Superscreen and plastic stars
Now, I’m not usually that keen on Mercedes-Benz here on radical, for obvious reasons. But when it comes to the S-Class, I’ve always felt a sense of respect. As a young lad who was just starting to take an interest in cars, a 450 SEL 6.9 wasn’t just the top card in a game of Quartett – it was far more impressive than even a Rolls-Royce. The W126 series was and remains a beautiful car; the W140, not so much, but the W220, W221 and, above all, the W222 – yes, admirable, impressive, with a truly commanding presence. More so than any 7 Series – I won’t even mention the A8 – so much more elegant than all the Rolls-Royces and Bentleys of years gone by. The W223, however – launched in 2020 – didn’t appeal to me straight away; suddenly, that subtle elegance had vanished. The S-Class was really showing off, especially at the front; with all those vents and add-ons, the poise and coolness of the classic black saloon had vanished in one fell swoop. The proportions are completely off; the wheelbase is too long. And then the interior – goodness me, it’s like a cheap games console – simply because two potential Chinese buyers (who apparently changed their minds in the end) are more into bling than a clean, understated design. A shame, a real shame.
Now, during the #GTEST for German Car of the Year, I was once again given the chance to drive one of these S-Classes; I haven’t been given any test cars for about 20 years now, so sometimes I rent a Mercedes of some sort, simply so that I can still report from my own experience. The model range has now been revamped for 2026; the interior has been given another major upgrade – it’s called the ‘Superscreen’, a continuous glass surface, the ultimate expression of complete digitalisation. Yes, I may be a rather elderly gentleman, but I wouldn’t describe myself as conservative; yet I really can’t get to grips with the interior of this Mercedes – it strikes me as far too much like an arcade in a suburb of Darmstadt. You don’t want to touch any of it; it feels cold – and a world away from feeling high-quality. During my brief test drive, it wasn’t possible to delve into the depths of the operating system – which is supposed to be good, or so one hears and reads. But one is surely entitled to ask: is this what the average S-Class buyer – who is, after all, no longer in the first flush of youth – actually wants? And does he want the same stuff that’s also available in the C-Class? One would like to assume that they know their customers’ needs in Stuttgart – after all, a great deal of money is poured into market analysis – but I can’t quite imagine that the distinguished gentleman who prefers to sit in the rear right-hand seat would find this to his liking. The only voice commands he issues are directed at the chauffeur. He’ll certainly love the new, heated seatbelts, though – after all, as you get older, you have to look after your health.
Naturally, it drives well – wonderfully comfortably and, thanks to the rear-wheel steering working perfectly, it’s also reasonably agile, unlike the Denza Z9GT, for example. It’s also wonderfully quiet – at least until the power no longer comes solely from the 28-kWh battery and the 3-litre six-cylinder engine has to kick in. Admittedly, the engine doesn’t make a racket either, but it seems a bit reluctant – and I found myself wondering exactly where the 585 PS of system power and the still-impressive 750 Nm of maximum torque were supposed to be hidden. It’s not exactly wild; then again, you don’t really drive an S-Class like that anyway – it’s best to drive it on electric power alone, which simply suits the car’s character. You’re supposed to get 104 kilometres on pure electric power with the PHEV; that’s not exactly thrilling – Volkswagen models do better than that. After my test drive, the on-board computer showed 8.8 litres/100 km and 22 kWh/100 km for electricity consumption – neither of which are outstanding figures on their own…
Whoever configured the test car provided (AI?), they might do well to attend a seminar on good taste. The black trim and the black alloy wheels on this dark grey vehicle are certainly not a sight to behold; that surely can’t be the image an S-Class is meant to project. An S580e like this costs from 164,800 Swiss francs in Switzerland – that’s a lot of money, after all, so you’d expect a bit of class from this S-Class. But perhaps that’s no longer possible; the plastic star-shaped radiator grille with that plastic trim right in the middle is simply appalling. It’s probably not just down to the global economic situation, the ‘evil Chinese’ and absurd tariffs that sales of what was once the automotive flagship have slumped by two-thirds in recent years.
We don’t have many Mercedes in our archive.