Mercedes S-Class: the North Star – DER SPIEGEL

The first impression: The new Mercedes S-Class is a majestic, but not dazzling car. Unlike the BMW 7 Series, the Mercedes flagship follows a calm line in the design of the radiator grille and headlights.

What the manufacturer says: “The best car in the world”: When the Mercedes board talks about the S-Class, they choose big words. The flagship is the most successful and most progressive luxury sedan, says Daimler boss Ola Källenius. “The new S-Class will set the tone for the automotive industry again,” says series head Uwe Ernstberger. “The S-Class offers revolutionary innovations from safety and comfort to efficiency.”

The list of tech previews ranges from strong digital light of 2.6 million pixels to four-dimensional sound. You not only feel it, you also feel it, thanks to the vibrators in the seats. And yes, there is also a heated neck pillow for the driver. This all sounds more or less impressive, but the S-Class has to be measured by the perfection of the previous models and by the extremely high standard of the segment overall. There is only progress at this level in three stages. Mercedes favors profit over the environment: the plug-in hybrid car will arrive only in the spring with an electric range of over 100 kilometers, which to date is unrivaled. The EQS as an all-electric alternative to the S-Class likely won’t appear until late 2021.

We noticed that: Drive or let drive? The S-Class makes this decision for us at the start of the test drive – check it out. The Mercedes passes through the garage of Stuttgart airport for the first few meters without occupants and positions itself for departure. So far, not even Tesla has dared to do so, although Americans have little qualms with their autopilot. In the future, the sedan will also be able to drive independently on the road, according to level 3 of the autonomous driving scale. The driver can take out his mobile phone or look at a magazine – at least on the motorway and up to 60 km / h. It won’t come until next year, but then Mercedes will still be ahead. Audi had meanwhile withdrawn from technology in the A8. From the start, however, S-Class drivers have an army of assistants ready. Their sensors are even sharper and make decisions faster.

The propulsion adjusts to this effortlessly: the automatic gearbox changes imperceptibly, in most models an all-wheel drive ensures the best possible traction. It is extraordinarily spectacular, space and time blur. On this side of a Rolls-Royce, the occupants of no other car move so easily and calmly.

If the traffic gets denser and the road narrows, it starts to be fun. In curves, the Mercedes turns the rear wheels up to ten degrees. This reduces the turning radius by approximately two meters. The car turns in one fell swoop in the narrowest parking lot and is articulated like the A-Class, although it is almost two meters shorter. Steering on the rear axle makes it possible – it’s been around with the competition for a long time, but the Swabians use the technology more consistently. But beware: the driver has to watch out for rims inside the curve that are as tight as the radius of the car – not scratching the pavement.

You must know that: Mercedes has built a new factory for the S-Class. Costing around 700 million euros, the size of 30 football fields and fully digitized, the plant should operate as economically as possible. Up to 25% lower production costs are received by the customer. When the S-Class goes on sale in December, the cheapest model – the S 350d with a 286hp six-cylinder diesel – will cost € 96,094. At least 117,786 euros are owed for the S 500, which comes with 435 hp and (only) six cylinders. Of course, it is possible even more expensive. The Maybach, which has been repeatedly lengthened equipped with a V12 engine, is ready and there will also be an AMG variant.

It starts with two three-liter, 286 or 330hp six-cylinder diesel engines and 367hp or 435hp petrol engines. A classic V8 and plug-in hybrid will follow in the spring. Its 367hp petrol engine is mated to a 150hp electric motor and a battery of nearly 30 kWh.

Mercedes is already using the pure combustion engine engines in other series, the nine-speed automatic transmission comes from the previous model. But everything else is new on the S-Class, according to the platform. The body grows in every dimension. The S-Class is normally 5.18 meters long, the 11 cm long version longer (surcharge in Germany: around 3000 euros). When it comes to safety, the S-Class relies on technology rather than restrictions: While competitors like Volvo limit all cars to 180km / h to protect life, Mercedes offers an active chassis with 48-volt technology. It protects against centrifugal force and lifts the car up to eight centimeters at the speed of light in the event of a collision. There are up to 16 airbags on board, including, for the first time, front airbags for rear passengers.

Another new feature is that the infotainment system addresses each passenger individually. It can be more personalized with fingerprint, face scan and payment function. And then there’s a real culture shock: the S-Class is now in your duet.

We will not forget: The highlight is the three-dimensional display behind the steering wheel. It performs its full depth effect without the driver having to wear special glasses. In times when new brands like Byton are defined by the size of the screens and in China the pixels are more decisive than PS, this particularity could make a decisive contribution to the success of the S-Class.