Only long wheelbase versions will be sold in Canada.Kunal D'souza/The Globe and Mail
Mercedes-Benz has given its flagship S-Class the most extensive update within a single generation of the model, stating that 50 per cent of the car is newly developed. It just happens to coincide with the 140th anniversary of Carl Benz’s 1886 invention of the first practical internal combustion engine automobile.
The timing also coincides with the reveal of BMW’s heavily updated 7 Series sedan at Grand Central Station in New York City two weeks ago, which the company also said was the most thorough in its history. Mercedes has historically always had the larger market share and recognition in this segment but BMW has taken the lead in some markets in the last few years and continues to gain momentum.
At the same time, sales of the S-Class sedan have taken a hit in recent years with the company scaling back production, but these new updates touch upon every aspect of the car in order to bring it back into the spotlight.
All the powertrains have been enhanced but the V8 in the S580 has been given special attention with a more thorough redesign, including the use of a flat-plane crankshaft versus the cross-plane crank in the outgoing version.
Flat-plane V8s are typically found in Ferraris or race cars, offering high revs and high efficiency but lots of vibrations; great in a supercar but not in a luxury sedan. The main difference lies in the crankshaft and orientation of the crank pins. Flat-plane V8s have crank pins separated by 180 degrees, a design that causes an inherent secondary imbalance meaning that the company had to modify the firing order and add balance shafts to quell the vibrations.
The S-Class has cloud-like seats that will cradle you for hours on a long drive. It also has heated seatbelts.Kunal D'souza/The Globe and Mail
On the door sill of the new S-Class.Kunal D'souza/The Globe and Mail
Mercedes engineers had to get creative in order to continue offering a powerful V8 in its flagship. “With upcoming Euro 7 legislation we had to future proof the V8,” says Roman Hasselkuss, who is part of the engine development team for Mercedes-Benz.
Such intensive development for gas engines is necessary, says Hasselkuss, in order to continue to offer the product the customer desires and still keep up with the strictest emissions regulations in Europe, yet.
The new S-Class gets a 20-per-cent larger grille that’s been illuminated and encrusted with more than 100 chrome stars. New headlights use a star-pattern design for the daytime running lights, there are stars in the taillights and, for the first time, the three-pointed star on the hood is illuminated.
The grille is now 20-per-cent larger and has more than 100 chrome stars.Kunal D'souza/The Globe and Mail
New headlights use a star-pattern design for the daytime running lights.Kunal D'souza/The Globe and Mail
If it feels like Mercedes is throwing everything they can at the S-Class, they are.
Only long wheelbase versions will be sold in Canada, which makes sense given our smaller market and generally wider roads. We get two versions at launch, the S500 4 Matic powered by a 48-volt mild hybrid enhanced three-litre inline-six that makes 443 horsepower and up to 475 lb-ft of torque using a temporary boost function. The S 580 gets the new flat-plane twin-turbo V8 and makes 530 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque. That’s 34 more horsepower than the 2026 S580 with fewer emissions.
The rear seats are the best place to be in the S-Class with available lounge seating behind the front passenger that allows you to put your feet up and watch a movie on one of the rear screens or attend a zoom call with the built-in cameras. The rear centre armrest stores two iPhone-like devices that are used to control the entertainment, window shades and seating position including the massage, heating and ventilation functions.
Standard on all S-Classes is three screens that go from one door to the other.Kunal D'souza/The Globe and Mail
The passenger screen is not visible to the driver when the car is moving.Kunal D'souza/The Globe and Mail
The driver gets a redesigned dashboard, which has essentially transformed into a massive screen (Mercedes calls it a Superscreen) stretching from door to door split into three sections with a 12.3-inch screen in front of the driver, a 14.6-inch central screen and a 12.3-inch passenger screen that cannot be viewed by the driver when moving.
There’s a new centre console equipped with covered storage, dual wireless phone chargers, USB ports and, for the first time, the new S-Class features heated seatbelts. The belts which don’t look any different from a normal one, feature embedded heating elements that bring its temperature up to 44 degrees Celsius. Mercedes says this encourages the removal of bulky jackets during winter which is recommended for the safe fit of a seatbelt. It’s something that seems gimmicky at first but in practice feels like a warm hug on a cold day, and is a genuinely effective tool at keeping you warm even before the heated seats kick in.
A new advanced driver assistance system uses an array of radar, camera and ultrasonic sensors along with a new liquid-cooled super computer that has 10 times the power of the latest smartphone, according to the company and ready for future applications. It will be capable of Level 2++ semi-autonomous driving, which is essentially a marketing term for a slightly more advanced Level 2 system common in most new cars today. The “++” means it can stop for traffic lights and stop signs and handle lane changes while being monitored by interior cameras. It’s similar to the Tesla system and can be used for hands-free point-to-point navigation.
The rear centre armrest stores two iPhone-like devices that are used to control the entertainment, window shades and seating position.Kunal D'souza/The Globe and Mail
The S-Class driving experience remains unchanged with a pillowy ride and cloud-like seats that will cradle you for hours on a long drive. It’s a big car which can feel out of place on some of the narrower roads in northern Germany where we were driving it, but the suspension keeps the body movement nicely controlled.
Given the space to stretch its legs on the Autobahn, both the versions of the S-Class can reach their limiter of about 255 km/h with remarkable ease. Wind noise is a bigger issue at these speeds, but it really doesn’t get noticeable until you pass 170 km/h or so, which should never be an issue in Canada.
With such a large update, Mercedes is expecting the new S-Class to gain its top spot back in the luxury segment, but the 7 Series which has just as much new technology crammed in it still has an advantage when it comes to powertrains, offering a plug-in hybrid and a fully electric version.
The U.S. will be getting the S580 EQ, a plug-in version of the S-Class, but a spokesperson at Mercedes Canada says plans to bring it here are being investigated. At least for the time being you can still get those heated seatbelts.
The 2027 Mercedes S-Class is produced in Sindelfingen, Germany and should be arriving in dealers by mid-Summer.
Tech specs
2027 Mercedes-Benz S580
- Price: To be announced
- Engine: Four-litre twin turbo V8;
- Horsepower / torque (lb-ft): 530 / 553 plus 23 horsepower from a 48-volt mild hybrid
- Transmission / drive: Nine-speed automatic / AWD
- Curb weight: 2,275 kilograms
- Fuel consumption (litres per 100 kilometres): To be announced
- Alternatives: BMW 7 Series, Audi A8, Tesla Model S, Lucid Air
The new S-Class makes up to 530 horsepower from a new flat-plane twin-turbo V8.Kunal D'souza/The Globe and Mail
The writer was a guest of the automaker. Content was not subject to approval.
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