Latest in S-Class

About S-Class

For half a century the S-Class has been the car that tells the rest of the industry what is coming. Mercedes gave the name to its flagship sedan in 1972, but the line goes back further, and its innovations read like a history of the modern automobile: anti-lock brakes, driver airbags, seatbelt pretensioners, radar cruise control and night vision all arrived on S-Class models before they trickled down to ordinary cars. Heads of state ride in it, chauffeurs swear by it, and its rivals study it closely.

Its generations each have devotees. The W116 introduced the S-Class name and the 6.9-liter muscle sedan, the W126 of 1979 became one of the most durable luxury cars ever built, and the slab-sided W140 of the 1990s was so imposing it became a symbol of excess. Later cars refined the formula with air suspension, massaging seats and ever more electronics. The current W223, launched in 2020, added a large touchscreen, rear-wheel steering and a Level 3 conditionally automated driving system approved in Germany and some American states.

The S-Class sits above the E-Class and alongside the electric EQS, with long-wheelbase versions standard in many markets and Mercedes-Maybach models above it. Rivals include the BMW 7 Series, Audi A8, Lexus LS, Genesis G90 and, at the top end, Bentley and Rolls-Royce. Plug-in hybrid versions are widely sold, and Mercedes has signaled that big V8 and V12 engines will remain part of the plan for buyers who want them. The coverage here tracks reviews and comparison tests, technology debuts, Maybach versions, launches in India, China and the Middle East, recalls, and the stories of vintage S-Classes that have become surprisingly affordable used luxury, sometimes for the price of a new compact car.