Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Cars
  3. News

2015 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe: Rumor Roundup: UPDATE

Stephen Edelstein
By

Regardless of what Cadillac may say, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class is the luxury-car standard of the world. 

Preferred by everyone from tyrannical dictators to tyrannical Wall Street bankers, the S-Class is the definition of a flagship luxury sedan and serves a preview for technologies that inevitably trickle down to the mainstream.

Yet it’s easy to forget that the S-Class has a sibling. 

Related

Mercedes has made a two-door S-Class on and off for years. Currently called the CL-Class, it’s always been in the shadow of its more practical brother.

The company hopes to change that with the CL’s replacement, now known simply as the S-Class Coupe. Based on the 2014 S-Class sedan, it’s set to arrive soon. 

Here’s everything we know so far.

Styling

The S-Class Coupe’s primary reason for existing is to look better than its four-door sibling. While it rides on the same platform as the sedan, lopping off two doors makes the designers’ job easier.

They seem to have completely phoned in the current, conservatively-styled CL-Class, which might explain its lack of popularity. That shouldn’t be a problem for the 2015 S-Class Coupe.

That’s because the production car will be based on the striking Concept S-Class Coupe unveiled last fall at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show. 

While some of the more fanciful details won’t make it to production, the overall shape should be a shoo-in. 

It gives this admittedly large car a long and low appearance which, as any Detroit car designer from the 1960s will tell you, is a recipe for success.

An image leaked by Autofilou confirms the production car’s closeness to the concept. It’s still quite low, with a sleek roofline, and features a cleaned-up version of the concept’s front end. The creases running down the sides of the concept have also carried over to the production version.

Powertrain

Since the S-Class Coupe is technically part of the same model range as the sedan, it will almost certainly have the same powertrain options.

That means the “volume seller” will be the S550, with a 4.7-liter twin-turbocharged V8 producing 455 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque.

Buyers will also be able to choose an S600 with a 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged V12, good for 523 hp and 612 lb-ft. 

Both engines will likely be offered with the same seven-speed automatic transmission as they are in the sedan. Mercedes’ 4Matic all-wheel drive system will probably be offered on at least one model.

Then there are the obligatory AMG performance versions.

Again, assuming the S-Class Coupe follows the lead of the sedan, there will be an S63 AMG with a twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter V8 producing 577 hp and 664 lb-ft, and an S65 AMG with a twin-turbocharged V12 producing 621 hp and 738 lb-ft.

Interior

The 2014 S-Class sedan was somewhat of an upheaval for Mercedes interior design, and the Concept S-Class Coupe pushed things even further.

Aside from some rather funky shapes, it featured “black diamond” trim made from a process that involves depositing precious metal on a high-sheen chrome surface at 1,830 degrees Fahrenheit.

There were also hand-sewn calfskin seats, and a hand-sen silk headliner.

Whether any of that will make it to the production car remains to be seen, but the sportier three-spoke steering wheel probably will. 

Expect a pair of 12.3-inch TFT displays to serve as a gauge cluster and infotainment screen, just as they do on the S-Class sedan.

The real question is: Will the S-Class Coupe get the sedan’s perfume dispenser?

Technology

An important part of the S-Class mystique is the car’s role as a technological leader. Industry experts look to the S-Class to see what features will wind up on future cars.

Mercedes didn’t disappoint techists with the S-Class sedan, and many of its gee-whiz features will probably wind up on the coupe.

The Concept S-Class Coupe shown at Frankfurt featured Mercedes’ Magic Body Control, an adaptive suspension system that uses a camera to scan the road ahead for obstacles and adjust everything accordingly. 

It seems logical that this feature would wind up on the production car.

The concept also featured MoodGrid music software, which can compile playlists from a catalog of around 18 million songs automatically. That could come in handy on a long road trip, assuming the robot knows what the humans like.

Finally, the production 2015 S-Class Coupe may also get the phalanx of safety features Mercedes introduced on the S-Class sedan.

That includes a Driver Assistance suite with Active Lane Keeping Assist, Active Blind Spot Assist, and Distronic Plus, which has limited autonomous-steering capability.

But wait, there’s more. On the S-Class sedan, Driver Assistance also includes automatic braking. The Collision Prevention Assist Plus feature can initiate braking at speeds up to 124 mph, and completely stop a car from 31 mph. 

That means the 2015 S-Class Coupe should be a good-looking, luxurious cruiser that can practically drive itself.

UPDATE: We added a leaked photo that reportedly depicts the production S-Class Coupe.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Stephen Edelstein
Stephen Edelstein
Contributing Editor
Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…
Mercedes is finally bringing an electric van to the U.S.
Front three quarter view of the 2024 Mercedes-Benz eSprinter electric van.

Mercedes-Benz might be known for luxury cars, but it also makes vans, and it's finally bringing an electric van to the United States.

Scheduled to start production this summer, the 2024 Mercedes-Benz eSprinter is an all-electric version of the Sprinter full-size cargo van that's already a favorite of delivery services like FedEx and Amazon, as well as camper van converters. While the automaker has been selling electric vans in Europe since 2010, the new eSprinter is the first one aimed at the U.S. market.

Read more
2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV preview: The EV lineup grows again
Front three quarter view of the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV.

As Mercedes-Benz has steadily expanded its EQ range of electric cars, the lineup has become a bit like the late stages of a Tetris game. It’s mostly complete, but with a few gaps still left. And the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV is the piece that perfectly fits one of them.
Mercedes recently launched two other electric SUVs at opposite ends of the price spectrum. The EQS SUV is positioned as the lineup’s flagship, while the EQB is the entry-level model. The EQE SUV slots between those two in size and, presumably, price. The latter hasn’t been confirmed yet, and likely won’t be until the EQE SUV’s planned March 2023 on-sale date.

Design
As the name says, the EQE SUV is a utility-vehicle version of the EQE sedan, which will likely beat it to showrooms by a few months. Mercedes did the same thing with the EQS, which is available in both SUV and sedan body styles.
With its tall, upright profile, the EQE SUV definitely looks like a proper SUV compared to the low-slung EQE sedan. Park it next to an EQS SUV, though, and you’ll have to get out a measuring tape to spot the differences.
The EQE SUV is 0.6 inch narrower and 1.2 inches lower than the EQS SUV, but the most significant difference is in length. The EQE SUV is 10.3 inches shorter than the EQS SUV, with a 2.1-inch shorter wheelbase. And while the EQS SUV has three-row seating, the EQE SUV has two rows. Based on our experience with the EQS SUV’s third row, that’s not a big loss.
The interior design theme carries over from other Mercedes EQ models, with an expansive sloping dashboard designed to accommodate many screens, and multicolor ambient lighting that should look pretty dramatic at night. However, leatherette upholstery is standard, rather than real leather, which Mercedes is now spinning as a vegan option.

Read more
We need more 7-passenger EVs, but the 2023 Mercedes EQS SUV has room to improve
Front three quarter view of the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV.

Mercedes-Benz is continuing to expand its EV lineup, this time with a model aimed at (wealthy) families.
As the name states, the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV is an SUV derivative of the EQS sedan. With the EQS sedan positioned as the electric analog to the Mercedes S-Class, the EQS SUV is the electric version of the GLS-Class. And like that vehicle, the EQS SUV is available with up to seven seats across three rows.
That makes the EQS SUV an important vehicle not just for Mercedes, but for the cause of EV adoption in general. While the Tesla Model X and Rivian R1S also offer three rows for family-hauling duty, there’s a lot more room in the market for another entry. Given the popularity of equivalent gasoline luxury SUVs like the GLS, Land Rover Range Rover, and Cadillac Escalade, the EQS SUV arrives not a moment too soon.
The EQS SUV is scheduled to reach U.S. dealerships this fall in three guises. The base rear-wheel-drive EQS 450+ starts at $105,550 with destination, while the all-wheel drive EQS 450 4Matic and EQS 580 4Matic start at $108,550 and $127,100, respectively. Although it will be built in Alabama, the EQS SUV won’t qualify for the revised federal EV tax credit because it exceeds the $80,000 price cap for SUVs.

Design and interior
A defining feature of Mercedes’ EQ lineup is aerodynamic bodywork aimed at maximizing range. The typical SUV is not aerodynamically ideal, but Mercedes managed to achieve an impressively low drag coefficient for an SUV — at 0.26, it’s close to the Toyota Prius. But function clearly took precedence over form. Mercedes deserves credit for not going in the polarizing direction BMW did with its two-row iX SUV, but the EQS SUV looks like a melting scoop of ice cream.
More disappointing is the third row, which should be the EQS SUV’s defining feature, but seems more like a useless afterthought. Adults will find it difficult to insert themselves into the third-row seats, let alone tolerate riding in them. As in most three-row vehicles, the rear seats also pretty much eliminate cargo space. And if you want to fold them down to create more cargo room, you’ll have to do it manually as Mercedes didn’t include a power-folding system — a bit disappointing for a six-figure car. The EQS SUV also lacks a frunk; like the EQS sedan, the hood is sealed.
The EQS SUV looks like a melting scoop of ice cream.

Read more