Photo: S.Baldauf/SB-Medien
The pinnacle of Mercedes-Benz sedans is up for a generation change soon, with a September official launch being expected for the seventh all-new iteration of the S-Class. While we wait for the reveal, Mercedes-Benz is currently busy ironing out the final kinks in testing.
An almost camouflage-free pre-production prototype of the S-Class W223 was recently spotted by our collaborating spy photographers in Germany, and it looks like Mercedes-Benz is a lot less shy than before in showing the car’s design motifs.
Still, we already know how the new Sonderklasse will look thanks to more than one leak that has happened in the last year, while most of the interior has been leaked by Stuttgart themselves.
Regarding its stance and overall proportions, the 2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class continues what its predecessor started, with along hood and short front overhang combined with a so-called dropping line toward the rear.
The front-end jumps on the massive grille bandwagon like its two direct rivals, the BMW 7 Series and Audi A8, pairing it with much slimmer HD Matrix LED headlights that are expected to revolutionize automotive lighting once again.
The rear loses the vertical taillights that people were accustomed to in every generation S-Class since the W220 onward and will get a set of horizontal ones more reminiscent of the ones found on the W126 and earlier S-Class generations.
That said, it’s inside where the revolution will happen, and thanks to spyshots and Mercedes-Benz' own teasers, we know that there will be a distinct lack of physical buttons and knobs inside.
A giant vertical touchscreen with haptic feedback will take over the center console, with another widescreen being situated behind the steering wheel, acting as a dashboard.
A new type of head up display with augmented reality for the navigation system will make an appearance as well, everything being connected to the next generation of the MBUX infotainment system.
On the technical side, some versions will get a revolutionary all-wheel steering system that shortens the car’s turning circle to that of a compact hatch or even smaller. Four- and six-cylinder engines will comprise most of the European lineup, in gasoline, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and diesel guises, with the top dogs being powered by V8s.
As mentioned before, the V12 will live on, for the first time being paired with an all-wheel-drive system, but only on the top of the range Mercedes-Maybach versions.
Still, we already know how the new Sonderklasse will look thanks to more than one leak that has happened in the last year, while most of the interior has been leaked by Stuttgart themselves.
Regarding its stance and overall proportions, the 2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class continues what its predecessor started, with along hood and short front overhang combined with a so-called dropping line toward the rear.
The front-end jumps on the massive grille bandwagon like its two direct rivals, the BMW 7 Series and Audi A8, pairing it with much slimmer HD Matrix LED headlights that are expected to revolutionize automotive lighting once again.
The rear loses the vertical taillights that people were accustomed to in every generation S-Class since the W220 onward and will get a set of horizontal ones more reminiscent of the ones found on the W126 and earlier S-Class generations.
That said, it’s inside where the revolution will happen, and thanks to spyshots and Mercedes-Benz' own teasers, we know that there will be a distinct lack of physical buttons and knobs inside.
A giant vertical touchscreen with haptic feedback will take over the center console, with another widescreen being situated behind the steering wheel, acting as a dashboard.
A new type of head up display with augmented reality for the navigation system will make an appearance as well, everything being connected to the next generation of the MBUX infotainment system.
On the technical side, some versions will get a revolutionary all-wheel steering system that shortens the car’s turning circle to that of a compact hatch or even smaller. Four- and six-cylinder engines will comprise most of the European lineup, in gasoline, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and diesel guises, with the top dogs being powered by V8s.
As mentioned before, the V12 will live on, for the first time being paired with an all-wheel-drive system, but only on the top of the range Mercedes-Maybach versions.
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