Earlier this week, the legendary Nurburgring track welcomed not one but two new S-Class prototypes, each bringing its own flavor of luxury. It's not often that you get to see such expensive and advanced Mercedes models dealing with the Karussell.
The old S-Class, the W222, was and still is an amazing car. Despite the rise of Tesla and serious rivalry from BMW, the luxury car posted some solid sales numbers. It was, for many years, the face of expensive cars.
Despite Mercedes staying tight-lipped about the successor, we're sure it can fill the large shoes of its predecessor. And even though it's not electric, the W223 can still redefine luxury with its features.
Starting with the exterior, we find that the S-Class has grown a lot. It's wider than before, plus the standard model will have the longer wheelbase. on top of this, Maybach's version can also be seen sporting an even bigger wheelbase.
Styling is subjective, of course, but we like what's under the camo more than any other recently launched Mercedes. It's got a certain presence.
The interior of both models will once again set the bar for what a German luxury car should offer, just like the old model did. Mercedes will rely on an attention-grabbing screen covering most of the dash. Who knows what other gimmicks and toys they have planned!
All that is for nothing if it's not relatively reliable and drives as a Mercedes should. That's what the Nurburgring testing is for. Sure, nobody is going to drive the S-Class like this... unless they stole it, but track testing is like the ultimate test for the suspension and drivetrain.
Engine-wise, not a lot is known, but we believe the Maybach model is the S 600 with a 4.0-liter V8, just like its young GLS 600 cousin. There will also be a V12, while the normal S-Class will make good use of inline-6 engines.
These have been offered in Europe for a couple of years already, but the American S 450 still has a 3.0L V6, and that will definitely be replaced.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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