Skip to main content

Updates to the Mercedes-Benz S-Class will make it smarter, more efficient

2018 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
Mercedes-Benz is preparing to give its S-Class flagship a midcycle refresh, but don’t be surprised if you can’t tell what’s new — most of the significant updates are tech-related, so they’re invisible to the naked eye.

Currently, the three-year old S-Class can accelerate, brake, and steer on its own in many different conditions as long as the driver keeps his or her hands on the steering wheel. Mercedes has confirmed the updated model is capable of navigating more complex situations that require slowing down, such as bends in the roadway, roundabouts, intersections, toll booths, and highway exits.

Related Videos

More advanced sensors and cameras make the new features possible. The S-Class also analyzes map and navigation data to decide when it needs to slow down. It’s not fully autonomous; you won’t be able to practice playing the epic guitar solo in Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Free Bird during your commute to and from work. But, the updated S-Class is able to assist the driver in more situations, which makes driving more safe and less stressful.

“We are approaching the goal of automated driving more purposefully and faster than many people suspect. From the autumn, the new S‑Class will be able to support its driver considerably better than all systems which have been available to date,” promised Michael Hafner, head of Automated Driving and Active Safety at Mercedes‑Benz.

The S will receive the vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) tech already offered on the latest E-Class. It’s able to “talk” to other Mercedes nearby when it detects a potential hazard such as ice on the road. The E-Class also lends its bigger sibling the remote-controlled parking technology that makes maneuvering into a tight space child’s play.

Mechanically, the S-Class will inaugurate Mercedes’ first straight-six engine in nearly two decades. A variant of AMG’s twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 engine will replace the current car’s 4.7-liter eight, a move expected to yield more power and much better fuel economy. Exact technical specifications won’t be announced until the beginning of the Shanghai show.

The hot-rodded S63 and S65 variants will each receive a bump in power, but AMG isn’t planning a midrange, 43-badged variant of the S-Class for the time being. A plug-in hybrid model capable of driving for about 31 miles on electricity alone will join the lineup a little later in the production run, according to British magazine Autocar, and the updated S-Class will become the first Mercedes to receive a 48-volt mild hybrid system.

The updated Mercedes-Benz S-Class will debut next week at the Shanghai Auto Show, and Digital Trends will be on-location to bring you full specifications and live images of it. It will arrive in United States showrooms later this year as a 2018 model. Look for a pricing announcement and details about the U.S.-spec model before then.

Updated on 04-13-2017 by Ronan Glon: Added new technical specifications.

Editors' Recommendations

BMW i4 vs. Tesla Model 3: Which EV sedan is better?
2022 BMW i4 M50

The BMW i4 and Tesla Model 3 are two of the hottest electric cars on the market today. Both vehicles offer a range of features designed to make driving easy and efficient, as well as attractive styling. But each has its advantages and disadvantages, and there is much that sets them apart in terms of performance, technology, convenience, and cost.

Deciding between the two? That's why we've put together this guide. Here are the differences and similarities between the Tesla Model 3 and BMW i4, and why you might want one over the other.
Design

Read more
How much does an electric car battery cost?
electrify america evgo and chargepoint interoperability agreement for electric car charging station

Electric cars are often hailed as being cheaper to operate and repair than gas-powered cars. It makes sense — on the operation side, you only need to pay for electricity (not gasoline), and on the repair side, there’s no motor or transmission to deal with.

But electric cars have other costly repairs, and while in total they do generally cost less than repairs for gasoline cars, it’s worth knowing about the potential costs ahead of time. Perhaps the most obvious, and one of the most costly, has to do with an electric car’s battery. After all, while all cars have batteries, those in electric cars are far bigger and more advanced — and thus can cost quite a bit to replace.
How much does an electric car battery cost?

Read more
Tesla Cybertruck prototype spotted with minor changes
A Tesla Cybertruck prototype.

What appears to be a new Tesla Cybertruck prototype has been spotted testing on public roads.

As relayed by Electrek, Twitter user Greg posted a photo Thursday showing a Cybertruck with a different front-end design from what we've seen previously. The front bumper has a more distinct rectangular opening, possibly for cooling. This prototype also has triangular side mirrors, as opposed to the squared-off ones seen previously.

Read more