places

You're right, all this groundbreaking first of it's kind tech (and tons of it) will be perfect. Flawless out of the gate. Software updates, "hey Mercedes", MBUX will all perform at 100% while operating all of the most sophisticated ever made car systems at the same time. I stand corrected.

Furthermore the jump in tech and advancement between the 222 > 223 is significantly greater than 221 > 222.

syswei

If MB can offer with the W223 and other future models the sort of OTA updates that Tesla has been able to, the buyer doesn't need to be as wary as he might have been in the past about buying a "first year" car, imo.

darlop

There is hardly anything new here. It's just the S-Class catching up to the other current models.

Wolfman

Just asked you what had failed so dramatically previously that you think will take several years to correct

So, of course things can fail but while much of the tech is innovative, most of it exists already in prior iterations. 580 engines are in the GLE/GLS just like e-active suspension. So are the i6's. Same with MBUX & augmented reality navigation (just not HUD). Digital light has been available before (on non-US Maybach's) and we may not see that here soon. Touchscreens and capacitive buttons are old-school elsewhere.

Our MBUX in the GLE does work 100 times better than the old Comand in the S-Class or our 2018 E63s. That was painfully laggy and very limiting. MBUX voice command has been reasonably good IMO, also easily distinguishing between driver and passenger. It could still use a faster processor but that seems to be the case in the S.

Where I see issues is with the user identification. Fingerprint sensors are often terrible and we have to see of how the shuffling of data works across users (seats). Those are gimmicks IMO.

salamigs

You mean catching up to itself? I see not much of a difference in this department between W222 and W223... That is what I meant in my post.

UrBusted

The W222 S Class has Level 2 autonomous driving, the 223 is the first Mercedes with the Level 3 autonomous driving and partial Level 4. The Drive Pilot also lets you go for extended periods without holding the wheel but I think they're waiting on the legal ability to activate it.
Mercedes copied the 3D rotatable camera system, the side impact system, rear-wheel steering and a blind spot monitoring system. They've never needed to catch up with anyone, the sales figures prove that. My 15/16 S8 didn't even have half the features my late 13 S Class had, it was only 2 years ago where they got similar technology. Which current model in this segment has level 3 autonomous driving, augmented reality, 3d dashboard, the ability to move mirrors based upon the angle of the user's eye, a '4D' sound system, lights that have the ability to project lane guidelines onto the road, ai that's constantly scanning the passengers to help them ie turning on a light in the dark through Interior Assist when they passenger is looking for something, 100km battery range in a hybrid, a chiropractor to adjust the seat into the perfect position etc. You may think of it as gimmicky but its all of these things put together that have made sure that I've had an S Class for the last couple of decades and hopefully will continue to over the next few.

darlop

I was referring to other Mercedes. My GLS has most of the same tech.

places

So does the GLS already have most of the upcoming tech in the new S?

UrBusted

My bad, I thought you meant current rival models

Germancar1

It is true that a lot of the tech on the new S is in other Mercedes models and in competitors. The S-Class used to debut everything and it would trickle down, but the days of mechanical innovation for ICE are drawing to a close and most (not all) innovation from here on will be in the form of electronics and that means they might debut on whatever the newest Benz is at the moment. A stunning change from years ago. With a 7 year cycle for most Benz models, the old trickle down from the S-Class days are over. I mean the A-Class and CLA have a better and/or more advanced infotainment setup than the W222. As do the GLE and GLS. Unheard of, but true. Expect the 2022 C-Class to have even more advancements. Ditto for the next GLC and SL. Tech debuts wherever from now on.

M

salamigs

[QUOTE=UrBusted;8152433]The W222 S Class has Level 2 autonomous driving, the 223 is the first Mercedes with the Level 3 autonomous driving and partial Level 4. The Drive Pilot also lets you go for extended periods without holding the wheel but I think they're waiting on the legal ability to activate it.

You are correct on the terminology (with the potential exception of Level 4, but beyond the point). I was referring to the video that was posted above by one of the members. From within the items advertised in that video, with the exception of the emergency vehicle corridor item, every single one of them exists on my 2018 S560 as advertised.

Otherwise, you are absolutely correct on Level 2 vs. Level 3, where the major item that makes the difference is the LIDAR. But there was nothing in the video about that... Sorry if that did not come out clear.

Wolfman

[QUOTE=salamigs;8152778]A number of videos have been posted here but I hope nobody is under the illusion here that the W222 S-class is technically anywhere near the W223.
Comparing the autonomous capabilities of the the two cars is like saying an old 2005 iPod is the more or less the same as the latest iPhone 12. I guess both can play music but that’s about it...

darlop

I agree there is not much physically left to add to cars at this point. It's all about software. We've already heard BMW talking about "cars as a service" and charging you a monthly fee for using your heated seats.

But this thinking goes both ways. How can they justify holding back software updates for older cars? For example my GLS has the same interior assistant feature as the S-Class but it only has 2 gestures. Will they add the gesture to open the sunroof for my car?

Germancar1

Probably not unless you want to go down this (terrible) slippery slope of paying for features to be activated or added after you bought a car. It's a messy thing and the automakers are greedy AF and they will make that a regular thing IMO. I hate it personally, but I'm sure there are those willing to pay.

M