The new Mercedes-Benz S-Class has made its official debut and just as the previous iteration of the opulent sedan did, this latest model promises to redefine what the title “luxury car” truly means.
From launch, the new S-Class will be available in two trim levels: S500 and S580. The S500 models feature a turbocharged 3.0L inline-six engine, along with a 48V mild-hybrid system and a nine-speed automatic transmission. These models are good for 429 horsepower and 383 pound-feet of torque. The more powerful S580, meanwhile, features Mercedes’ twin-turbocharged 4.0L V8 engine and the same 48V mild-hybrid system and nine-speed automatic. This is the more powerful combination of the two, not surprisingly, with a max combined output of 496 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque.
The sedan’s platform, meanwhile, is made of a hybrid steel-aluminum combo that is 132 lbs lighter than the outgoing platform and also significantly stiffer. The regular S-Class has a 122.2-inch long wheelbase, while the long-wheelbase model measures in at 126.5 inches. For comparison, the Cadillac CT6 full-size sedan, which is now out of production, has a 122.4-inch long wheelbase. All new S-Class models will come standard with the automaker’s Airmatic air suspension system, while an additional E-Active Body Control system will be available as an option. The E-Active Body Control system taps into the sedan’s 48V system and uses the electrical energy to counter body pitch and roll for an ultra-plush ride. This system also reads the bumps and curves in the road ahead and pre-adjusts the suspension accordingly for ideal comfort.
The cabin of the latest S-Class is as luxurious as ever and features a large 12.8-inch OLED touchscreen display with haptic feedback. This massive “waterfall” style screen is joined by a standard, horizontally-mounted digital driver’s display, but customers can also opt for a full 3D digital display that produces real three-dimensional graphics without the need for special glasses. There’s also an optional Head-Up Display with augmented reality graphics, which projects 3D graphics and icons onto the road in front of the driver. Like most other current day Mercedes vehicles, the new S-Class features the brand’s own onboard AI assistant, which allows the user to adjust various settings within the vehicle using voice commands. The AI assistant is activated by saying “Hey Mercedes.”
More information on the 2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class, including pricing and availability, will be announced closer to its market launch next year.
While Cadillac is without a direct rival to the S-Class right now, the automaker is currently working on the ultra-luxurious Celestiq electric sedan – though the Celestiq is still very far away from production.
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Comments
Interior sucks my hairy sack, however, it is still eons above Cadillac. With Mary at helm, look for sweaters and inclusiveness.
I like it. Looks ridiculous, like a yacht; just an an S-class interior should.
The 2021 Escalade interior is 10x nicer though; but GM is (will be) the only one utilizing curved oleds.
Cadillac had a competitor last year called the ct6 blackwing. It probably was not as refined, but was a horse power monster capable of nearly 200 mph. Unfortunately, crazy Mary cancelled it.
Cadillac is not a competitor for Mercedes-Benz. Not even close, not in the same league at all.
Having said that, the new S-Class is an amazing car that I wish there were an American rival to. Seeing the back-to-back reveals of the new S-Class and new Ghost puts in stark contrast the fact that America has no automotive brand in the luxury realm. Cadillac is now, in my opinion, a ‘near-luxury’ brand that has elements of a luxury brand but is cost-focused with their offerings based on high volume components and intended to sell to the masses.
Anyone who disagrees with that assessment should watch the Ghost reveal video and the one for the S-Class. There’s simply no comparison between them and Cadillac and yet, at various times in history, the former Wreath and Crest brand did legitimately compete with those storied carmakers.
Right now Cadillac’s main competition appears to be Acura and perhaps Ininiti.
And yet the S-Class is used as taxi cabs and fleet use all over the world…talk about prestige, no? Yep, your equivalent German Crown Vic.
So Cadillac “near-luxury,” you say?
Which is the German nameplate that will sell you mini cargo vans, Amazon/plumbers vans, a 45 year old military vehicle, FWD econoboxes, garbage trucks, freight trucks, sedans for fleet/taxi use in your choice of S-M-L, and last, those same models in the rest of the market you can find them in plebian form rivaling a VW. If you can classify this German nameplate “luxury” then you must be getting your jewelry from Sears and thinking you got opulent jewlery.
I don’t have anything against the S Class and is a car that took over the segment where the Fleetwood Sixty Special and Fleetwood 70 series left off years ago. If GM had left Cadillac alone and gave them greater autonomy, perhaps the S Class would not been seen as the best as it is today?
But there is nothing special about the Mercedes’ image and prestige. Those days are gone and there are way too many Benz and so-called Benzes on the road today.
If Mercedes Benze is so special to you then why are they cutting the S Class Coupe and convertible and won’t see a light of day for the next generation due to electrification? Also, keep in mind that Daimler is losing money due to the pandemic and is cutting certain models in their line-up, mostly coupes and convertibles from their sedan lineup. Even the GT four coupe is going away same as the CLS. Talking about your golden star being on the grill that’s already tarnished as the days go by.
Celestiq for the Maybach top end and CT5 for E-Class, for now no S-Class vehicle in America. The CT6 is still available in China.
Not even close. Different customers, different culture.
Diamond-stitched seats still look tacky, whether on a Bentley or a Benz.
Agree completely, and it seems like practically every luxury car brand around offers them – hate ’em.
Like many things, less is more. A little diamond quilting is nice but the problem is that it’s usually overdone even, as CWC says, on cars like a Bentley.
Fingerprints all over the world will be ecstatic when they come in for a landing on that glossy dashboard.
Cadillac and Lincoln are going SUV and has left this market to the Import Luxury Brands, American only has Chrysler 300 to look to for a RWD Luxury Brand
A Chrysler 300 is not a luxury car. It might be a ‘near luxury’ model too but I think it’s really an Impala competitor more than anything,
Chrysler is way above Chevrolet and The 300 is more on Cadillac Sedan De Ville level , Wht ever that would be on Cadillac models today than any Impala model issued
So why Chrysler have two models than? One car that had not been redesigned since ’11 and a minivan that seems to struggle to set itself apart from the competition.
FCA, now Stallantis, is a mess and is a joke among the auto world. Chrysler and Dodge are getting by and would not exist thanks to Jeep and Ram.
The Sedan Deville is on another level that had prestige back in the day where the first gen. 300 was doing O.K. sales-wise till FCA took over and muddled the image of the second generation car to the ground and could not get out of a sales rut since.
The Chrysler 300 is not a luxury car, it is a near luxury model like a Buick.
Just to be clear…Cadillac doesn’t even have an E Class Competitor let alone anything remotely close to the S Class.
It is a complete shame what GM has done to the Cadillac Brand.
When is everyone gonna realize this is America and everything is different here. When in Rome, be a Roman. The S-Class is European luxury, which is luxury and speed. American luxury is luxury and practicality (space, towing, etc). Does Cadillac have a direct competitor to the S-Class? They tried somewhat with the CT6, but failed, just as Burger King failed to Compete with Chic-fil-a in the chicken sandwich market. So GM is doing what Burger King should do, stick to building burgers. I wonder which is more profitable, an S-Class or an Escalade? Also, I don’t hear anyone bashing Mercedes boring @$$ SUV’s for not being competitive to the GM SUV’s. Burger King makes burgers, Chic-fil-a makes chicken sandwiches, it is what it is. This is why FCA is going up right now, they know their market, they know their niche, they know who they are and what people see in them and like about them. GM should do the same and build upon it. Don’t be what you can’t.
mercedes suv’s aren’t competitive? are you kidding?
nobody bashes them because they are pretty good.
car and driver 10 best luxury suv’s for 2020. no cadillacs but there are a few mercedes.
No, talk real trucks, not what what a bunch of cuckold, suburban bubble-boys at Car& Whiners about “whoooo! 0-60!!”. I don’t look for German garbage for truck longevity..
It’s a global auto market now therefore we are all Romans. Both GM & Benz sell more vehicles in China than the US and a fair share in Latin. If Americans craved comfort sedans Lincoln would have turned a corner with Continental.
Ct-6 is mechanically solid driving like a small mid-sizer than boat proving GM can build class leading sedans as well as SUVs. It needs a total reskin with extreme attention given to interiors. Because it will sell in small batches it should be a Chinese import as it dosen’t doesn’t warrant two production lines. (Chinese J/)V practices are unfair but this program would produce few US jobs due to low segment sales).
I still think Cadillac is doomed. Mark Ruess said electrification was the brands last chance and this ridiculous IQ-based naming nomenclature is a bad indicator of what’s to come. German automakers use alfa numeric naming due to the various languages spoken in Europe and the world. US- based Carmakers face the same challenge even in N America. Untimely Buick/GMC with Hummer may become GM’s cash cow.
I get kinda tired of having Chinese customers decide what U.S. cars I get to choose from. Global market and all that. Is GM a Chinese car company in everything but name?
its 2020 and the most powerful country in the world with great auto traditions and history does not even have a world class car that could fight against the S-class.
This is a joke. GM,Ford,FCA what the *uck is wrong with you?
As for the S class. Dont like that driver’s screen, but materials and tech look great.
Didn’t read what i posted above? America will never be competitive in that market. In fact, that market is becoming a niche market. You complaining about GM not having an S-Class competitor is like complaining about Mercedes not having a competitor to the Silverado. Think about it…
Cadillac doesn’t build a sedan comparable to the S-class sedan; but given the sales volume is extremely small, it would be virtually impossible for Cadillac to sell enough cars to turn a profit.. this is why Cadillac needs to consider building a variant of the Escalade powered by a 650 hp LT4 supercharged 6.2L V8.
The last thing you want in a luxury sedan is a cheap LS engine. It’s a pushrod and sends too many vibrations to the cabin. The Cadillac should have a DOHC.
Putting an LTx engine gives what Germans don’t have… reliability.
Absolutely false, the Mercedes DOHC V8 is known to be very reliable. The air suspension is known to go out on the S-class better known the ABC malfunction. If you actually do research on these vehicles then you would find that the drivetrain is bulletproof. You cannot bulletproof things like air suspension no matter what brand it is.
I always been Cadillac fan, but Mercedes is another level in luxury. Cadillac doesn’t have flagship luxury sedan. What a shame.
Another difference—the new S-Class was revealed today, there’s buzz and talk about it today, and guess what? It’s already begun production. Mercedes didn’t do a big unveiling and then say oh it’ll be on sale sometime in 2 to 4 years like Cadillac/GM does regularly.
Maybe GM should just do concepts? Avista and Envision would have been game changers for Buick much like Ciel and Lyriq for Cadillac. Impala for Chevrolet.
GM creates hype and then lets down critics and consumers with final products. It harms General Motors, is a waste of money and time.
Oh Gawd, here we go again. The daily Cadillac bashing……..
Where is BWMs “Direct Rival”?
Audi’s?
Lexus?
Lincoln’s?
Infiniti?
Genesis?
Yes, they all (except Lincoln) have similarly large, very expensive luxury sedans with powerful engines (and often better looking interiors).
But their pricing is SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER than the S. The last time I checked the S started at over $90k. The S is a thing unto itself. No automaker, no matter where on Earth they call home, has ever bested it.
It’s also worth noting that US sales of the S have been dropping like the proverbial rock along with most sedans of Its type. 2014 was the most recent high at 24,500. 2019 was 12,500. Off 50% in 5 years. Let THAT sink in.
And so far this year: 4000.
No automaker would invest hundreds of millions to chase that.
interesting that you have genesis on that list. they’ve done more
to elevate their brand in 5 years than cadillac has done in 20.
also you are forgetting the biggest auto market in the world. i’d bet sales in china make the s-class worthwhile for mercedes.
12500 is still a phenomenal number for a German made car that probably transactions at $90k plus and is the last year of the current design.
TIGGER:
Sure. But it’s not as phenomenal as 24,500.
People seem to not know that the German manufacturers can afford to have a poor selling model like the S-class because they are directly subsidized by the German government.
Anytime you are still using pushrods in a supposedly luxury brand, you deserve to be bashed.
Does that goes the same with German “reliability”?.
Who said Cadillac has good reliability?
Same with Benz/BMW…
GM miss management HAS NO CLUE WHAT CADILLAC IS OR IS SUPPOSED TO BE! Only thing for sure is GM miss management will strangle Cadillac into oblivion by there total lack of vision and crippling cheapness…… Sad that such a group of disappointing failures that run GM have been allowed to destroy Cadillac and soon all of GM….
Lol, what Cadillac is supposed to be?! A convertible Escalade with bull horns on the hood I guess. American luxury isn’t the same as German luxury. Just as American pickups with never be the same as German pickups, if there really is any.
Mercedes has one thing going for it that Cadillac has woefully mis-managed; model continuity. The S-class has always been Mercedes flagship. Some generations are better than others but it’s always been their flagship. E-class has always been their mid-size volume leader. SL their roadster, etc. Cadillac changes their model designations and place in the lineup every year. The only exception? Escalade. And look how well that dressed up Tahoe sells. Cadillac must pick a model and line strategy and constantly refine it to build a reputation and clientele. Changing the model name when something doesn’t sell Is stupid. Does GM ever stop to consider perhaps a specific model doesn’t sell at various times is because it’s a poor product? Corvette is another good example of model continuity. When they are good, they sell. When they’re not or get stale, they don’t. First rule of establishing a reputation is to be consistent
I just bought 2 Cadillacs. SUV for my wife, sedan for myself. Looked at Mercedes, Audi, Alfa Romeo, BMW. They all had pros and cons versus each brand. Some brands fit you better based solely on your physical size. An opulent interior doesn’t mean it’s comfortable to everyone. I don’t need 500 Hp to drive to work, I have other muscle cars in my stable to fit that need. Cadillac does offer luxury. With that they also offer affordability, realistic financing, and proven reliability with warranty. The rest is personal preference. Personally I didn’t think the BMW or Audi looked as pleasing as the Cadillac. The Alfa, though beautiful, wasn’t as comfortable for my wife or myself. The Mercedes tucked all boxes except for pricing and finance rates. Again, pros and cons based on personal taste. Like anything in life, if you’re happy with it, the opinions of others don’t really matter.
I get kinda tired of having Chinese customers decide what U.S. cars I get to choose from. Global market and all that. Is GM a Chinese car company in everything but name?
@CWC:
Ok, I’ll bite.
1: What do GM and/or Chinese customers have to do with the new S Class?
2: And what do Chinese customers have to do with what YOU can buy?
Please reply. I’d like to know why you posted that.
BIG NEWS… GM is now number one in exports!!!! Yes GM has done it! GM is NUMBER ONE again. GM is Americas number one exporter of American jobs overseas… Finally miss management has found something they can be number one at! Look it up if you don’t believe me… Anothe milestone for GM!!!!
It’s an awesome car. But I don’t like the dash. Hate all cars that look like they have an Ipad glued onto the dash, including Teslas. The screen should be built in, not tacked on.
That sounds a lot like sour grapes.
Sure Mercedes makes lesser vehicles, and certainly in Europe it doesn’t have the same “luxury only” reputation that it does in America.
That absolutely does not address the fact that the S-Class is a stellar luxury automobile that plays in a world Cadillac can only dream of. Compared to the S-Class, Cadillacs are rough, harsh, uncivilized, scratchy plastic and cheap leather-festooned mass-market-mobiles.
Granted, probably 75% of that reason is because Cadillac doesn’t even make a vehicle that would even compete against the S, so one wouldn’t expect their lower models to have the same level of luxury and quality. But then again, that’s the entire thrust of the article. Cadillac doesn’t play in this space, and I think it’s because they’re afraid to; they know they’re simply not good enough, or aren’t allowed to be good enough, to put something up that could take on the S-Class, 7-Series, A8, or LS.
*MAYBE* the new Escalade comes close that level, but that’s one model against a sea of mediocrity.
I dugg some of you post as I cerebrated they were very helpful handy