Mercedes-Benz S-Class First Look 2021 - New S-Class Luxury Sedan Redesign.
It's been seven years since the iconic Mercedes Benz S Class was last redesigned. Even as the current S Class heads out to pasture, it remains the top rated luxury sedan in its class. Nevertheless, it's about time for a new one, and here it is, the all new seventh generation 2021 Mercedes Benz S Class Sedan.
Image source - Google | Image by - www.caricos.com
The S Class name, which is short for special class in German, debuted in the early 1970s but has roots going all the way back to the mid 1950s. Over the years, the S Class has been the standard for luxury, comfort, and refinement, but it's also known for innovation and developing emerging technologies.
Many features we take for granted today debuted on an S Class, features like crumple zones, standard airbags, seatbelt pretensioners, voice recognition, and stability control.
It's a fair bet that this new S Class will uphold that tradition of innovation. But before we get to the details, .
When the S Class goes on sale in the first half of 2021, it'll be just a little bit bigger, about two inches wider, two inches longer between the front and rear wheels, and just over an inch in length. So far, we know about the two main engines, the S500 4MATIC has a 3 liter turbocharged inline six cylinder that makes 429 horsepower and 384 pound feet of torque.
The S580 4MATIC gets a4liter twin turbo V8 that's good for 496 horsepower and 516 pound feet. Both get some electrification through the EQ Boost system that adds 21 horsepower and 184 pound feet of torque. It's an electric motor that acts as a starter generator and gives some extra oomph when needed. A nine speed auto is the only transmission, and those 4Matic names denote all wheel drive.
Speaking of wheels, the new S Class will be available with four wheel steering. The concept is nothing new, but this version will allow the wheels to turnup to 10 degrees in the back. Mercedes claims it will reduce the turning circle to less than 36 feet, which is what you'd expect from the much smaller A Class.
Mercedes is also making the E Active Body Control available, which I experienced on the GLE drive. Not only does it keep body roll under control but it counteracts it by leaning the car into turns, much like how a motorcycle does. It's a little weird from the driver's seat, but as a passenger, it greatly reduces any jostling.
It also powers the Pre Safe impulse side system. This feature detects imminent side collision and lifts the vehicle ride height to ensure the strongest parts of the vehicle take the brunt of the impact instead of the passengers.
 |
Image source - Google | Image by - www.caricos.com |
Returning is Road Surface Scan which scans the road ahead with stereo cameras and adjusts the suspension to deliver the smoothest ride possible. From previous experiences, we can say it's magic over speed bumps. You don't even notice them. Since this is such an icon sedan and I'm into design, let's talk about the design.
First off, yes, it's more of an evolution, just as every S Class in history has been, but with some special elements that kind of kick it up a notch. First off, yes, we have the upright physical emblem right here on top of the hood rather than built into the grille, which has been a staple of the S Class for time immemorial. Now we have the new grille too.
which has some nice little bevels here on the top corners, and it's slightly bigger, both in terms of height and width, but I think it works. I'm not too crazy about this sensor panel here, but when you realize how many things are packed behind it, it does make sense. And when you think about that it may have level three hands free driving sometime in the future not just yet and definitely not at launch yes, it's pretty easy to put up with those panels.
Further down, we look at this hood which is pretty much a clean sheet, not a lot of fussiness going on, and I like that. It gives a more substantial, heavy look, which is what you want from a big German luxury sedan, right? Further down, well, we have this character line that starts at the head lights and goes all the way to the taillights.
It's a little higher than before. Used to run maybe closer to the door handles, but now it's this nice accent that runs all the way down. And again, we have more of this clean sheet down here without any messiness or accessories that aren't necessary. Doesn't have that little chrome tab off of a 7 Series that really throws me, and it gives it that imposing presence that you want. Also, new for 2021 are these recessed door handles. Yes, everyone's going to say it's a ripoff of Tesla, but you know what? It worked for Tesla. It'll work for Mercedes too.
 |
Image source - Google | Image by - www.caricos.com |
I do like touchscreens. I've been a huge fan of the Mercedes MBUX system, but I think I'm going to need a little time with this to get a full judgment on this. If you've seen the design I did a few months ago, you'll know that I'm not a big fan of taking away buttons. And according to the press release, they removed about 27 physical buttons out of the interior.
So there aren't any real physical shortcuts that you can just use knowing that you're hitting the button with your fingertip anymore, so you do have to take your eyes off the road to adjust things. But since it's the MBUX system, you can still use your voice as well.
You can just simply say, hey, Mercedes, I'm a little hot, and it'll turn the temperature down for you. The new steering wheel is missing the kind of black thumb scrolly things they used to have, but there is a capacitive touch button thing here that works the same. So you can control the main screen with your right hand on the steering wheel, and you control the instrument panel with the left thumb scrolly thing. It's a technical term. Bear with me.
 |
Image source - Google | Image by - www.caricos.com |
There are a lot of new features to talk about, and it starts as soon as you get in the car. On the instrument panel here, you'll see this little notch, kind of like what you'd see at the top of an iPhone X. But behind that notch is actually a bunch of sensors and cameras that are watching your eyes. It's also face recognition.
So when you sit down, it will recognize you if you turn on that feature. If you're a little paranoid about privacy, well, you can turn that off, but it also has this fingerprint scanner here which does the same thing. It tells the vehicle who you are and what your preferences are for audio, climate control, as well as seat position. There's also a cool feature in the app and in the setup here where you can just tell the car how tall you are and it will try its best to adjust the seat for you. It's a nice little novelty, and I'd like to try it out at some point.
Otherwise, the screen is very easy to read. It's very sharp. It's quick to respond. According to the engineer, it has 50% more computing power, and it shows. There's really no delay. It's nice, smooth scrolling. And most of the stuff you'd get here, you can get on this instrument panel too. The instrument panel, well, that deserves some serious love too. Mercedes-Benz S-Class
This has this 3D imaging feature where it looks like the dials are floating in space, but the nave map behind it's kind of flat and trailing away from you. It is super cool. And you have these different themes that you can choose. My favorite is the Sport which gives you this almost tunnel view. It's very, very trippy. I hope you'll be able to gain an appreciation for this on .
If not, definitely check it out when it shows up in the dealerships. It's not just a novelty. It's just super cool. Also new is a much larger head up display that projects the image very large, and visually, it seems like it's about 30 feet ahead of the car. The cool thing with the head up display, though.
No surprise. I have plenty of room back here with the seat set for me up front. Tons of space under the seat. Can't even really touch the seat with my toes and plenty of headroom as well. So I'm 5 foot 10. Most adults will be just fine back here. Of course, it slides, reclines, and all that goodness. Now, as you can see, this is a four seat model, which won't be available in the US, at least not in the beginning. There's hints that it will be available on other S Classes in the future.
0 Comments