Refreshed Mercedes S-Class gets new 537hp V8

Familiar design for Mercedes' new four-door flagship, but much is afoot underneath...

While S-Classes have always been about discreet luxury, blending into whatever backgrounds they find themselves against, the current W223 generation really does feel to have faded from view somewhat. Blame the multitude of EQ-badged luxury EVs (and the reaction to them), the increasing Maybach-ification of the top-tier Benzes and, to be frank, just a whole lot of stuff going on at Mercedes right now. It’s been almost six years since the original launch, itself a much less grand affair than usual thanks to 2020’s travails, and plenty about the world of luxury cars has pivoted since then. Plenty about the world in general seems very different in 2026 than in 2020 - although let’s save that discussion for another day.

This S-Class will at least be recognisable to those familiar with the current car. Or act as a handy reminder for those that aren’t. This isn’t an entirely new thing in the vein of the EQ S (mercifully), Mercedes instead suggesting that around 50 per cent of the Sonderklasse (around 2,700 bits) has been ‘newly-developed, updated and refined.’ Perhaps not the grand luxury vision to mark 140 years since Carl Benz invented the car as we know it, but then look how automotive ambition tends to get received these days. A revision rather than a reinvention sounds like a wise course of action.

So the three-pointed star on the bonnet can be illuminated for the first time, the grille is even larger (by 20 per cent, as you’re asking), the lights and wheels a little more swanky. Customers who don’t like the standard offering can consult Mercedes Manufaktur, with more than 150 paint and 400 interior colours. This being an S-Class, too, ludicrous claims abound for even seemingly innocuous stuff outside: Dynamic Ultra Range high beam for the Digital Light system apparently has a reach of 600m. And surely the ability to clear the outside lane of the M40 like little else.

Assisting the driver in that particular endeavour will be an extensive range of powertrains: diesel, mild hybrid petrol and full PHEV (purely electric S-Classing is still being left to the EQ S, for now). And while the engines on offer are broadly familiar - the 3.0-litre M256 straight-six is now in Evo spec, for the S450, S500 and hybrid, the OM656 diesel is also Evo’d to keep it going into Euro 7 - there is a fascinating addition to the line-up. Because this S-Class will get a flat-plane-crank V8. Yes, really. Another Evo-spec engine, the venerable 4.0-litre M177 will now forge into the late 2020s with a design previously reserved only for cars like the GT Black Series.

Alongside a new intake cam, turbo tweaks, an overhauled injection system, ‘optimised’ ports on both the intake and exhaust side plus mild hybridisation, the M177 Evo ‘responds more quickly and efficiently and delivers an even more refined driving experience’. That response claim will be good news for AMG customers, too, as this version of the hot-V V8 is what’s going to underpin the next generation of Affalterbach ‘bahnstormers, including whatever that mysterious CLE turns out to be. Sadly, the S580, as it’ll be known, seems unlikely to make it to the UK, given the non-AMG V8 hasn’t been part of the line-up since the W222 era. Ditto the diesel.

The chassis benefits from every possible feature in the current tech toybox at Mercedes right now. This latest S-Class will even drive itself in ‘dense urban traffic’ thanks to MB Drive Assist Pro. That will only be available in China at launch, though it goes to show just how advanced this S-Class is. Air suspension, obviously, is standard on all variants, only now it can use the Mercedes Intelligent Cloud to store speed-bump data (!) and prepare the car accordingly. Four-wheel steer is also included. The biggest news is something called E-Active Body Control, which makes it to both the S-Class options and Mercedes-Benz patent lists. It’s active suspension that means springing and damping can be independently regulated at each wheel to counteract lift, pitch and roll. It can even minimise impacts in a crash, sensing an impending collision and lifting the car ‘within fractions of a second’.

For the real tech showcase, however, we need to look to the S-Class’s interior. Now underpinned by a ‘intuitive and state-of-the-art MB.OS supercomputer’, all functions, updates and features ought to be seamless. Customers will interact with it via the Superscreen and the very latest MBUX, which now harnesses ChatGPT, Microsoft Bing and Google Gemini to make the Hey Mercedes virtual assistant - now with a choice of avatars! - as clever as possible. And still probably flummoxed by the UK’s regional accents. There’s an MBUX Notes app, an MBUX Calendar app and an Automotive AI Agent to ‘take productivity on the move to a new level’. You’d like to think those who can afford an S-Class could also be afforded some downtime in their car, but seemingly not. Even the USB-C charges faster than ever.

That being said, it’s going to be easy to relax in an S-Class for those who wish to. There’s now Digital Vent Control and a new electric filter with Energizing Air Control for even cleaner cabin air; probably less of a concern before 2020, now probably a little more so. ‘Intuitive interfaces meet timeless materials’ is the claim for the overall vibe, with a redesigned centre console and door cards, wood and leather where there aren’t screens and - praise be - switches for the steering wheel ‘in response to customer feedback.’ Those who get the chance to drive an S will be in for quite the experience, seemingly, complete with an optional 3D dash that won’t be in the least bit distracting.

As ever, though, the S-Class interior experience is all about those in the rear seats. When Mercedes even boasts about temperature-controlled, illuminated cup holders that now offer ‘better grip and ambience’, you know they’ve really obsessed. The seat belts are now heated, for crying out loud. Additionally, there are six massage programmes, an optional Chauffeur package that can fold the front seat flat, a ‘full-length rear business centre console’ and a 4D Burmester sound system ‘which makes deep tones physically perceptible’. The only thing more memorable than driving an S-Class, surely, is going to be passengering in one.

Mercedes Chairman Ola Kallenius said: “We’re celebrating 140 years of Mercedes-Benz and 140 years of innovation and excellence. No car embodies this legacy more than the S-Class. Brilliant engineering, effortless comfort, quiet confidence, timeless design. That’s what the Mercedes star stands for. And that’s what the S-Class delivers. The new S-Class remains our benchmark – and our promise. It blends its rich heritage with bold ambition for what’s next.” Expect confirmation of UK spec and availability over the coming months, with the first cars arriving before the end of the year. Then even more excitement about what the outgoing car has depreciated to…

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Augustus Windsock

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