Mercedes S-Class review

If you think big luxury cars are irrelevant to you, remember that the Mercedes S-Class is rammed full of clever technology that will filter down to more mainstream models.

How clever? Well, it comes with everything from a massive 12.8in portrait-oriented infotainment touchscreen and the ability to give you a hot-stone massage to seats that can move you away from an impending side-on collision.

Where it used to be available in different lengths, you can now only get the S-Class in long-wheelbase form, showing that Mercedes has doubled-down on the luxurious feel of the model. Still, that doesn’t mean it has the monopoly on luxury transport, with, for example, the Audi A8, the BMW 7 Series and the Range Rover putting on a very good show too.

Is the Mercedes S-Class the car you should be wafting around in? Read on to find out just how pampering it is, what it's like to drive, how much it costs and how it compares with the best luxury cars.

The Mercedes S-Class engine range kicks off with the 2.9-litre S350d diesel. Its 308bhp is enough for 0-62mph in 5.6 seconds, and when you put your foot down it feels more than strong enough, even in a car of this size.

Importantly, considering this is luxury transportation, there's no need to thrash it to make swift progress – although if you want more oomph, there's also the 362bhp S450d, which reduces the 0-62mph time by half a second.

If you’re after something even more urgent, you might want to consider the S500 petrol. Its turbocharged 3.0-litre petrol engine produces a substantial 443bhp, dropping the 0-62mph time to just 4.7 seconds. 

We’ve yet to try the S450e plug-in hybrid (PHEV), but the S580e PHEV is our favourite option. It combines the engine from the S500 with an electric motor and a 22kWh battery for a combined output of 510bhp. As a result, it’ll cover 0-62mph in 4.9 seconds and has an official electric-only range of up to 62 miles – comfortably further than the BMW 750e (49 miles).

The most powerful S-Class of all is another PHEV, the Mercedes-AMG S63e. With 791bhp, it drops the 0-62mph time to 3.3 seconds yet will cover up to 19 miles on electricity alone.

The S-Class's ride is exemplary on motorways, and the air suspension irons out dips and crests exceptionally well. It's one of the few cars in the world in which passengers can lie back with their heads against the headrest and not have them kicked forwards over bumps. It's perfect, in other words, for tycoons who want to nap while the chauffeur whisks them across the country.

That said, the broken edges of potholes cause a little bit more of a thump than you'd feel in the Audi A8, especially at town speeds. That's more noticeable in the PHEV versions because the weight of its batteries gives their suspension more to deal with, ultimately making the BMW 750e a more forgiving thing, especially around town.

Even without investigating the various drive modes and the S-Class’s sportier settings, you’ll find it's a very capable-handling car. The steering has plenty of reassuring heft and precision so you can place the long nose easily.

There’s a fair bit of body lean, even with the suspension stiffened up, but you get plenty of grip and reassuring stability – more so than in a Range Rover. If for some reason you want your luxury limo to handle more like a sports car we’d point you towards the 7 Series.

The S450d and S500 come with 4Matic four-wheel drive for better traction on slippery roads.

Refinement is hugely impressive if you opt for the Mercedes S500 but the PHEVs are even better. When they accelerate up to motorway speeds on battery power alone, passengers are treated to a beautifully serene experience with no engine noise or jerky gear changes. When the engine does kick in, the transition from electric to petrol power is almost undetectable.

The six-cylinder diesels, meanwhile, rumble a little when you put your foot down and send slight vibrations through the steering column and floor on occasions. You'll also notice a small shimmy as they start and stop in traffic.

There's some road roar and wind noise at 70mph, but as you'd expect the S-Class is far from rowdy on motorways. We wish the brake pedal in the S580e was more consistent though. The pedal's resistance tends to change as you slow down, making it harder to brake smoothly. A PHEV Audi A8 or BMW 7 Series will be better in this respect, and a little quieter at a cruise.

"There are few other cars that I’d rather spend my long commute in, with the S-Class gliding along the motorway and eating up the miles with ease. I just wish I was sitting enjoying it in the back!" – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

No matter which version of the Mercedes S-Class you go for, it’ll come with really comfortable and electrically adjustable front seats, with adjustable lumbar support and a memory function. Better still, you also get an electrically adjustable steering wheel, making it really easy to tailor the driving position.

The 12.3in digital driver's display is clear, easy to read (as long as you avoid the 3D mode) and able to show a wide variety of information. Upgrading to AMG Line Premium Plus or above adds a clear head-up display so you can check your speed and other information without taking your eyes off the road.

Our main demerit is that the S-Class’s driver display relies heavily on touch-sensitive controls on the steering wheel, which are far too easy to accidentally knock while steering. Likewise, you’ll need to use the main touchscreen to operate everything else, including the temperature controls.

There’s enough all-round visibility to make this behemoth of a car less daunting to drive than you might expect. It helps that every S-Class comes with front and rear parking sensors, a 360-degree camera and semi-autonomous parking as standard.

Another bonus is the super-bright adaptive LED headlights, with main beams that can stay on without dazzling other drivers. Mid-spec AMG Line Premium Plus and above swaps them for Ultra Range LED lights with a maximum range of 650 metres.

All S-Class trims get the giant 12.8in portrait-orientated touchscreen that's angled upwards to make it easier to see and use. The graphics are sharp and the system is generally responsive as you tap around the menus. We only found it clunky while scrolling through lists. 

You can also navigate the system using touch-sensitive buttons on the steering wheel, but you’ll be best avoiding them due to the fact they’re really fiddly. We’d much prefer to use a physical rotary controller, like the one that you’ll find between the front seats in a BMW 7 Series. 

The infotainment system is packed with features, including sat-nav that can show direction arrows on a live camera feed, wireless phone-charging (including in the rear on top-spec models), Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring and a Burmester surround-sound stereo.

The quality of the S-Class interior is impressive (and improved over the previous model), with rich materials, including supple Napa leather, real wood veneers, metal inserts and squishy plastics. What few buttons and switches there are work precisely, and the steering column stalks feel sturdy.

It’s certainly closer than ever to the hewn from solid rock feel of the Audi A8, although its arch-rival still has an edge. There’s no doubt the S-Class wins on razzamatazz though. The glitzy 64-colour ambient lighting, which runs across the tops of the doors and the dashboard, helps.

"To get around the touch-sensitive buttons and tapping the touchscreen, you can use natural voice recognition. However, like most voice-recognition systems, it’s far from perfect and often did random things when I spoke to it." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

The Mercedes S-Class is a big, wide car so space up front is plentiful. There’s lots of leg, shoulder and head room for two large adults, despite the standard-fit panoramic glass roof.

The wide, deeply padded front centre armrest has plenty of storage underneath. The armrests, including those on the doors, are heated in the top two trims. You’ll also find a couple of generously proportioned cupholders for the largest takeaway coffees, plus big door bins.

The doors open very wide, allowing the most generously proportioned driver and passenger to get in and out with their dignity intact. To aid the process, the steering wheel rises out of the way automatically on all versions.

Passengers in the back of the S-Class should have no complaints about the space on offer. Indeed, it's roomier and more comfortable than the Audi A8 thanks to more head room and a better seating position. The soft, padded headrests are a particular highlight, adding to the overall luxury and comfort.

Every trim level comes with a three-person rear bench, with electrically adjustable outer seats. With no one sitting in the middle seat you can fold down a sizeable fold-out armrest, which houses a removable 7in tablet if you go for the top trim.

Opting for that top trim also adds an electrically extendable footrest that pops out from beneath the front passenger seat, and electric sun blinds on all the rear windows.

The good news is that the S-Class's front passenger gets the exact same range of seat adjustments as the driver, including lumbar adjustment. The passenger also gets hot-stone massaging if you order the top two trims.

The bad news is that – as in the A8 and BMW 7 Series – you can’t fold down the rear seats, but you do get a ski hatch for your... well, you know. If you want a luxury car with more versatility, we'd suggest looking at the Range Rover.

The S-Class's boot space is good for a luxury saloon, at around 550 litres in non-PHEV versions. That's more than the A8 and enough for a few large cases. All versions have an electric, gesture-controlled bootlid.

Boot capacity in the PHEV versions is reduced to 350 litres, due to the fact that the boot floor sits higher up to accommodate the lithium-ion battery pack. That’s slightly less than the 390 litres you’ll find in the Audi A8 60 TFSIe and fair way behind the 525 litres in the BMW 750e. 

As with passenger space, if you need to carry a lot of luggage, look at the Range Rover. Its boot is truly vast and the rear seats can be folded down to create a van-like load bay.

"Wafting along in the back of the top-spec S-Class is pretty special, with a foot rest on the back of the front passenger seat and buttons in the rear to electronically move the seat around for more space." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

No Mercedes S-Class is cheap, and even the entry-level S350d will cost you more than an entry-level Audi A8 L or BMW 7 Series. All versions except the S450e and S580e plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) are in the highest BIK tax bracket so the PHEVs are definitely the versions to go for if you're lucky enough to have the S-Class on your company car options list.

Thanks to their long electric-only ranges, the S-Class PHEVs both sit in a lower BIK band than the A8 L TFSIe, costing you less money each month. The 7 Series PHEV sits in the same tax band as the S-Class, meaning the high list price makes it more expensive than the BMW. 

The S-Class does hold on to a bit more of its value over three years than the 7 Series and much more than the A8. The Range Rover has stronger resale values than all of them.

Every S-Class comes with loads of standard equipment. Indeed, even entry-level AMG Line Premium comes with 20in alloy wheels, keyless entry and start, heated front and rear seats, four-zone climate control, soft-close doors and lots more.

Stepping up to AMG Line Premium Plus adds 21in wheels, the upgraded headlights, a heated steering wheel and heated armrests. Top-spec AMG Line Premium Plus Executive comes with all the toys you'd want in a luxury car but costs a lot of money.

Going for one of the two Mercedes-AMG Performance trims gives you the most powerful engine and similar equipment levels to the AMG Line Premium Plus Executive. They also get bespoke AMG styling inside and out, giving them a sportier look.

Mercedes placed joint 22nd out of the 31 manufacturers included in our 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey. That's some way behind BMW (eighth) but slightly better than Audi (24th) and Land Rover (27th). 

The S-Class comes with a three-year, unlimited-mileage warranty and breakdown cover. Plug-in hybrid versions come with an additional six-year, 62,000-mile warranty for the drive battery.

Euro NCAP has not yet tested the S-Class for safety but you do get loads of safety equipment as standard. That includes automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane-keeping assistance (to make sure you stay within the white lines on the road) and blind-spot monitoring that can warn you of approaching traffic as you open the doors.

If you opt for Premium Plus trim, the front seats get the very clever ability to push you towards the centre of the car in the event of a side collision.

"Given the amount of standard equipment, it might not surprise you that there are not many optional extras available for the S-Class. That said, if you really want to treat your rear-seat passengers, you can add 11.6in screens on the backs of the front seats." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? newsletter here