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2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class W223 Prototypes Show Different Door Handles

The seventh generation of the Sonderklasse (Special Class), as it was originally known by aficionados, is less than a year away from its official reveal and Mercedes-Benz is actively testing a diverse bunch of pre-production prototypes all around the world.
2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class W223 10 photos
Photo: collage edited by autoevolution
2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class W2232021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class W2232021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class W2232021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class W2232021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class W2232021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class W2232021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class W2232021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class W2232021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class W223
For example, two different prototypes were caught in the first week of the new decade roaming around the streets of Stuttgart. We're not sure about what lies under the hood of each car but we can definitely say that that the two prototypes feature non-identical trim levels and options.

The only thing giving this fact away is represented by the different door handles sported by the two cars. The first car in the video below features regular pull-out door handles like the current S-Class, while the second prototype has pop-out handles that stay hidden when the car is in motion.

The 2021 S-Class W223 won't be the first Mercedes-Benz road car to feature such a contraption since that title would probably go to the now-defunct SLS AMG. That said, it will be the only upcoming Mercedes to have them at least for a couple of years.

Compared to the current model, the W223 will look a lot less-chiseled but will have similar proportions, with much narrower headlight clusters accompanying an enlarged grille in the front, while the rear will sport a set of taillights that seem inspired by those found on the current CLA and CLS.

Inside there will be a downright design revolution, with pretty much all analog buttons and knobs being replaced by a giant touchscreen flowing over the center console in portrait mode. Haptic feedback is expected to simulate the pressing of physical buttons but everyone should expect the screen to become a fingerprint magnet the first time it's used.

Originally thought to go official in early 2021, the seventh-generation S-Class prototypes seem to have shed quite a lot of camouflage in recent months, so a late 2020 reveal shouldn't be a surprise.

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About the author: Alex Oagana
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Alex handled his first real steering wheel at the age of five (on a field) and started practicing "Scandinavian Flicks" at 14 (on non-public gravel roads). Following his time at the University of Journalism, he landed his first real job at the local franchise of Top Gear magazine a few years before Mircea (Panait). Not long after, Alex entered the New Media realm with the autoevolution.com project.
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