2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class: Our first look at new luxury
Cars
[MUSIC]
Yep, we are getting a new Mercedes Benz S Class, y'all.
This luxury sedan enters its seventh generation for 2021 and everything gets a huge makeover.
Let's check out the six top features for this very first look.
First of all, let's talk mbu x but I'm just going to call it m bucks because it's easier This is the second generation of Mercedes latest infotainment system and it goes big running on up to five screens, five.
A 12.3 inch driver display and a portrait oriented OLED.
12.8 inch centre screen are both standard.
To 11.6 inch screens for rear passengers and a seven inch portable tablet that can be used outside of the vehicle are all optional.
Now what's cool about those rear screens is that they offer the full inbox experience so a passenger can set driving directions or a radio station and then virtually send that information to the driver.
Further, the drivers digital display can be set with different themes as well as an optional 3D effect.
Yeah, that's right.
The screen uses driver facing camera to see when you're looking at the gauge cluster.
And then it can kind of morph to give it a three dimensional effect without the need for special glasses.
It's really subtle and it's really cool and thankfully, you can turn it off if it starts to give you a headache.
MBUX also has expanded information offerings.
The assistant can ask you trivia questions, and inexplicably it can play animal sounds.
Hey, Mercedes.
How may I help you
How does an elephant sound like?
[SOUND]
I mean, I never really needed to hear an elephant while driving, but I guess it could prove useful for something?
Navigation in M bucks has featured augmented reality from the get go and now that tech spills over to the head up display.
Animated arrows clearly show over the upcoming turn comes in and it appears to be at a distance of about 32 feet in front of the car.
Mercedes brags that that makes its head up display the equivalent of a 77 inch screen.
The S Class will also feature rear seat airbags, a first for a production car.
They only come on the executive line trim and they just pull out of the backs of the front seats in an initial wing shaped structure.
After that is inflated and airbag deploys between those wings.
Of course, this all happens in a split second, get Mercedes says the tubular structure of the rear seat airbags can deploy more gently than the front seat airbags.
With less risk of injury, if the rear seat is in a reclined position and airbag under the seat cushion inflates to keep the passenger from sliding under the lap belt.
And those belt buckles.
Yeah, you can get them illuminated so you can see them better in the dark because of course.
Alright, let's talk a little bit about performance.
The new S class will be available with all wheel drive only in the United States.
That's right, no more rear wheel drive, the sp 500.
It has a three liter inline six cylinder engine with 429 horsepower and 384 pound feet of torque.
That's a bump in both power and torque from the current model.
The s5 ad with a four liter by turbo V8 gets a boost in horsepower as well to 496 ponies, but torque remains the same at 516 pound feet of twist.
Both engines get Mercedes EQ boost mild hybrid tech that can add an extra 21 horsepower and 184 pound feet of torque to help with acceleration.
Rear axle steering has been a feature of German luxury brands for a while, but the S Class is the first Mercedes to get the extra maneuverability.
What's really cool here is that drivers have a choice of steering degree 4.5 degrees or 10 degrees, which should decrease the turning radius of an S Class to under 36 feet.
The system steers the rear wheels in the opposite direction of the front wheels at speeds under 37 miles per hour.
Now there is nothing I like more than a luxurious seat and the S Class should cradle my hind quarters in absolute bliss.
Now of course there's heating and ventilation I'd expect nothing less but for 2021 the seat heaters are combined with the inflatable air chamber so the intensity is improved.
Plus the class will come with no less than 10 massage programmes 1-234-567-8910 each with two stages of intensity, and depending on the programme, the massage can last anywhere from eight to 18 minutes.
Yes, please.
Mercedes driver assistance features have always been super smart and in the new s class they get even more powerful.
For 2021 the adaptive cruise control gets predictive speed regulation and the active steering assist should be more useful on twisty back roads.
The traffic sign technology can now recognise stop signs and red lights and warn the driver if they're about to do something highly illegal like just drive right on through.
The car will even change lanes for you searching for an opening and traffic for 15 seconds instead of 10 as in the current s5.
However, I think the coolest feature is how the S Class can basically read your mind.
It can sense your intention to get out of the car and gives an audible and visual alert if there's an oncoming car bike or jogger.
And the best part.
All this stuff comes standard on every model, which is pretty darn awesome.
Finally at the 2021 s class will get electric door handles that deploy when the driver approaches or when that surface is touched.
Sure it's a little thing but you can't expect a car loaded with this much tech to have analog door handles Can you plus it changes the car's silhouette just a little bit making it appear more sleek and sophisticated.
Now we know that the S Class will arrive in showrooms in the first half of 2021.
But we don't know about price just yet.
The current s class starts at around $94,000 for the S 450 with rear wheel drive.
Goes up to about $107,000 for the S 560.
With all wheel drive.
With all this new technology and luxury I would not be surprised if the new s 500.
Break six figures with no options that we'll have to get closer to launch to know for sure.
