First Drive: 2021 Mercedes S-Class Review

The Mercedes-Benz S-Class, above all other mass-produced motor cars, is the one that is intended to make you relax. The company even once put out a press release citing research it had done that suggested that when you travelled by S-Class your pulse rate was actually likely to be lower than in any rival. But there is one group of people the S-Class has never relaxed. Mention its name and their pulse rate (and blood pressure) is likely to go through the roof, not sink to the floor. Who are these people? Those whose lot it is every seven years or so to design the next one.

It has been called the toughest job in the motor industry. Next year marks the 50^th anniversary of S-Class, half a century in which it has become the most famous, best-selling and, almost without exception, just plain best luxury car on sale, right around the world. Whether you regard it as a home from home, a place of comfort and security on your travels, or simply a machine tool for doing a specific job better than any other, the S-Class has always been the car the beat. Or, far more frequently, the car by which to be beaten.

So welcome then, the seventh generation S-Class, known to those who designed it as W223, and those who must attempt to rival it as just the latest in a very long line of very unpleasant headaches.

It’s almost as if there were two S-Classes here, or two philosophies at the very least. From the exterior it looks precisely as you’d expect. A bit sleeker in profile, a touch bolder in detail, especially that large new grille. As you’d expect from an all new luxury car it’s bigger too, and in every direction: 34mm longer, 55mm wider and 120mm higher. The wheelbase increases too, by 55mm to over 3.2 metres, which might suggest a car near impossible to park. In the event the world’s most advanced four-wheel steering system (when chosen as an option), reduces its turning circle to one of which a city hatchback might be proud. Visually however, the result is entirely traditional, a logical step in the long term evolution of a tried and trusted formula.

The inside, by contrast, is nothing like that at all. It is positively avant-garde in its design, a joyous celebration of the state of the technological art, as if its designers were saying to the opposition ‘you thought you were cutting edge? Well think again.’ There are of course slabs of wood and acres of leather to behold because this wouldn’t be an S-Class without them, but your eyes are inexorably drawn to the digital dials and massive 12.3-inch central OLED display. It is all very beautiful. Whether it is a good to operate as it is to behold we will find out below.

There are, as yet, just three powertrains available in the UK. Diesel fans, which will still be most buyers, can choose between the S350d and more powerful S400d model, both with 2.9-litre straight-six engines, while the 3.0-litre S500 is the lone petrol choice. The first and last of these is available with the standard wheelbase, all three with the long wheelbase that will account for 80 per cent of sales. Four-wheel-drive is standard with the two more expensive powertrains.

In future there will be a plug-in hybrid S580e but it looks like UK customers wanting more than six cylinders will need either to wait for the S63 AMG model or go the whole hog and get a Maybach limousine, which will also be available with Mercedes’ venerable 6.0-litre V12 motor. We drove a long wheelbase S500 L in AMG Line specification which in terms of both price and power is the de facto flagship model in the UK at present.

On paper, it seems that there is very little that’s been lost now that the S500 model has six rather than eight cylinders. There’s no shortage of power as its 435PS (320kW) attests, and while its 520Nm (385lb ft) of torque might seem little better than adequate for such a large car, that doesn’t include the additional 250Nm (185lb ft) that can be provided by the 48V mild-hybrid system integrated into its nine speed gearbox. The result is a near two tonne limo which will, with the aid of four-wheel-drive, will sweep you from rest to 62mph in just 4.9 seconds.

In reality this powertrain mainly impressive, but not flawless. The engine is smooth enough, but does its best work at high revs, while the old V8 was happier thundering along in its lower and middle ranges, and that surely is more appropriate for this kind of car. Although the figures suggest little or no loss of performance, it doesn’t feel quite as effortless. You can see it changing gear a lot too, and not only because it has plenty of gears through which to change: there’s also just the slightest sense of a car always searching for the sweet spot, when perhaps something more relaxed should be in order. That said, once on the motorway where most of these cars will spend most of their time, the S-Class is flawlessly refined and restful.

And doubtless part of the reason for this is that oft-imitated but as yet never bettered S-Class ride quality. Air springs are standard as they are with all such cars, but even given all its other attributes, including a super-stiff structure and electronically controlled dampers, there is artistry within the science. Cooks can find the world’s best ingredients but unless they’re put together properly, they’ll still make a mess of the meal. The S-Class makes no such mistakes: its ride is nothing short of exquisite. It is always compliant, but offering ever greater levels of control as you scroll through the various driving modes.

Which is when you also discover the S-Class’s traditional party trick has been carried over in full. Like its predecessors and for a car of its size and weight, it handles superbly. Owners who spend all their time in the back will never get to feel how precise the steering can be or enjoy the improbable confidence it provides when being punted along a decent road.

The S-Class is more spacious than ever. There’s no more room in the front as none was needed, but there’s even more sprawling space in the rear, and a bigger boot too. And if you can’t find an ideal driving position, the problem probably lies with you rather than the car.

As already mentioned, the interior looks amazing, but it takes an age to work out how its multitudinous functions actually operate. Partly this is because Mercedes has decided to reduce the button count to a bare minimum beyond the steering wheel, which means many operations are buried in sub-menus. Clearly the strategy is that people will increasingly use voice control to tell the car what to do, but while the latest MBUX is clearly improved in this regard, it is still by no means foolproof.

However it is to be remembered that opinions formed about an unfamiliar operating system during a few hours at the wheel cannot also cover the customer experience after months of ownership, and there’s no doubt the entire system will become far easier to operate with familiarisation.

In technological terms, the S-Class is an entirely new level for Mercedes-Benz. In terms of its electronic architecture, connectivity and digitisation it makes the last S-Class look like an abacus. It’s software can be updated on the move and over the air without the occupants even being aware. It will drive itself around a suitably tech-savvy multi storey car park, find a space and park itself, without you even being in the car. It also has Level 3 autonomy capability, which means it can in theory drive itself without any driver input on selected motorways, though the driver must always be ready to take over in an emergency. In reality and as ever, the technology is way ahead of what the law allows, meaning it should be regarded as Level 3 enabled, rather than able to deliver a genuine Level 3 autonomy experience.

The S-Class’s designers can relax for they have done it again. The new car is not perfect, but when your starting point is a car that was still the best in its class when it was on its last legs, you begin with a considerable head start.

What is so well judged about the car is that while it takes and makes full use of the latest technological developments and trends, it’s not forgotten that job one is to be the world’s best mass produced luxury car. And you could build the most advanced car on the planet, but if it’s ride and refinement weren’t right, it would still fail in this most simple regard. The S-Class makes no such mistake: its appearance is that of a mind-bogglingly complex showcase of technological prowess in automotive form, but deep down lies the heart and soul of a very traditional limousine. And it is all the better for it.