incredible, eh?
Ah, the lights too. There are HUNDREDS of them. In all, 247-263 LEDs (depending on whether the car is short- or long wheelbase) illuminate the cabin, up from 40 in the outgoing car. That doesn’t mean it’ll just be brighter than the sun in there, but rather that the lights can ‘flow’ from one colour to another, and can illuminate in specific ways to provide warnings or alerts to the driver.
The headlamps are LEDs too, but not just any old LED headlamps. They incorporate, get this, 1,300,000 tiny mirrors that help direct the light beam extremely precisely and uniformly. Those mirrors are so small that they take up about the surface area of a postage stamp, and they allow the lights to adapt determinate upon the conditions. The can also project imagery onto the road as a warning to other drivers (see below) and, in theory, are customisable. Imagine being able to project a personalised image onto the road ahead? The possibilities are endless and potentially hilarious. “Hey look! On the road in front of that S-Class…is that a p…?”
You’ll see that the cabin of the new S-Class is dominated by screens – up to five if you option a pair for the rear seat passengers. The digital instrument panel is 12.3 inches, standard fit, while the infotainment display is 11.9 inches as standard but can be upgraded to 12.8 inches and using a cutting edge, higher definition OLED panel. The instrument panel has 3D graphics that react to eye tracking, while a new version of Mercedes’ ‘augmented reality navigation’ projects full colour instructions onto the road ahead – ‘projects’ from the driver’s point of view, that is.
On a more basic level the S-Class offers comfort by just being massive – bigger than the outgoing car in every which way – and with a huge amount of rear legroom in both the standard- and long-wheelbase versions, while the front seat passengers sit in chairs that offer near infinite adjustment thanks to 19 individual motors. The whole thing is swathed in the highest quality Nappa leather too, and the trim options include open pore wood with illuminated pinstriping as well as the standard gloss black or veneered wood type stuff.
On the safety front, an innovation linked to the air suspension will raise the car slightly if it detects that a side impact is imminent, on the basis that the force of the impact will then be spread across the lower, stronger parts of the car.
And, of course, it drives itself. Unfortunately much of the autonomous tech will be disabled in the UK (and else where) because it’s a legal grey area. Called Drive Pilot, it’s effectively Level Three autonomous driving, meaning the car can steer, accelerate and brake itself without any driver intervention, both at town and motorway speed. It also means the car can park itself without the driver actually being in the car. So, in theory, you could get out at the bottom of a multi storey car park and leave the car to find a space itself.
So there you have it. The new Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Out soon. Amazing.
Keyword: Behold the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class, the cleverest car ever made