Mercedez Benz News Going Down The Next Generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class Rabbit Hole

[William Maley]

Mercedes-Benz’s S-Class is the world’s best-selling luxury sedan for very good reasons; it’s unmatched in safety, drivetrain, and infotainment techology. However, the S-Class is under siege with Audi, BMW, Jaguar, and even Hyundai release their new flagship sedans to take the crown. With those cars in the hunt, Mercedes knows the next S-Class has to be the best. Autocar has learned some new information about the next S-Class due out sometime in late 2012.

The next S-Class will use a version of Mercedes’ modular rear-wheel drive architecture, which is currently used on the current E-Class. The S-Class will also use more aluminum in the body panels and suspension for weight savings.

Design of the S-Class will depart from the “gothic” styling towards a “contemporary appearance.” In other words, think the Mercedes CLS and F800 Concept had a child with a bolder grille, more defined lines, and a roofline with more pronounced curvature. Inside, Mercedes will incorporate more natural materials and a new multi-media screen.

Mercedes will offer five different bodies for the S-Class: SWB sedan, two LWB sedans including a extra long Pullman sedan, coupe (replacing CL), and convertible.

Powertrains for the S-Class will include a group of gas, diesels, and hybrid models. The transmission will be a new nine-speed automatic, an evolution of the current seven-speed auto.

Source: Autocar

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[Drew Dowdell]

wait.... it's Gothic now?

[FAPTurbo]

Duh. Teutonic was so 2006. Get with the program, Barbarossa.

[Robert Hall]

Interesting...I wonder if the ELWB model is a precursor to winding down Maybach.

[balthazar]

Wait- using the e-class platform under a car starting $41 thousand dollars HIGHer? OHNOZ!!! L-A-M-E !!

Edited November 16, 2011 by balthazar

[FAPTurbo]

Wait- using the e-class platform under a car starting $41 thousand dollars HIGHer? OHNOZ!!! L-A-M-E !!

No, no! It's a 'modular' platform! Totally different!!

[regfootball]

lolz@balthy

hehe........

[67impss]

But it's not really platform sharing Really! Really!! no Really!!!

[balthazar]

s-class continues to get more & more mediocre each generation. There's truly nothing there dynamically / stylistically to justify the huge cost disadvantage, and the $15 grand dealers have to knock off the tag to move them is pretty illustrative of this.

[Blake Noble]

Gothic, huh? Hmmm ... now that you mention it, I can see that face holding a pitchfork and wearing bibbed overalls.

sorry, i tried to shake a joke out there ... i'll let norm macdonald make those jokes from now on ...

[Croc]

Wow, this is a lot better-looking than the last decade of Benz...reminds me of that sturdy, vault-like presence the 90s S-Classes exuded.

[smk4565]

Interesting...I wonder if the ELWB model is a precursor to winding down Maybach.

No, they make the Pullman now, it is basically a limo. They make an armored Pullman also that you have to special order and clear a background check to buy. But it does come with its own air supply, fire extinguishing system and can withstand 5 grenades at once.

And y'all can hate on the S-class all you want, the new one will be awesome, just like every previous generation was awesome and with technology and power years ahead of the competition. I am excited to see what they come up with next. Magic Ride Control is going to blow away everything on the market.

Edited November 20, 2011 by smk4565

[Robert Hall]

Interesting...I wonder if the ELWB model is a precursor to winding down Maybach.

No, they make the Pullman now, it is basically a limo. They make an armored Pullman also that you have to special order and clear a background check to buy. But it does come with its own air supply, fire extinguishing system and can withstand 5 grenades at once.

And y'all can hate on the S-class all you want, the new one will be awesome, just like every previous generation was awesome and with technology and power years ahead of the competition. I am excited to see what they come up with next. Magic Ride Control is going to blow away everything on the market.

I'm not amongst the haters..I like the current S-class..it's been my favorite Big Dog luxury sedan since the '80s.

Gothic, huh? Hmmm ... now that you mention it, I can see that face holding a pitchfork and wearing bibbed overalls.

sorry, i tried to shake a joke out there ... i'll let norm macdonald make those jokes from now on ...

LoL..I was thinking Gothic more in the pale skin, dress in black, listen to the Cure style of Gothic...

[ocnblu]

AT LEAST the E-class is a world-class luxury car platform... not a FWD mass market platform.

[balthazar]

E-class is a mass market RWD platform, and it's under MUCH more expensive sedans. That's not "awesome", but cost-cutting 'lameness'... which is, sir, a massive FAIL.

Or so it's been said.

[Robert Hall]

E-class is a mass market RWD platform, and it's under MUCH more expensive sedans. That's not "awesome", but cost-cutting 'lameness'... which is, sir, a massive FAIL.

Or so it's been said.

Hardly...a $50k+ luxury model platform is not mass market..it's not some transverse engine FWD generic used on $25k rental cars...

Edited November 21, 2011 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[balthazar]

It's 'mass-market' in it's segment since mercedees sells/fleets so many vehicles. Same with BMW.

In the metro NY area, mercedees & BMWs follow each other in packs of 3-4, they're everywhere and thus, quite commonplace & pedestrian. No exclusivity.

We still have the "problem" of moderate-priced platforms under MUCH higher priced flagships to deal with here- that's not doing a $90+K car any perceptional favors.

You'd think for $100K you'd "at least" get an exclusive, better, more expensive, unique platform.

Or so it's been said.

[Robert Hall]

It's 'mass-market' in it's segment since mercedees sells/fleets so many vehicles. Same with BMW.

In the metro NY area, mercedees & BMWs follow each other in packs of 3-4, they're everywhere and thus, quite commonplace & pedestrian. No exclusivity.

We still have the "problem" of moderate-priced platforms under MUCH higher priced flagships to deal with here- that's not doing a $90+K car any perceptional favors.

You'd think for $100K you'd "at least" get an exclusive, better, more expensive, unique platform.

Or so it's been said.

Again, even it it's relatively high volume it's segment, it's still a superior platform to any FWD plaftorm.

Edited November 21, 2011 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[balthazar]

Too bad so many buyers have no idea and totally don't care.

• • •

What is that solid block of black plastic in the bottom center of the grille for? Looks pretty cheap & noticeable.

• • •

Here's the interior of the current s-class:

This is NOT what I would expect of nearly $100K. Oversized plastic vents you can look right into with the same thumbwheel a $15K car has, a glued-on instrument hood with a strange double-hump design, an ugly swath of black plastic surrounding the gauges, and a pregnant swell in the center of the dash reminiscent of an older Quest minvan. OK for $30K, a complete rip-off for $90K. I know I've seen that exact same vent design on something from the mid-90s... just can't place it. And is that FOUR stalks coming off the column??

Edited November 21, 2011 by balthazar

[Robert Hall]

I see nothing wrong in that S-class interior...you ever sat in one? They are really nice...a very comfortable place.. it's a solid, well engineered car.

[67impss]

I could say the same for the last Aurora

[Drew Dowdell]

AT LEAST the E-class is a world-class luxury car platform... not a FWD mass market platform.

It's the freaking Crown Vic of Europe!!

[Drew Dowdell]

I see nothing wrong in that S-class interior...you ever sat in one? They are really nice...a very comfortable place.. it's a solid, well engineered car.

Which has absolutely nothing to do with which wheels do the moving.

[smk4565]

It's 'mass-market' in it's segment since mercedees sells/fleets so many vehicles. Same with BMW.

In the metro NY area, mercedees & BMWs follow each other in packs of 3-4, they're everywhere and thus, quite commonplace & pedestrian. No exclusivity.

We still have the "problem" of moderate-priced platforms under MUCH higher priced flagships to deal with here- that's not doing a $90+K car any perceptional favors.

You'd think for $100K you'd "at least" get an exclusive, better, more expensive, unique platform.

Or so it's been said.

It said a version of the E-class platform. The wheelbase and track will be way different, and AutoCar is speculating anyway. And the "mass-market" E-class is still more expensive than any American sedan, so it isn't like they are starting with crap.

[Drew Dowdell]

The base model E-class for consumer consumption is 39k Euro INCLUDING the 19% VAT. Meaning Benz only gets 33,474 euro or about 45k.

Now, taxi models and other fleet models are even less expensive than that.

[smk4565]

I just read an article that listed the most profitable vehicles in the past 20 years, the Detroit 3 pickups were the top 3, followed by the S-class. And they only listed cars sold in the USA, so I imagine this was a domestic study. Worldwide the S-class must generate huge amounts of profit. When you build the best car with the best reputation you get people to pay for it.

[smk4565]

The base model E-class for consumer consumption is 39k Euro INCLUDING the 19% VAT. Meaning Benz only gets 33,474 euro or about 45k.

Now, taxi models and other fleet models are even less expensive than that.

So Cadillac should be able to price a base model CTS with a 4-cylinder at $45k then, and about $51k for a base V6. And then sell 250,000 per year, instead of 50,000 per year.

[Drew Dowdell]

Sure, they could sell 250k a year if they sell them to cab companies and police departments world wide.

[smk4565]

Police and Cab companies wouldn't want a CTS because it would fall apart. I've seen 25 year old S-classes with 300,000+ miles on them still in good condition. An American car just won't last like that, the leather will tear and crack, the body panels get gaps, transmission or engine goes, etc. Most car companies don't build a car with the thought that they want it to still be on the road a quarter century later. Mercedes might be the only one that does.

[Drew Dowdell]

I've seen 25 year old Caprices with 300k miles on them too and you're talking to a guy that drives a 30 year old Oldsmobile as a daily driver.

Mercedes doesn't even build them like they used to. It took them 3 years to get the previous generation S-class right.

[67impss]

Police and Cab companies wouldn't want a CTS because it would fall apart. I've seen 25 year old S-classes with 300,000+ miles on them still in good condition. An American car just won't last like that, the leather will tear and crack, the body panels get gaps, transmission or engine goes, etc. Most car companies don't build a car with the thought that they want it to still be on the road a quarter century later. Mercedes might be the only one that does.

And how many Euro cop cars have leather that will NOT tear and crack. If they do have leather cop cars then I do know why Europe is crumbling.

[balthazar]

It's the freaking Crown Vic of Europe!!

Ilk- looks like a big, cheap, rubbery toyota.

I see nothing wrong in that S-class interior...you ever sat in one? They are really nice...a very comfortable place.. it's a solid, well engineered car.

There are a LOT of comfortable, solid cars out there- my question is; how is the pic I linked worth anywhere near $90K?? Some really lackluster & confusing design & cheap bits in there.

[smk4565]

The S-class is worth the price. Even after 6 years on market while everyone else has a fresher model, the S-class still outsells them all despite costing $10-30,000 more than its competitors. The S-class interior may be a simple design, but it has sophistication and the build quality and materials are outstanding. Plus the technology, the engines, and when you buy an S-class you are buying a legendary reputation.

[Drew Dowdell]

Do you subtract all of the taxi sales before you make the claim?

[balthazar]

Again- if sales were the prime determination, the camry would be the finest mid-sized car money could buy.

S-class averages $13 grand on the hood to move, obviously it's not "worth the price".

[smk4565]

The S-class is the most profitable sedan in the world, any car maker wishes they had that. You all can hate on it, but it has set the standard for 30-40 years now, and Daimler is pretty well run and profitable company. They know what they are doing, and everyone else seems to try to copy them.

[Drew Dowdell]

I'm trying to imagine the $h!storm you would spew if Cadillac offered their flagship sedan to Taxi companies in order to boost profits and sales numbers.

[balthazar]

If the s-class sells as few as it does, stickers at $90K but averages $13K less than that, AND it's the "the most profitable sedan in the world" (which I doubt), it must not cost all that much to build.

Then again, building quantities of stripper fleet models and massively overcharging for them based on the list price of regular retail models may certainly tip the profitability scale.

I don't directly hate the car itself, but it's without question overpriced for what you get and the hyperbole gets chokingly thick.

Edited November 22, 2011 by balthazar