The S-Class has long been an automotive pioneer in comfort and technology, and from what we've seen of the next-generation car, things are about to take a big leap forward in both respects. With cutting-edge augmented reality inside and an all-electrified powertrain line-up, it might just be the biggest forward stride yet taken in Mercedes's crowning model. Its arrival will probably date the outgoing S-Class like nineties sci-fi - an ignominious fate for car which everyone hailed as a technological marvel when it launched in 2014.
It was a comprehensive offering, too. The £62k 350 CDI SE Line set the agenda from the entry level, with its vast (for the day) digital screens surrounded by Merc's top-level leathers and metal trim. But higher-grade models really allowed the W222 platform to set a new bar for comfort, with Merc's Magic Body Control taking the 'waftmobile' reputation to new heights. Using stereo cameras to read the road ahead, the chassis could actively counter imperfections and furniture. Genius.
Also pioneering was the S-Class's ultra-advanced driver assist tech. A steer assist feature is becoming familiar across the board, but in 2014, the S-Class made it work brilliantly. As did the car's Traffic Jam Assist and emergency braking functions, which had plenty excited by the prospect of autonomous cars being just around the corner. They weren't, of course, but the S Class nudged the whole concept closer by a significant margin.
There were usable hybrids as well, but we saved our affection for AMG's characteristic madness - delivered as the 585hp S63 and 630hp S65, the latter affirming that there was still space for a more traditional, big block take on luxury motoring. This was particularly conspicuous in Merc's S600 L, a car (or limo, given its long-wheelbase) that deployed its twelve cylinders for effortless progress above all else. Although with 530hp and 612lb ft of torque, the latter being available from 1,900rpm, it also wasn't short of pace: 62mph came in under five seconds and the top speed had to be limited at 155mph.
But the focus was obviously elsewhere. Merc's thick insulation ensured that interior road noise was the lowest in class, and there were such reserves of performance that the S600 L has always been a car to use when the private jet was grounded. The S500 could get you from Munich to Berlin nailed at 155mph, too - but it didn't have as many cylinders, and when you've got the best of everything, why scrimp on the important stuff? The £145,970 starting price reflected that instinct.
That means today's Spotted, a four-year, 21,000-mile-old example is not far off a third of its original value, if you assume the buyer added a few options to pump that base price up a bit. That's a painful bout of depreciation for the original buyer, but a chance to bag a cut-price present-gen S-Class before the new one comes and makes it all feel a bit last decade. We'd recommend standing on the shoulder of a giant why you have the chance...
SPECIFICATION | MERCEDES-BENZ S -CLASS S600 L
Engine: 5,980cc, V12, twin-turbocharged
Transmission: 7-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 530@4,900-5,300rpm
Torque (lb ft): 612@1,900-4,000rpm
MPG: 25
CO2: 259g/km
Recorded mileage: 21,000
First registered: 2016
Price new: £145,970
Yours for: £53,990
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