Tatler+ Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz sets a new benchmark for luxury and innovation with its latest S-Class saloon
When it comes to large, luxurious saloons, very few cars even come close to the levels of opulence offered by the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. The German automaker’s flagship model, the S-Class is often where we get our first glimpse of the ground-breaking innovations and technology of the future. New for 2021, the seventh-generation S-Class continues the marque’s long history of elegance, refinement and, above-all, luxury.
Looking at the exterior of the new S-Class, the design cues are undeniably Mercedes, with the classic simple yet sleek Mercedes profile complemented by subtle extra touches such as the new recessed door handles. While the exterior design remains fairly familiar, inside the cabin, the new-generation S-Class is an entirely different innovation, chock-full of features the likes of which we’ve never seen before.
The headline innovation utilised here is the second-generation MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Experience), which makes its long-awaited debut in this new model. Packing a raft of new features, the system can support up to five displays, including the 12.3-inch instrument cluster, the 12.8-inch OLED touchscreen centre display, the twin 11.6-inch rear entertainment screens and the MBUX rear tablet. Thanks to new eye-tracking technology, the new 3D driver display for the first time allows spatial perception of the scene; the head-up display can also present augmented reality content—animated fishbone arrows to denote satellite navigation directions are virtually and precisely projected onto the road, for example.