W222 - new s class totally revealed

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That looks mighty fine.

I'm every do slightly uncertain about the rear but I have a feeling it'll grow on me and it definitely makes the look more interesting (in a good way).

Really not sure about those dials. Not bothered that they are digital, in fact I quite like that, but they ought to be recessed into the dash not flat. Maybe they'll look better in real life. :dk:
 
so they messed up the e class in my eyes BIG time to push punters to this :rolleyes:

lets wait for the pricing schedule..

atleast the top end s class is something to aspire too eh..

Sounds like a correct assumption. The new E is really not inspirational but the new season is just gorgeous. Strange really....
 
It's definietely a cut above all other offerings, as expected.
 
Sounds like a correct assumption. The new E is really not inspirational but the new season is just gorgeous. Strange really....


.. I meant the new S, not the new "season"! Stupid text predicting programme!!
 
TOPGEAR First look: inside the new Mercedes S-Class
We’ve had a peek inside the flagship Merc; a model aiming to become ‘the best car in the world…’

Now, I don't know about you, but I'd assumed the ‘mainstream' luxury car class was on the wane. The wealthy are buying SUVs and Bentleys, not poshed up German saloons that look a lot like lesser models (step forward, Audi A8), aren't they?

Well unsurprisingly, Mercedes doesn't think so. A new S-Class lands later this year, and we've been to see it. Well, when I say see it, we were taken, having handed over our phones, into a pitch black studio, the only light coming from the interiors of the three cars sitting within.

This is what Merc wants to communicate - that the exterior of the S-Class doesn't matter too much - it's the inside that counts. So we were allowed to have a play and learn all about the new tech Merc is working on; tech that, a few years down the line will be in the A-Class, Golf and probably any Kia and Hyundai you care to mention.

Is it revolutionary? No, the driver still sits on one side, there's an engine at the front, a boot at the back and you still have to get in and out of regular opening doors. But from there on the focus and dedication and effort that's gone in is staggering.

The design is a massive step forward - it's sweeping and elegant, makes heavy use of ambient lighting, and has a floating instrument panel that comprises two 12.3-inch screens, the quality and resolution of which is like nothing I've seen anywhere else and makes the new Range Rover's hesitant, low-res screen seem years behind. It's quite something as animated S-Class' open their doors and wheel across the screen as you try to configure various settings for colour of light or strength of massage.

Yes, provided you tick the right options box, your new S-Class will be able to give you a Hot Stone massage, simultaneously using 14 air cushions in the seats and separate heating elements to pummel your back. Other massages are available. The headrest alone adjusts in six directions. You will never, ever, find exactly the right seating position.

The seats and steering wheel are both heated, and concerned that you might develop a chilly elbow, you can even have armrest warmers. Really. For £350 or so you'll be able to have the Air Balance package that ionises the air and includes a perfuming system. I'm not convinced - this was something Citroen was messing about with five years ago, but of course Merc has gone the extra mile, developed four scents that come in pots and mount in the glovebox. The scents will cost about £50 each and last about a year, or you can refill the canisters with your favourite aftershave.

I don't know where to start with the satnav and infotainment system, nor with an on-board data system that comprises not only Bluetooth, but wireless and Kleertech and allows you to run the whole car from your iPad if you so desire. There's a 200gb hard drive, app functionality and the optional Burmester stereo has 24 speakers and 1540 watts of power. I'm no expert on in car sound systems, but I can't recall anything else that has had better 3D effect, vocal clarity or so completely deafened me.

The rear seats come in a variety of formats depending on which of the three wheelbase lengths you choose. What's new is that the backrests no longer mount to the rear bulkhead, but float free. This reduces noise and vibration levels and allows the seat to adjust in more directions. Like the old Maybach, top spec rear seats include separate electric rests for your feet and calves. More interestingly, each rear seat also has two built in airbags. Because you can now recline to 43 degrees, Merc found that in an accident, a rear passenger could submarine under the seatbelt, so one airbag mounts under the seat base to shove the leading edge up and another is built into the seatbelt itself. How much must all this development have cost? The man in charge of the seats told me that development had taken three years and there were separate teams responsible for the massage, the base structure, the materials, the design, the safety...

The chaps in charge of NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) have what they call an articulation index - how easy it is to talk and be understood at speed. They looked at the pitch and tone of most human voices and worked with the sound insulation, vibration reduction and aerodynamics to ensure that any noise that did come in was at a different frequency, this improving the understandability of speech.

Any firm going to this much trouble means business. Merc is reinforcing the fact that, since Maybach bit the dust, the S-Class is its flagship and it will go to any lengths to make it the ‘best car in the world'. I'm not sure that this amount of effort will be reflected in European sales, but I doubt Merc will mind too much about that. China and Asia are expected to be the big markets. So, we'll have to wait for full tech details - Merc admitting there will be a hybrid, but going no further than that - and in the meantime reflect on whether the back-seat of an S-Class is actually a better place to kick back and relax than your own front room.

Ollie Marriage
 
Blimey. I remember as a small boy being really impressed when my dad got his new 280SE in 1969 (W108?). It had... an electric aerial!!!
 
Love the interior.

The exterior is more sporty but less premium than the current model, not sure if it's a good or bad thing.
 
I just hope they remain the fastest depreciating mercedes model, because I quite like the idea of one in a couple of years for £25k, or maybe wait the 3 years and pay £17
 
press release (apparently)
Passengers in the rear are also seated in first-class – the design and exclusivity
of the seats, door panels and all controls are to the same, high standard as the
front. As an additional individualization feature, the "First Class Rear"
incorporates a Business center console combining personal comfort with
practical convenience (integration of a telephone handset, additional stowage
compartments, folding table, etc.).

Looks like somebody in Stuttgart has been reading my signature line - at long last :D
 
Mercedes S-Class: I am your Father! lol

Mercedes clearly has a psychic wunderkind stationed deep within its Stuttgart walls, because it doesn't build cars, it builds the future.

You'll know this because - as we've told you - every single Mercedes S-Class previews technology you'll soon be able to find in your toaster, circa 2025. Want your bread to pop out brown and with three-way adjustable vibrating crusts to care for your fingertips while you eat? Look at tomorrow's S-Class.

...MORE....

Mercedes S-Class: I Am Your Father - BBC Top Gear
 
So full of clever but cheap [ to make - not to purchase :eek:] far-eastern electronic circuitry but will they bother to stress relieve the springs during manufacture so they last longer than 3 years I wonder. Metaphorically speaking of course.:rolleyes:
 
I had a chance earlier this week to sit in one of the new pre production S-classes and the interior blew me away! Truly first class! The LED ambient lighting was just amazing giving a real sense of first class ambience. The seats are soo comfortable! It really is a leap beyond what the 221 S-class offers.
 
Mercedes clearly has a psychic wunderkind stationed deep within its Stuttgart walls, because it doesn't build cars, it builds the future.

You'll know this because - as we've told you - every single Mercedes S-Class previews technology you'll soon be able to find in your toaster, circa 2025. Want your bread to pop out brown and with three-way adjustable vibrating crusts to care for your fingertips while you eat? Look at tomorrow's S-Class.

...MORE....

Mercedes S-Class: I Am Your Father - BBC Top Gear

Halfway down their potted history of the S Class' ancestry they list the Adenauer ( which probably fits where the S Class would have sat ) then go on to list the Ponton series - but that sat below the Adenauer and would have equated to the E Class ( in fact Pontons came in two tiers - the larger six cylinder ones which would have equated to the E Class and the small 180/190 Pontons which would have been the C Class of the day ) . They then go on to mention that the Ponton series had dual circuit disc brakes - ERM , NO - those advances only came into the Fintail series around 1963 ; the earliest W111's still had single circuit drum brakes , with front discs being introduced circa 1963 , still using the add-on ATE T50 brake booster before an integrated brake servo was introduced after another year or so . Even then , Fintails still had rear drums and you would have to wait for the W108 before you got all round discs . Even the 'sporting' W113 Pagoda SL series , which was probably the most technologically advanced car of its day ( apart from the 600 ) , and based on the Fintail platform , being part of the W110/111/112/113 family , started out with front discs and rear drums , only finally getting all round discs with the introduction of the 280SL in 1968 . Oh , and the 'padded steering wheel' was only found on a very few of the very last Pontons as production was switching over to Fintails and a few parts from the Fintail parts bin started to slip in .
 
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I wonder when prices, engine, specs and options will be announced?

I went into my local dealer at the weekend just to see whether they have any idea of the above and was told they have no information at all yet, but have had a couple of orders placed already. How that's possible, I don't know. :dk:

One thing is for certain... as with S-Classes of old, there will be some pretty amazing options available!
 
I wonder when prices, engine, specs and options will be announced?

I went into my local dealer at the weekend just to see whether they have any idea of the above and was told they have no information at all yet, but have had a couple of orders placed already. How that's possible, I don't know. :dk:

One thing is for certain... as with S-Classes of old, there will be some pretty amazing options available!

Expect them to be £500 a month on a 3+36 contract and feature the
Freefall depreciation and nightmare build quality that seems to blight all s classs
 
Expect them to be £500 a month on a 3+36 contract and feature the
Freefall depreciation and nightmare build quality that seems to blight all s classs

I've owned two W221's and both of them have been totally reliable and built like tanks. Best car Mercedes makes and I buy lots of them both C and E for my business and the S stands head and shoulders above the rest.
 
I've owned two W221's and both of them have been totally reliable and built like tanks. Best car Mercedes makes and I buy lots of them both C and E for my business and the S stands head and shoulders above the rest.

+1

I'm on my second now too. 35,000 miles in the last one and 9,000 miles in 6 months since new in this one and they just feel invincible. Reliability problems seem to be minimal now after the W220.
 

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