Mercedes-Benz S-Class 2020 review

Bristling with technology, luxury and performance, the comfy and refined S-Class sets lofty new standards Meet the most advanced production car yet to wear the three-pointed star.Not since the very first Mercedes-Benz models started rolling off the production line in 1926 to set the brand on course for global luxury car prominence has Stuttgart attempted to produce something approaching the engineering complexity and sheer technical ambition of the new S-Class saloon.“In investment terms, no other Mercedes model comes close,” says Jürgen Weissinger, the man charged with the development of the seventh-generation S-Class and its upcoming new sister model, the electric EQS.The Mk7 S-Class isn’t just new; it also represents an entirely different engineering and technical philosophy to the car it replaces. It’s one centred on electrification, digitisation and connectivity, albeit within the flagship model’s traditional values of comfort, refinement and performance.It’s the first Mercedes developed to drive fully autonomously without a driver, if only within the confines of a suitably networked parking garage, where it will search for empty bays and park itself fully remotely. This is part of a newly developed Park Pilot system that draws on level-four autonomous driving technology not yet offered by any competitor.Furthermore, the S-Class now supports level-three driving at an EU-prescribed top speed of 37mph (at first only on selected sections of German autobahn) as a function of a new Drive Pilot system that uses lidar, short- and long-range radar, ultrasonic sensors, cameras and, it’s claimed, the most advanced GPS yet to feature in a production car.Another first is over-the-air capability, which allows remote software updates to be made for more than 50 different components via an embedded SIM card.It’s a bold leap in technical terms even by S-Class standards, driven by recent advances made by rivals such as the latest Audi A8, BMW 7 Series, Lexus LS and Tesla Model S, no less, and Mercedes knows it. We could sense the nervousness of its normally self-assured engineers during the car’s launch in Germany last week.Although the new S-Class heralds many new developments, it will rely on some tried-and-trusted powertrains as it enters the market. From the start of UK deliveries in December, it will offer two straight-six engines, both carried over from its predecessor with mild upgrades.Included is a turbocharged 2.9-litre diesel developing 282bhp in the S350d (available in standard rear-wheel-drive and optional 4Matic four-wheel-drive guises) and 335bhp in the S400d 4Matic. It’s joined by a turbocharged 3.0-litre mild-hybrid petrol making 435bhp in the S500 4Matic, which we’re driving here.Further options are planned to follow, including a new twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre mild-hybrid petrol V8 in the new S580, as well as a newly developed plug-in hybrid powertrain that’s claimed to provide the new S580e with an electric-only range of up to 62 miles – more than double that of its predecessor, the S560e – on the WLTP test cycle.And that’s not all: the upcoming Maybach S650 will maintain an S-Class tradition started in 1992 by continuing with a twin-turbocharged 6.0-litre petrol V12.There will certainly be no lack of choice, then. But what of the looks, which are always a key S-Class identifier? The evolutionary styling changes brought to the exterior should go down well within the conservative realm of luxury car buyers. It’s a predictable update that brings a much bolder grille, more angular headlights (which offer as an option Mercedes’ outstanding Digital Light technology), traditionally smooth and unadorned flanks and new LED tail-lights that extend into the rear of a sloping bootlid to set up a rear-end appearance similar to that of the CLS.In the UK, every S-Class will get the sporty AMG styling pack as standard. For the first time on any Mercedes, customers can choose between two different types of door handles. Conventional grip handles similar to those used by the current generation of Mercedes models come as standard, while new flush-fitting electrically operated handles that pop out when you approach the car with the key fob are an option.These optional handles are part of a wide range of aerodynamic developments made to the S-Class, including an almost flat underbody, that combine to provide the car with a class-leading drag coefficient of 0.22Cd, down from 0.24Cd.This improvement in efficiency comes despite a moderate increase in dimensions: the S-Class is 34mm longer, 55mm wider and 12mm taller than before overall. It also receives a wheelbase extended by 51mm over its predecessor, up to 3216mm, in long-wheelbase guise.The basis for the new S-Class is a heavily re-engineered version of Mercedes’ MRA (Modular Rear Architecture) platform. A key development is the new Rear Wheel Steering system, which buyers can specify with two different levels of steering assistance to the rear wheels: one bringing a steering angle of up to 4.5deg, as fitted to our test car, and another, more advanced arrangement, an angle of up to 10deg.As a result, the turning circle of the long-wheelbase S-Class 4Matic is reduced by 0.9m to 11.9m or by 1.9m to an impressive 10.9m. The standard suspension mates Mercedes’ AirMatic set-up with the latest generation of its ADS+ adaptive damping control. This is offered alongside an advanced new E-Active Body Control set-up from the latest GLE and GLS.Inevitably, the S-Class’s larger dimensions lead to an increase in kerb weight. Despite the greater use of aluminium within its body (it now makes up around 60% of the complete structure at the expense of steel), the S500 4Matic tips the scales at 1990kg. Without a direct predecessor, it’s difficult to identify an exact increase, although Mercedes puts it at around 55kg.