First look: 2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class

The 2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class has been revealed in all its glory, ready to prevail against stiff competition from the BMW 7 Series and Audi A8.

Of course, the S-Class is more than just an executive limousine. It is the pinnacle of the Mercedes-Benz range, a breakthrough in convenience and safety technology that will gradually trickle down to the E-Class, the C-Class and the A-Class.

The car’s smooth new look will inform the next generation of Mercedes-Benz design, and the vertical display that dominates its dash will become the new standard across the range.

A new S-Class is a big problem, not only for Mercedes-Benz, but also for the motor world. Here are all the details.

2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class exterior

The new S-Class is the latest step in Mercedes-Benz’s drive to remove extraneous lines and wrinkles from its cars. With a long hood, short front overhang and prominent front grille, there are plenty of classic S-Class cues at hand.

But the sides are smoother, the corners more rounded, and the lights slimmer than before, setting the direction for the upcoming E-Class and C-Class sedans.

Recessed door handles (optional) help with aerodynamics and make the sidewalls cleaner to boot, and 18 to 21-inch wheels will be offered.

Lighting has become a battleground for the big German automakers, and the new S-Class aims to up the game with its new digital light technology.

Mercedes says the (optional) flagship lights are capable of projecting warning signals or road markers, thanks to the combination of three powerful LEDs and 1.3 million micro-mirrors.

The system has more than 2.6 million effective pixels to play with, making it a very capable billboard.

2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class interior

The outgoing S-Class debuted with the dual-screen infotainment setup now featured across the entire Mercedes-Benz lineup, from the entry-level A-Class hatchback to the Sprinter station wagon.

The new model still has an incredibly heavy screen, but takes a different approach. The driver is faced with a landscape-oriented 12.3-inch screen with 3D images, yes, no glasses, and an augmented reality head-up display.

Sitting proudly atop the transmission tunnel is a new vertically oriented display that measures 11.9 inches as standard and 12.3 inches with the correct option boxes checked. The larger display features haptic feedback and a higher resolution than the most basic unit.

Aside from a small strip of hard buttons at the bottom of the screen, the new S-Class removes almost all the buttons from its transmission tunnel. Climate controls, audio functions and all menus are located on the giant MBUX screen.

A core element of MBUX is voice recognition, which enables drivers to control the main functions of the car using the natural message “Hey Mercedes”. That functionality now extends to the rear seats as well.

Rear seat passengers can also enjoy their own infotainment screens, provided the correct option boxes are checked. Over-the-air updates for more than 50 features mean the S-Class can stay fresh for a lifetime.

With the right options installed, the new S-Class even features a camera capable of monitoring the cab. If the passenger is not wearing a seatbelt, the car will see and remember him naturally, not with an incessant ‘bong’.

As for the seats? The fronts can house up to 19 motors (no, that’s not a typo) with 10 different massage functions, including a hot stone massage. Even the headrests are heated, an option that extends to the rear seats as well.

No S-Class is what you would call garish on the inside, but the latest version should be quieter than ever thanks to the dark art of aerodynamics. The sleek new body has a coefficient of drag of just 0.22, aided by a host of details scattered throughout.

There are aerodynamic strakes in the mirrors, diagonal struts in the panoramic sunroof, and aerodynamic wheel designs, and the taillights are now two-piece horizontal units because the taller one-piece configuration in the previous S-Class simply caused too much drag.

Along with the aerodynamic changes, there is even more sound damping than before.

2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Engines

The first S-Class to be offered in Australia will be the S450, landing in the second quarter of 2021.

It is powered by a 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder petrol engine with 270 kW of power and 500 Nm of torque, backed by an EQ Boost mild hybrid system capable of adding an additional 250 Nm under load. Torque is sent to all four wheels through a nine-speed automatic transmission.

The 48V starter motor / generator also allows for a smoother starting stop and allows the car to slide down the road with the engine off.

A plug-in hybrid with 100km of electric range is on the horizon, as is a V8 engine option with 48V mild hybrid assist. However, at launch, the entire range will be powered by inline six-cylinder engines. The global lineup is below: ????

Driving Technology Mercedes-Benz S-Class 2021

The new S-Class adds “semi-prop hydropneumatics” to the active air suspension. While air suspension is still available to support the car’s weight and cushion impacts, the hydro-pneumatic system actively supports the car in every corner.

A central control unit manages the four corners of the car with the E-Active Body Control system, pumping hydraulic fluid around the system to better support the wheel that needs it most.

A stereo camera is used to scan the road, actively preparing the car for what lies ahead. It will lean into corners, just like the current GLE.

The system sounds similar (in theory) to the hydraulically linked suspension setup that McLaren debuted on the MP4-12C, which can actively send more support to an individual wheel when it’s about to hit a pothole, or relax a corner when it hits. a big hit.

Even the standard air suspension is smart. In comfort mode, it lowers the car 10 mm when the speedometer goes above 120 km / h and another 10 mm goes above 160 km / h. With a quick movement in sport, the car is lowered by 10mm automatically, while sport plus lowered by 17mm. Ride height can be increased up to 30mm on request at speeds up to 60km / h.

The new S-Class will feature two rear-wheel steering options, the most advanced of which can turn the rear wheels up to 10 degrees at low speed.

Mercedes says that the turning radius of the S-Class with the system installed will be less than 11 meters, putting it on par with the current A-Class.

The full 10 degrees of rear wheel angle will only unfold in the opposite direction to the front wheels at low speeds; Although the rear wheels will turn in unison with the front wheels for more stable handling at high speeds, they won’t. so abruptly.

2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Safety Technology

What you think is the most exciting news when it comes to safety in the new S-Class will depend on where you sit. If you are chauffeured in the rear of a long wheelbase model, the rear airbag should excite you.

Shaped like a baseball catcher’s glove, the rear unit isn’t as “aggressive” as a traditional front airbag, making it safe for children, the elderly, and even car seats.

Mercedes-Benz says that the outside of the airbag, the tubular structure shown above, inflates with compressed gas and will give way to obstacles rather than exploding through them. Only the airbag frame is actively inflated, while the cushion in the middle is filled with air drawn in through a series of valves.

It can be turned off, but there is no rear seat occupant detection when active. In other words, it will fire whether someone is sitting in the back or not.

In a side impact collision is the latest version of Mercedes-Benz’s Pre-Safe system, which uses air suspension to raise the side of the car by 80mm to absorb more load through the side sill, one of the strongest. chassis parts.

Up front, there’s a new center airbag that folds out to prevent the driver and passengers from hitting each other with flailing limbs.

A full range of active driver aids is available to make your life easier. The adaptive cruise control system can now reduce speed predictively before speed limits change, and the autonomous emergency braking system can brake and avoid parked vehicles at speeds of up to 130 km / h, instead of 60 km / h as before.

The updated steering assist system is supported by a new camera system and is designed to be better able to maintain the center of a lane on the highway, be more useful on rural roads, and be more aware of situations where the driver needs to sit on the edge of his lane.

Between 60 and 250 km / h, the new lane-keeping assist setting in the S-Class can react to road edges that are not necessarily painted lines, and Mercedes-Benz says steering movements are more natural. The AR head-up display and ambient lighting are also used to warn errant drivers straying from the course.

The list of driver aids that has been modified continues. The automatic lane change function has been refined, as has the AEB system that is activated when crossing traffic.

Autonomous driving Mercedes-Benz S-Class 2021

Along with updated active safety features, the S-Class is capable of operating as a Level 3 autonomous vehicle when road conditions (and local laws) allow. Mercedes-Benz wants drivers to surf the web or reply to emails (in the right conditions) by the second half of 2021, as an extension of the existing Drive Pilot system.

Initially, it will only be available below 60 km / h. Audi initially planned to offer something similar on the A8, however it scrapped those plans because the legal situation surrounding automated driving is so complicated.

Support for the radar and camera systems required for the driver aid package is a LiDAR sensor, HD mapping and more accurate GPS positioning.

The critical challenge with Level 3 autonomous driving is handover from car to driver and vice versa. When the car reaches the end of a route that it can drive alone, it will ask you to take control.

If the driver does not do so, the car will automatically stop on the side of the road, turn on the hazard lights, and call emergency services.

Drive Pilot will initially be available in Germany, before rolling out to more European countries and the United States.

Level 4 autonomous driving is also available, but only when the driver is not actually in the car. Along with the ability to get in and out of tight parking spaces with no one behind the wheel, the S-Class will be able to navigate multi-story parking lots on its own, provided they are equipped with the right technology, of course. .