My In-Depth S-Class Review: Still the King?
 

The S-Class has always arguably been one of the most special Benz’ you could buy. It represents the pinnacle of luxury and sets forward the path of which other Benz’ and even other automakers will follow, pioneering new technology and safety innovations. While EV’s and SUV’s may be the future and lead the hype of the auto industry, even within the Mercedes-Benz model range, the new S-Class has an even harder job to impress and represent Mercedes-Benz at its finest. With competition from Germans such as BMW and Audi, and even an unforgettable previous generation of S-Class (W222) which has influenced the entire auto industry, does the new S-Class live up to the Sonderklasse name?



Exterior

Upon first glance those who take a look at the W223 may not feel as if the changes are too revolutionary. Well, that’s the point, Mercedes has typically always been in favor of evolutionary design changes for the exterior, and for the W223 that continues, for revolution, they have the EQS. This is by no means a bad thing, as the prior W222 was and still is a great looking car. For the W223 my first impression of the car was that it visually looks slimmer. Maybe this is because of the reduced and less cluttered body-lines and hidden door handles, but the overall angles and lines look to be tightened up and hardened, adding to the illusion of a slimmer and more trimmed vehicle visually. The front is stately without being grotesque (looking at you BMW). The headlights also look smaller and more compact, although I do wish the DRL’s were a bit more unique.

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The side is balanced and designed coherently, unlike its competition which obviously were designed first for Short-Wheelbases and then awkwardly stretched at the rear (the Audi especially is slab sided). The S-Class just flows beautifully and features a clean but handsome design. The new door handles and single crease above them add to the elegant look.

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The rear, to which there has been some controversy, also looks great in person, and the new animated taillights (for signaling) are also very cool. I still prefer the rear of the W222, but the car remains handsome from all angles and the rear looks a tad sharper than before.

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Overall this is a very attractive vehicle that will age gracefully, and much better looking than its current competition from either BMW or Audi. While three of four cars available were black (as is S-Class fashion), I was able to snap a shot of a Cirrus Silver S-Class besides another black model. Cirrus looks quite good on this vehicle and has a great amount of metallic sparkle.
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I was also able to snap a shot of the AMG-Line and Luxury Line side by side from the front. I personally prefer the appearance of the AMG-Line which adds just the right amount of aggression to the car’s design while also looking more expensive.
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Interior

The interior is what really sets this S-Class apart, most definitely revolutionary rather than evolution. Definitely controversial, but in person quite gorgeous. First off, the seats. These seats are much better than the W222 for me, as they feel softer and plush while also being more comfortable and supportive. Due to the chip shortage, this particular car did not feature Multi-Contour or Massage seats, however I had no issue with the comfort.
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The door panels are elegant without being too minimalist, with beautiful cross stitched patterns and new integrated controls (more on that in the tech section). I really like the overlapping structure between the armrest, controls, and trim pieces, as well as how they wrap into the dash.

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The main design of the cabin is thoroughly modern, dating any Mercedes before it. One aspect I love is the large span of trim that stretches across the entire dashboard. As Mercedes references, it truly does look similar to that of a yacht design. I do really like the “Flowing Lines” trim as well and am very excited to see cars eventually receive the “Silver Aluminum/Fanned Walnut Wood.” The new AC vents are also very modern, especially the dual vent design by each door. The backseats feature many of the same design touches as the front, while still being ever so spacious as an S-Class always should be.

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The best aspect of the interior is ambient lighting. I have yet to experience it at night, but even during the day is it impressive. With an expansion of colors and choices of lighting, there’s one to fit every mood, and it looks quite good in how it wraps around the entire interior. The ambient lighting is even an active feature which of course adapts and changes depending on the function.

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Material quality also feels improved. I sat in two different models. Both models featured Napa Leather seating and armrests, however the model I test drove featured regular leather door tops, bins, cards, and dash, while the other had Nappa Leather on all of those sections, even the lower door bins, which is unlike the W222 which featured harder plastics towards the lower portion of the vehicle. Overall, the leather feels high quality, soft, and smooth, and the piping and cross stitching only adds to the beauty.



Technology

To say that the new S-Class is a technological tour-de-force is an understatement. This car is truly a moving computer. At first the new MBUX is intimidating being an all touch screen system (or through touch sensitive pads on the steering wheel) but is actually quite easy to use for those who have experienced the current MBUX system. Menus are intuitively laid out and are less cluttered with controls being more up front, rather than hidden in menus. The screen is logically placed and easy to access, and I had no issue with glare during my drive. Thankfully unlike the prior MBUX system, Apple CarPlay is large and wireless. It connected fast and easy and served me no issues when in the car or charging.

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HVAC controls are always present and feature handy tricks such as holding the up or down arrow for minimum and maximum fan speed, and/or temperature. The gauge cluster is also very impressive and easily customizable. While I am not a fan of the Sport gauges, which is a little too busy and illegible, the Classic, Understated, and Exclusive modes provide beautiful picture perfect gauges with a middle piece that can be adjusted and customized. There is also a full screen Navigation setting which is also quite handy when needed. The Assistance gauge mode was also great and offered an overview of the safety and self-driving features when in use. This is easily the best gauge cluster in the business, it even completely embarrasses BMW’s horrid new gauge clusters.

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Speaking of Self-Driving tech, it works great here. The car will brake, accelerate, steer, change lanes, and pretty much do most if not all of the work for you. I had no issues with the car’s self-driving tech, even in fully stop and go traffic.

The new cameras are great, with an immersive 360 degree camera, as well as crystal clear views all around the car. The camera will also automatically adjust to better views (whether it be bird eye or from the ground) when approaching objects, as seen in the photo below.

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I was also able to test out the 3D Gauge cluster and Augmented Reality HUD in the other car on the lot. The 3D display is nice, but to me does not seem like a necessary option. For those that love HUD, this will be a gamechanger, as in conjunction with the safety tech and navigation system, the HUD gives you a considerable amount of information all in front of you, from directions to lane centering, and so on.

The Burmester 4D Surround Sound system is superb and truly makes music sound crisp and clear with excellent bass. The 4D aspect refers to the seat speakers which I turned off as I found them not useful and honestly a bit annoying and intrusive.

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One new feature is the addition of retractable door handles. I found no issue with these in my testing as they always presented themselves when walking towards the vehicle and retracted when locking. If already previously locked and needing to access the car again, a simple swipe across the door handle towards the rear will pop the handles back out. Swiping the opposite direction will once again lock the car or pressing the outlined ridge. The handles also felt very high quality when used, reminding me of older vehicles due to the pull and feel, and even feature beautiful chrome inserts with Mercedes-Benz written on them. To adjust the seats the controls have also been changed to buttons that require capacitive touch. I found them easy to adapt to and provided no issues in moving and/or setting the seats, and the seat ventilation/heating controls also were not difficult to use at all.

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Powertrain and Driving Dynamics

I was able to test out a 4Matic S580. The new S580 features the M176 4.0L V8 paired to the EQ Boost 48-Volt system. This engine is buttery smooth, and features plenty of power. The start stop system is intuitive and not intrusive like many other systems, making it easy to not even notice when its working. The engine itself is smooth as it pulls through the rev-range, and the 9-Speed transmission is seamless in passing through gears. I would be very curious to try out the M256 3.0L I6 paired to the EQ Boost system in this large and heavy of a vehicle.

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When driving the car, it easily feels like an S-Class in the best of ways. Smooth and effortless is how I’d describe it. The cabin is whisper quiet, so is even the engine unless you purposefully rev it out, and even then, it does interfere the isolation of the cabin. Also, surprisingly the car feels more confident when tossed around compared to the previous W222 – not that many owners will do so or notice that is.

The suspension is very compliant and comfortable, smoothing out any road imperfections and offering a calm and serene drive. I was able to hit some rough roads, and my tester (which wore 20’ wheels) was plenty fine. The steering has been improved with some added weight which I find pleasing and offers a more rigid and solid feel, rather than the lighter feeling of most EPS systems. Same has been applied to the throttle, which is a great length and offers more heft, reminding me of older Mercedes and luxury cars, being that its very smooth and easy to modulate without feeling delicate. The brakes are not as firm as they could be (I believe due to the 48-volt system), however are still plenty competent and easy to use and adjust to.

The majority of my drive was in comfort mode, as I presume most S-Class owners will operate their vehicles in this mode. I did try out Sport briefly which enhanced engine noise and added heft to the steering but found comfort mode to best suit the vehicle of course due to its intended purposes and design. My car was equipped with 4.5-Degree Rear Wheel Steering, and found it definitely helped reduce the turning radius, and even improved parallel parking situations in which I found the system working the most. Its not intrusive or unnatural unlike earlier versions in some other brands and is a welcome addition for a vehicle of this size. I am very curious to see how well the 10-Degree Rear Steer System would improve the turning circle and maneuverability of the car. I also love that the S-Class still wears a hood ornament, as seeing it at the end of the hood not only is helpful in maneuvering the car but is a reminder that you bought the best Benz for sale and have a truly special car, the only other cars to do this are more expensive and exclusive Bentley’s and Rolls Royce’s.



Conclusion

Overall, I have to say this new S-Class has thoroughly impressed me, I really love the car and find it excellent. Having tested the new BMW 7-Series and Audi A8, they have very little on this S-Class, which is easily the class-leader of the segment. Audi and BMW will need to play a hard game to significantly catch up to the S-Class, to which even the outgoing W222 they were still a bit behind despite being newer. The W223 is controversial, but from my experience, still rings true of what a Sonderklasse should be and has surpassed my expectations.



Thanks for reading!

Beautiful. Thanks for the in-depth review!

Great review. Thanks! Are you getting one or just reviewing it? This is the first stuff I read where the 4.5 degree rear steering assist is discussed. Usually just the 10 degree is talked about and the 4.5 is mentioned as available on the AMG line. It's good to see that they are finally released! I hope others also post their thoughts too.

Just a review, but always considering it on the backburner. I have ADHD for cars, so I never know what I truly want and always explore endless possibilities from small to big and luxury to sport, but I've always loved big boats, and the S-Class has always been the best big boat so I think I may get one when the market settles and chips return to normal.

I always liked luxury over sporty, "boat" works.

Great review! Thanks for taking the time for your nice write-up and pics. It helped clarify a few things for me that I assumed but wasn't able to see in close-up pics before. As I expected, the car will live up to be a significant improvement over the outgoing W222 and in time those controversial features will be the standard that others will be benchmarked against.
Since the majority of W222 owners in the US only have the basic Nappa interiors the W223 owners will have a much nicer looking interior when selecting the same trim level; seating and door designs that used to be reserved only to the exclusive nappa or designo models (even if the rest is MB-Tex).

I really enjoyed that, thanks for posting a real review.

M

I went with the 10 deg rear steering assist. I’ve never had such a feature in my others cars (S class, 7 series etc.), but my God does it make a difference!! Tight turns as much easier to say the least. I first noticed this going through a frequented drive-through. In my other cars I’d have to take a WIDE right turn to enter drive-through so as not to brush curb. But with this car (S500) its effortless.
As mentioned I have the 10 deg. I assume for the 4.5, if it’s a linear “calculation,” would be a bit less than half capability of the 10 deg.

I don't think the 10 degree option is available on the S500 in the United States. The 4.5 is available on the S500 AMG line, but the 10 degree is available on the Executive line of the S580 from what I read and from using the MB USA configurator,

Possibly. I’m not Stateside so was able to build car from ground up to include the 10 deg in addition to various features of AMG/EXEC/LUX lines.

I am very curious to try out the 10-degree steering, as making a car this big with the turning radius of a little A-Class is a huge innovation.

Thanks for this great report, @js_cls ! I'm curious to hear your opinion on how all of the black trim (particularly the center console) translates in-person. One of my biggest reservations about the W223 is the abundant use of "piano black" trim which I can only assume is plastic? While the stretch of wood across the dashboard does indeed look pretty depending on material selection, the lack of wood trim elsewhere in the cabin is disappointing in my opinion--I would hardly consider the additional trim on the front seatbacks "exclusive" in comparison to the extra wood added in the W222 exclusive trim package. I ended up giving up my '21 build slot until I have the chance to see and drive the car, and now it looks like I might be waiting quite a while for a '22 or '23 in light of the chip related deletion of certain standard features. The car is just too pricey to accept without 100% of the bells and whistles...

The center console will most likely be where the majority of piano black is and can be smudged if consistently touching it. I believe that for the MY22 MB introduced two new center console trims which change the look and reduce the piano black, although I have not seen it in person. I would definitely research/look into seeing if there is some sort of protectant that can be used, such as an XPEL interior protector, as a lot of Tesla owners have done that to protect the piano black.

I found the amount of trim on the dash to be quite nice actually, while the models I looked at only featured the Piano Lacquer Flowing Lines, I do really like the way it stretches from door to door across the dashboard.

Forgot to post these, some pics I got of the Cirrus Silver S500, not the best quality due to the lighting, but quite an elegant color and better than the typical Black S-Class that most dealers are getting. I cannot wait to see Rubellite Red and Emerald Green. I also want to see the Macchiato Beige and Carmine Red Interiors.

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Found a listing on autotrader for a rubellite red (real photos):
https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...ckType=listing
In the event the link doesn't work, the vehicle is located at Mercedes Benz of West Covina (Envision Motors). Enjoy!

Beautiful! Rubellite AMG-Line with Macchiato would definitely be one of my top picks for the W223.

Too bad the Rubellite Red and Emerald Green look almost black at night (try before you buy :naughty: ). Would of been nice if they were a bit lighter in color. Got stung with my previous S400 ruby red looking practically black.
Personally, I went with the Mojave Silver this time.

I did! The wife loves Emerald Green, car gets so many compliments. We've had two Fern Green BMW's years ago which are pretty similar, dark at night (which I don't mind), but when the light hits it, just gorgeous. Such a beautiful and rare color to come by.
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They look gorgeous! But as we both mention, “dark at night.” Practically black; which I hated in our S400 ruby black. Never seen a night pic with one of these colors because they are too dark!! (Unless there is a bat man search light on them :naughty: )

Great Review!

Nice pics and review and thank you. This is subjective of course but damn that display in front of the driver!!

I'm surprised you found an unspoken for car that they would allow you to test drive - especially on the Baltimore Beltway! Which dealer was that, if I may ask. I used to live in Baltimore and bought my 2015 and 2018 cars there. I just recently moved with my 2018 S560 to Pensacola Florida and the dealer here is showing 5 cars in stock, so I may have a look.

I wonder if some of these "unspoken for" cars are ones that were ordered, but refused because of deleted features or options?

I believe the original owner had totaled his vehicle and couldn’t wait for the product launch. Car ended up selling the same day I test drove it.

The photo on the highway was actually taken by the salesman who picked it up from the port. The car I test drove was at MB Hunt Valley, although has been sold.