The large screen is targeted to the younger crowd and the Chinese crowd. Im 42 and I want either a preowned 2018+ s63 (cant afford a new one) or a 2021 S580 ( one year lease return in late 2021 or 2022) or what ever the number the v8 option will be. The chinese market which is one of the biggest buyers of the S class wants the bigger screens. The younger market wants touch screens the only ones that do not want bigger screen is the older market. I know what you thinking, in the US and Germany the older market is a large portion of the buyer group but in order to keep the car relative for future generations they have to innovate and I love the big screens. Im also younger on my first S class also. But after my first s class purchase I will always have an s class. Bring on the big screen I say.

 

When are they coming out with the four-cylinder version? E owners don't seem to mind it, and with that big plastic cover no one would ever know what kind of engine's under there anyway ...

 

Well Europe will certainly have the four banger. We'll see about the states. The fun of driving is becoming more elusive. Still existent, but elusive. Just wait until they take our ability to drive away and the cars drove themselves 100%. Then it's all over.

 

+1
The electric car, touchscreen stuff, semi/autonomous driving etc, etc are turning the driving experience into a real life computer game. MB's giant screens that are devoid of any integrated style/form were bad enough and it will only get worse. I like the feel of buttons and switches that are of high quality with excellent tactile feel, and they are going way of the doh-doh mostly due to cost, and nothing more. I do appreciate how the technology permitting engines to run much more efficiently, cleaner and more powerfully, will only improve if allowed to continue, but the trend of full electrically powered soulless vehicles may kill off gasoline engines completely not allowing them to reach near 0 levels of emissions that they could. I also think most models of Tesla are fugly inside and out, there I said it (no offense to tesla owners).

 

Who remembers the Riviera? The (oldsmobile) that had the touch screen in it, back in the 90's! My friend had one and we thought it was the coolest thing.....fast forward 30 years and now I think it's lame just like these modern touch screens.

 

My family had Rivera and the electronics was great when they worked which was intermittent but I thought it was so innovative.

 

It did seem ahead of it's time back then huh? I don't recall many other cars that offered this option, maybe someone else does? Surely there was some sort of system that was similar?

 

I believe the Riv was a Buick?

 

Lexus used touch screens throughout the 1990’s and into the 2000’s. They worked great, much easier & faster to deal with than the Command System. Yeah, they got fingerprints on the screens, but I kept a cloth in the car and would take two seconds to wipe it off every now and then. I’m not thrilled with the idea of a massive screen as shown in spy shots, but if the rest of the new S is an advancement over the W222, in comfort, safety, hopefully aesthetics, more options, etc., then I’m in.

 

Hype, I think you mean the Oldsmobile Trofeo back then. I owned one and thought it was awesome. It even had a phone (large) inside the console if my memory serves me right.

 

Spent lots of time in the new Audi Q8 which is mostly all t/s. in addition to a myriad of smudges no matter how much your hands are cleaned, there are glare issues, and making certain changes that normally are done with the flick of a switch/push of an easy to locate button, now requires hunting in a menu which is time consuming, distracting and dangerous as your eyes need to come off the road for far too long. The Audi system does employ nice haptic feedback and the design integration is far nicer than the giant rectangles MB has used thus far, but the best solution is a combination of both t/s, traditional buttons/switches with a nicely integrated design rather than screens that look like an afterthought. Hopefully MB will utilize the best of both worlds and not go more than 50% t/s.

 

Hi Bean!

This is a pic of the car I was referring to.......ever seen this one? It may have been the first?


https://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/f...-infotainment/

 

I certainly recall being impressed with Lexus when they came out. They looked nice back then. I was merely a teenager skateboarding in the streets but they always caught my eye as being a good looking car.

 

Yes, they WERE good looking, up until about 2012, when the designers at Lexus lost their minds and went with their ridiculous “spindle” grill design language. But, I guess I should thank them, because if they had not gotten ugly, I may have never moved to an S Class.

 

I kinda like the Riviera dash better than the 2023 MB S class. Too bad they don't just make the big touch screen an option.

 

As mentioned, Riviera was by Buick, and on the same platform as the Oldsmobile Toronado and Cadillac Eldorado.

 

I’d buy a 221 over a 223 and save over 100 grand. Saw this one at the dealer in Sarasota. 50 k miles and like new. 2011. 21k $. That black paint really pops in the sun with all the metal flake nice car. Looks like it’s been pampered. I kinda like the 221 even over the 222. Better lines.

 

I never was a fan of W221, but when 222 came out I bought one I still do wonder what 223 will bring us, as far as exterior styling.

 

I agree. I had a 2013 W221 S550 and thought the exterior design to be much more elegant, unique and striking than the W223. Add to that, that it came with a jack & spare in the trunk, the glass roof was optional and I much preferred it to the current car. That said, my 2018 rides better and the interior is more luxurious. If I could order either car today, brand new, both with the same electronics, I’d go for the W221.

 

Nice car. If I had more garage storage space I'd probably buy that 221 I saw today for 20 grand. The interior was like new too, whoever had it kept it in showroom condition and has brand new Michelin Pilot a/s 3 plus tires too.

 

As a kid I could not wait to drive a real car on a racetrack. Now as I get older and the way things are going I cannot wait to be driving a video game... Seems like we live in a world of fake

 

I always think of the Predator towards the end of the movie when I see this Predator-ugly design.

 

I agree. The W221 will always be looked upon as one of the finest designs that ever came about. It was controversial at first, but I would love to get a low mileage copy of one of these.

 

Yes, and unfortunately in more ways than one, especially when real is being peddled as fake and vice versa...

 

Hype, No, I haven't seen that infotainment system. I know that people use to tell me that my Trofeo was futuristic.