Mercedes-Benz S-Class 2020 first drive

There will certainly be no lack of choice, then. But what of the looks, which are always a key S-Class identifier? The evolutionary styling changes brought to the exterior should go down well within the conservative realm of luxury car buyers. It’s a predictable update that brings a much bolder grille, more angular headlights (which offer as an option Mercedes’ outstanding Digital Light technology), traditionally smooth and unadorned flanks and new LED tail-lights that extend into the rear of a sloping bootlid to set up a rear-end appearance similar to that of the Mercedes-Benz CLS.

In the UK, every S-Class will get the sporty AMG styling pack as standard. For the first time on any Mercedes, customers can choose between two different types of door handles. Conventional grip handles similar to those used by the current generation of Mercedes models come as standard, while new flush-fitting electrically operated handles that pop out when you approach the car with the key fob are an option.

These optional handles are part of a wide range of aerodynamic developments made to the S-Class, including an almost flat underbody, that combine to provide the car with a class-leading drag coefficient of 0.22Cd, down from 0.24Cd.

This improvement in efficiency comes despite a moderate increase in dimensions: the S-Class is 34mm longer, 55mm wider and 12mm taller than before overall. It also receives a wheelbase extended by 51mm over its predecessor, up to 3216mm, in long-wheelbase guise.

The basis for the new S-Class is a heavily re-engineered version of Mercedes’ MRA (Modular Rear Architecture) platform. A key development is the new Rear Wheel Steering system, which buyers can specify with two different levels of steering assistance to the rear wheels: one bringing a steering angle of up to 4.5deg, as fitted to our test car, and another, more advanced arrangement, an angle of up to 10deg.

As a result, the turning circle of the long-wheelbase S-Class 4Matic is reduced by 0.9m to 11.9m or by 1.9m to an impressive 10.9m. The standard suspension mates Mercedes’ AirMatic set-up with the latest generation of its ADS+ adaptive damping control. This is offered alongside an advanced new E-Active Body Control set-up from the latest GLE and GLS.

It’s an appealingly uncluttered driving environment with a fitting richness to the materials – and it all proves relatively straightforward to operate right from the moment you hit the start button. Overall, there are 27 fewer analogue controls than before, with the emphasis shifted to swipe, conversational voice and gesture controls via Mercedes’ MBUX operating system, which is said to have 50% more computing power than the Comand system used by the previous S-Class.

Accessing the various functions via the main menu within the central touchscreen is easy, although it takes more time to familiarise yourself with the deeply stacked submenus. There’s no rotary controller any more, and the fiddly touchpad incorporated into recent Mercedes has thankfully been consigned to history, too. Supplementing the two high-definition displays is a terrific new head-up display featuring augmented reality functions for the first time within a much larger display area than before.

Another noteworthy option is the new flagship Burmester 4D sound system, which has 31 speakers and subwoofers integrated within the backrests of each of the front seats. The rear, meanwhile, can be specified with two high-definition 11.6in touchscreens mounted on the back of the front seats, also using the MBUX operating system, in combination with a portable tablet through which occupants can access various functions both inside and within close proximity of the car when the ignition is triggered.

While accommodation up front is virtually unchanged, the rear benefits from an additional 16mm of head room, 24mm of leg room and 11mm of elbow room compared with the old S-Class in long-wheelbase guise. Boot capacity has also been increased, by 20 litres to 550 litres.

Overall, there are 10 airbags as standard, all situated up front. A further eight airbags can be added to the rear as an option, including newly developed ones that deploy from the backs of the front seats. In addition, Mercedes has provided the new S-Class with more than 20 standard driver assistance systems.

Although it doesn’t improve on the power and torque of its predecessor, the S500 4Matic’s carried-over six-cylinder engine delivers its power fluently and smoothly, if not quite with the silken qualities of some rivals. With great low-end urgency thanks to the combination of both combustion engine and electric motor propulsion, a highly flexible mid-range and an eager top end, it also provides the initial range-topping S-Class variant with the sort of performance to allow it to challenge V8-powered rivals for outright drivability and speed.

The S500 4Matic adopts the latest in Mercedes’ EQ Boost mild-hybrid technology, including a gearbox-mounted integrated starter-motor that provides an additional 21bhp and 184lb ft under acceleration, taking the car’s overall torque loading to 568lb ft – rather generous by six-cylinder standards.

As before, drive is channelled through an in-house-produced nine-speed automatic gearbox and the 4Matic system, which uses a central differential to apportion drive between the front and rear wheels.

All up, there are four different preset driving modes: Eco, Comfort, Sport and Sport Plus. An additional Individual mode allows you to tailor the characteristics of the steering, throttle and damping to your liking.

It’s in Comfort mode where the new S-Class is at its compelling best. Here, the electromechanical steering (in combination with the milder of the optional rear-axle steering systems) is light but encouragingly accurate; the engine is suitably subdued in stop-start traffic and at constant cruising speeds; and the ride, at least on the optional air suspension of our test car, is superbly supple in its actions, almost as if it’s gliding, totally isolated from its surroundings.

On smooth German roads, it filters out small bumps with outstanding shock absorption and great isolation from the road surface. Its overall refinement is truly exceptional, making it a very cosseting car to travel in over extended distances. There may be a distant hint of exhaust roar as engine revs rise before the gearbox quickly chooses a higher ratio but, like the lick of wind around the door-mirror housings and road noise, it always remains distanced from the serene surroundings of the leather-lined cabin.

Switching into Sport mode is a quick and simple process, either via one of the few remaining analogue switches or via the Drive Select menu on the central touchscreen. So configured, the S-Class takes on a distinctly keener, more responsive and terrifically agile feel. The first hint of this is through the steering, which weights up accordingly. The throttle gains added sensitivity while the exhaust note also becomes more present, although not exactly melodious. Additionally, there’s a firming up of the suspension to rein in body movements.

Outside the confines of city driving, the added weighting within the steering adds confidence, the S500 4Matic turning fluently into corners with new-found levels of agility. There’s added sharpness to its turn-in and its steering is quicker to return to the straight-ahead than before, too. It’s wonderfully easy to drive quickly down winding roads, the only limiting factor being its added width on narrow sections.

You get the sense that the S-Class flows more keenly from apex to apex than before, with its substantial weight hidden beneath a new layer of dynamic excellence. The quick reactions of the air suspension’s three-chamber air springs quickly quell pitch and dive while providing outstanding body control in tighter bends. Meanwhile, the fast-acting 4Matic system ensures that there’s always plentiful grip and excellent levels of traction as well.

The S500 is quick, too, sprinting effortlessly to three-figure speeds and continuing to gather pace. Extend the accelerator pedal towards the end of its travel and the engine’s substantial shove dispatches the car down the road with an energy that defies its relatively modest engine capacity.

The S-Class isn’t perfect, though. Its gearbox, while inherently smooth at lower revs in automatic mode, is sometimes caught out when you shift manually near the engine’s 6200rpm redline, resulting in a thud as the heady torque loads are deployed via the 4Matic system to each axle. The brake pedal on our test car also felt unusually spongy and undefined, lacking the firmness and clarity of modulation that you would otherwise expect in a low-mileage new car.