Mercedes Takes the Wraps off the New S-Class
Lighter, greener and more technologically advanced than ever
We've already seen artist's renderings of the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class that didn’t really tell us all that much, but the German luxury manufacturer has now finally revealed extensive details of its all-new S-Class. Mercedes has now become the latest carmaker to claim its new flagship saloon is the most technologically advanced car the company has ever made, even though ever-advancing technology would suggest any new flagship model would be a company's most advanced model to date.
While some more modest new car models at the moment are little more than a new exterior design, the new S-Class really does stand up to the claim of being "all-new." This latest incarnation of the class-defining luxury saloon uses an entirely new body structure to its predecessor, which is 60kg lighter despite boasting increased rigidity and even greater levels of refinement.
Of course, no new model worth its salt these days would dare show its face to the public without having at least some element of electrification, and the new Merc is no different. The new S580e variant will utilise a newly-developed plug-in-hybrid powertrain that promises an electric-only range of 62 miles, which is more than double what the previous S560e was capable of.
Old-school petrol heads will be pleased to hear that a twin-turbocharged 6.0-litre V-12 petrol engine will continue to be available, but that will probably be reserved for the flagship of flagships Maybach S650 model.
If the idea of such fossil-fuel largesse is positively distasteful to you, it might be some comfort to learn that the new model uses more than 98 kg of components made from resource-conserving materials, and components containing recyclates now number 120. That's more than twice as many as the old S-Class, and an additional 40 kg or so of components are made using renewable raw materials.
The really good news about the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class is that it goes on sale here in the UK in September, with the first deliveries expected in December. The models available at launch will include the S 350 d, S 400 d 4MATIC and S 500 4MATIC, so we'll have a wait a little longer for the electrified and Maybach variants.
Ola Källenius, the Chairman of Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG, says of the new S-Class, "The S-Class is the world's best-selling luxury saloon. With the latest generation, we want to offer our customers innovation, safety, comfort and quality as never before. This is where covetable luxury meets the greatest possible safety and highest level of comfort. The new S-Class underpins our claim to produce the best automobile in the world."