Why This Iconic Full-Size Sedan Still Defines True Luxury in 2025

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The automotive satellite has changed a batch successful caller years, particularly if you look astatine the luxury segment. With caller competitors popping up and a bigger absorption connected tech than ever before, things person truly been shaken up. Despite this, 1 exemplary remains the king of luxury aft implicit 50 years connected the market, continually pushing boundaries and innovating.

Mercedes-Benz has built its estimation by delivering immoderate of the astir comfy and opulent vehicles that wealth tin buy. At the apical of the stack successful Mercedes’ lineup sits the S-Class. Even successful a satellite that is progressively dominated by crossovers and SUVs, it is adjacent intolerable to find a car that treats you arsenic good arsenic the S-Class does.

We dive into however the existent iteration of the S-Class has lived up to the nameplate’s extended legacy. We dive into however it has evolved and however overmuch it costs today. Exploring its interior, we spot however the German marque puts comfortableness supra everything else. Truly, determination is nary amended luxury acquisition than that offered successful an S-Class.

In bid to springiness you the astir up-to-date and close accusation possible, the information utilized to compile this nonfiction was sourced from assorted shaper websites and different authoritative sources, including TopSpeed and the EPA.

Side illustration   2022 Audi A8

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The 2025 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Still Leads The Full-Size Segment

Many things person changed successful the automotive manufacture successful the past 50 years. Cars are wholly antithetic present to what they were decades ago, packed with exertion and features that were lone dreamed of. Throughout each this change, the S-Class remains the eventual luxury sedan, unrivaled by its competitors erstwhile it comes to interior comfortableness and innovative technology.

A Triumphant History

The S-Class technically debuted successful 1972, with it being the apical of the enactment W116 that you could buy. The designation has been successful usage since, dominating the luxury abstraction for implicit 5 decades. It has been a level done which Mercedes has demonstrated its newest and astir innovative features and technologies and has ranked arsenic the world's best-selling luxury sedan.

The full-size luxury sedan conception isn't what it erstwhile was, though. It has been steadily shrinking implicit the years, with galore buyers making the power to crossovers and SUVs. Despite the downsizing of the segment, the existent iteration of the S-Class inactive stands gangly arsenic the astir fashionable exemplary connected the market, and for bully reason. It isn't conscionable a presumption awesome oregon an icon, but genuinely a person successful the automotive space.

2025 Trims and Pricing

Model

Starting MSRP

S500

$117,750

S580e

$128,200

S580

$128,600

The S-Class sits good implicit the six-figure mark, being the astir costly enactment successful the full-size sedan conception successful presumption of its starting price. The S-Class does not interest itself with value, alternatively having the extremity of simply being the best. It is expensive, yes, but it is untouchable erstwhile it comes to interior prime and refinement, with top-notch comfortableness for those successful the beforehand and the backmost seats.

When you're dropping good implicit a 100 1000 dollars connected a car, it seems futile to interest astir which exemplary offers the champion bang-for-your-buck. Once again, you should spell with the champion option. Thus, we would opt for the S580. It comes with a large turbocharged V-8 and Nappa leather arsenic good arsenic a heated steering instrumentality arsenic modular equipment.

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The S-Class Features a Classy Yet Futuristic Interior

Rear spot   controls successful  the 2025 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Mercedes-Benz

When buying a full-size luxury sedan, the astir important happening is interior comfort. Everything other comes secondary. In this sense, determination is nary beating the S-Class, with its innovative exertion and kit designed to marque your commute consciousness arsenic effortless arsenic possible. Whether you're driving oregon being chauffeured, you'll consciousness similar you're successful a yacht connected wheels.

Interior Design and Comfort Features

  • Thermotronic 4-Zone Climate Control
  • Active Noise Insulation
  • Active Ambient Lighting
  • Multicontour Seats
  • Heated and Ventilated Front/Rear Seats

The S-Class aims to beryllium up of the curve erstwhile it comes to design. To this end, the interior is exceptionally screen-heavy, with the sedan being disposable with up to 5 screens. Despite this intelligibly forward-thinking approach, the S-Class inactive manages to clasp the opulence that it is known for, with the highest prime materials utilized throughout.

Despite lone having 4 doors and 2 rows, you'll consciousness similar you're successful a limousine whether you're successful the beforehand oregon the back, with an exceptional magnitude of country to agelong your legs. Rear-seat comfortableness is intelligibly a priority, with the thought that galore owners volition beryllium driven alternatively than drive. You tin beryllium coddled with power-adjustable reclining seats that diagnostic massaging and heating features.

Infotainment and Technology

This is wherever the S-Class begins to truly amusement off. A 12.8-inch OLED surface sits successful the mediate of the dashboard. It is controlled chiefly via interaction controls, but an incredibly precocious dependable adjunct tin run astir of the vehicle's systems. In beforehand of the operator is simply a 12.3-inch integer gauge cluster, which works successful conjunction with different exertion to make a 3D effect. It tin beryllium turned disconnected if it is excessively distracting oregon intrusive, though.

The S-Class features smartphone-esque features, similar facial designation and a fingerprint sensor connected the touchscreen which automatically adjusts settings passim the compartment to your idiosyncratic preferences. A strategy besides operates to sync up ambient lighting, clime control, massage, and euphony systems. Audiophiles volition beryllium blown distant by the modular 3D Burmester dependable system, with an adjacent much almighty 4D strategy available.

Driver-assist exertion connected the S-Class is besides among the champion successful the world. Beyond the features that you'd expect, specified arsenic adaptive cruise power and a plethora of information warnings, the S-Class offers a 360-degree camera, a nighttime imaginativeness diagnostic for the S-Class's cameras and sensors, and it tin parkland itself. It is besides susceptible of hands-off semi-autonomous driving connected immoderate highways.

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The S-Class Delivers Ridiculous Power No Matter Which Model You Choose

Engine bay successful  the 2025 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Mercedes-Benz

While full-size luxury sedans aren't mostly designed to carve corners and clip apexes, the S-Class inactive delivers immoderate awesome performance. With 3 models to take from, the Mercedes-Benz comes with varying levels of powerfulness and economy. Above each else, though, the German marque prioritizes a sensationally creaseless thrust and a quiescent cabin.

Performance Specifications

Engine

Transmission

Horsepower

Torque

Driveline

0-60 MPH

Top Speed

3.0-Liter Turbo Hybrid Inline-Six

4.0-Liter Twin-Turbo Hybrid V-8

3.0-Liter Turbo PHEV Inline-Six

9-Speed Automatic

9-Speed Automatic

9-Speed Automatic

442 HP

496 HP

510 HP

413 HP

516 LB-FT

396 LB-FT

AWD

AWD

AWD

4.5 Seconds

3.9 Seconds

4.2 Seconds

129 MPH

129 MPH

129 MPH

The 2025 S-Class comes successful 3 chiseled flavors. The S500 features a turbocharged inline-six and the S580 a twin-turbo V-8. Both of these 2 options diagnostic a 48-volt hybrid system. The S580e, however, is simply a plug-in hybrid, pairing the inline-six and an electrical centrifugal to present immoderate insane amounts of power. There isn't a atrocious prime among the lot.

For a car that tin measurement implicit 5,500 pounds successful its heaviest form, it moves astonishingly speedy careless of which motor sits nether the hood. Comfort is ever the apical precedence successful the S-Class though, which is wherefore each exemplary comes equipped with aerial suspension arsenic standard. An E-Active Body Control strategy is available, though, that subtly leans the car into corners to trim the feeling of assemblage roll. It tin besides travel with an all-wheel-steering strategy which makes the monolithic Mercedes impressively nimble successful choky spaces.

Fuel Economy

Model

City

Highway

Combined

S500

21 MPG

31 MPG

24 MPG

S580

17 MPG

25 MPG

20 MPG

While we're not claiming that the S-Class is peculiarly efficient, Mercedes' hybrid strategy successful the S500 and S580 does a bully occupation of mitigating the substance depletion of its excessively almighty engines. In specified a ample and dense car, getting up to 31 miles per gallon connected the road is reasonably impressive. It besides comes with a large 20-gallon tank, meaning it tin spell up to 480 miles earlier you tally retired of fuel.

The plug-in hybrid S580e comes fitted with a 22.7-kWh artillery pack, which is beauteous bully for a PHEV. It comes modular with a 9.6-kW that is bully capable for usage astatine home, but those that privation accelerated charging should get the optional 60-kW DC charger. This artillery gives the S580e an all-electric scope of 48 miles, which is fantabulous but not arsenic bully arsenic the brand's GLC PHEV. After the artillery is depleted, it volition bash 23 miles per gallon combined.

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