The biggest car news and reviews, no BS. Our free daily newsletter sends the stories that really matter directly to you, every weekday. Regardless of make, model, price, or purpose, most cars are just that: cars. Many special nameplates mean a lot to enthusiasts, but only a handful weave themselves into the fabric of automotive history. The S-Class is one of them, boasting a rich bloodline packed with beautiful and breakthrough models over its 140-year history.
I recently drove the 2027 Mercedes-Benz S500 for two days around northern Germany, and got the notion that this luxury sedan’s reign over the segment is far from over. The S-Class has always been synonymous with class, wealth, and top-of-the-line accommodations. Its aura is that of sophisticated panache.
But with buying trends changing worldwide, customers flocking to SUVs, the Chinese market wielding great influence over a flagship’s design and equipment, and the implementation of electrification still a crapshoot at the top end of the market, the new S-Class heads into what’s likely the most challenging season it’s ever faced. The S-Class remains the brand’s flagship model, and rightfully so.
View Price on AmazonThree trims will be coming to the States: 500, 580e, and 580. Three engines will be offered. A mild-hybrid, twin-turbo, 3.0-liter inline-six with 442 horsepower will propel the S500; a plug-in hybrid, twin-turbo, 3.0-liter inline-six with 576 hp will propel the S580e; and the old-school motor of the group—a twin-turbo, 4.0-liter V8 with 530 hp—will propel the S580. All models feature a nine-speed automatic transmission and 4Matic all-wheel drive.
Look at it up close or from a distance, and the 2027 S-Class won’t seem all that different from its predecessor. All of the sedan’s key bits look mostly the same. In reality, the new car is 50% new, according to Mercedes. Over 2,700 new parts were produced for this new model, though I personally couldn’t tell you what they are besides the tweaked grille (which is 20% larger and now features light-up stars throughout), the revised headlights and taillights, and the new wheel designs.
One of those new parts can be found inside the cabin, and boy, what a part it is. The new MBUX Superscreen is now a standard feature in the S-Class, and just like it did in the brand’s EQ models before, it unites three screens (gauge cluster, center screen, and passenger screen) into one obscene slab of glass that masquerades as a dashboard.
The digital speedo directly in front of me won’t stay still, flickering between 160 and 161 miles per hour. I’m right on the limiter and yet hoping that, somehow, someway, the car forgets about its electronic speed governor and lets me continue up to 186 miles per hour. I know it can do it. There was still quite a bit of grunt left, even with the headwinds.
Mercedes will offer 150 exterior colors through its Manufaktur program, as well as 400 interior colors. A couple of unique hues were on display at the event, and they were truly stunning.
Source: thedrive.com
