New Mercedes Benz S-Class To Launch On 17 June | V3Cars

The 7th-gen Mercedes Benz S-Class made its global debut in September 2020. It not only gets an all-new design, new features and new engines but has also grown in size. 

The new S-Class follows the same design theme that we have seen on the E-Class facelift. Upfront, it gets sleek headlamps flanking the horizontally slatted inverted grille. The bumper is also redesigned with a large air dam running across its width. 

The side profile looks clean with new flush-fitting door handles and a thick chrome element running across the wheelbase of the sedan underlining the lower door shut lines. The new S-Class is offered with wheel sizes ranging from 18-to 21-inches. At the back, the new S-Class looks similar to any other new Mercedes Benz sedan on sale. It gets teardrop-shaped tail lamps connected by a chrome element running across the sedan’s width. 

On the inside, the new S-Class gets a completely redesigned cabin. The most noticeable change has to be the removal of the connected screen setup. It now gets two separate screens. A 12.3-inch screen for the instrument cluster and a 12.8-inch portrait-oriented screen for the infotainment system. The AC vents are also repositioned and redesigned as they are now rectangular compared to the circular AC vents seen on the previous-gen model. 

In terms of engines, the India-spec S-Class will be offered with two engine options: 400d 4MATIC (diesel) and 450 4MATIC (petrol). These are the same engines that are found on the GLS SUV. The 450d gets a 3.0-litre diesel engine that makes 330PS and 700Nm. The 450, on the other hand, is powered by a 3.0-litre twin-turbo petrol engine that makes 367PS and 500Nm. Both the engines will be mated to a 9-speed automatic transmission and a 4MATIC 4WD system. 

Bought in India as a CBU, the new S-Class will initially be offered in India in Launch Edition only. So, it might lose out on some features that will be available on the locally assembled sedan at a later stage. That said, being an S-Class even the Launch Edition won’t disappoint you in terms of features. 

Being a chauffeur-driven sedan, it has enough to pamper the rear seat occupants. It will get a bench seat setup with electrically adjustable leg rests for the outer seats. It is also equipped with a rear-seat entertainment system which will be controlled by a tablet placed in the rear centre armrest. This tablet can be used to control other car functions as well like ambient lighting and the climate control system. For safety, the new S-Class will also get unique front airbags for the rear occupants.

Although the S-Class is more about rear-seat comfort, Mercedes Benz has done enough to please the uber-rich when they plan to get behind the wheel. It gets massage functions for the front seats, ambient lighting and Burmester 4D surround sound system. It also gets Mercedes’ new ‘Digital Light’ LED headlamps that are capable of projecting symbols and guidelines onto the road surface. The Launch Edition is also equipped with rear-wheel steering effectively reducing the turning radius of the flagship sedan. 

Mercedes also offers the Maybach S-Class in India so expect the new-gen Maybach S-Class to launch here soon after the standard model. The new S-Class will continue to take on likes of the BMW 7 Series, Audi A8 L, Lexus LS 500h and the Jaguar XJ. It is likely to be priced at a premium over the current model which starts at Rs 1.41 crore (ex-showroom India).