Mercedes-Benz S-Class

A much-loved classic gets a reboot.

Normally a manufacturer will wait for the inevitable slump in sales around the half-life mark of a model before buoying them up with a mild cosmetic refresh and a few tweaks here and there to keep an ageing jalopy current and relevant. Mercedes-Benz, however, does things a little differently.

The S-Class was the best-selling luxury saloon worldwide in 2016, and with good reason. The Sonderklasse (Special Class) has always been a Teutonic tour de force of technology, a supreme embodiment of refined luxury and the clearest expression of the marque’s “the best or nothing” slogan. Jump into an S-Class that’s a decade old – or even two decades old for that matter – and it will feel surprisingly modern and possess ‘futuristic’ technology that still hasn’t become commonplace.

With the S-Class being the brand’s flagship model, it’s therefore a prerequisite that it remain not contemporary, but ahead of the game. What better time then for a Sonderklasse reboot than when it is already dominating the luxury segment? This is the new S-Class Version 2.0 and there’s a lot more going on than just a mild cosmetic facelift.