How the Mercedes S-Class Became the Most Famous Luxury Sedan in the World

October 10

The brand may well have more than its fair share of iconic sports cars, SUVs, and roadsters among its ranks, but perhaps no vehicle is as closely associated with the name Mercedes-Benz as a large sedan. Big, imperious four-doors that can effortlessly roll along the autobahn at triple-digit speeds in silence and comfort, ones that announce their owner as a person of not just means, but purpose. In other words … the S-Class.

As the brand’s flagship sedan for nearly half a century — or nearly three-quarters of one, depending on how you choose to view it — the “Sonderklasse,” or “special class,” has been responsible for setting the tone for the brand in everything from technology to features to design. A new S-Class dictates the direction for later Benzes to follow. If there’s one car that must abide by the Mercedes marketing creed of “the best or nothing,” it’s the Big S.

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Indeed, the S-Class is often referred to as the “best car in the world” at any given moment in time, which usually isn’t meant literally but reputationally, and, indeed, the S-Class is still the benchmark by which every other luxury sedan is measured. And like many an archetypal automobile, its current standing is in no small part built on a long, notable past full of great products. This is the history of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

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1951–1971: The S-Class Before the S-Classdata:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==

1951–1971: The S-Class Before the S-Class

The first car to officially use the name “S-Class” didn’t arrive until 1972, but according to Mercedes, the story of the name begins in 1951 with the car internally referred to as the W187 and known to the public as the Mercedes-Benz 220. The first Mercedes since World War II to use an engine with more than four cylinders, its inline-six was the first new motor from the company in more than a decade, and used an overhead camshaft — a technology Mercedes had used in Grand Prix racing decades before — to help create 86 horsepower. While the first motor would only displace 2.2 liters, it would go on to evolve into larger, more powerful inline-sixes that would propel the S-Class (and other Benzes) for decades to come.

This was followed just three years later by the generation known first as W180, then W105, then W128. (Yes, it’s confusing). Colloquially, they were referred to as some of the “Ponton” models, the German word for “pontoon” making reference to the sheet metal that enveloped the entire car rather than featuring prominent, standalone fenders. The big news was beneath that skin, however, for these marked the first Mercedes models to use unibody construction instead of a body-on-frame chassis. The 2.2-liter I-6 was still around, but by 1958, it had gained fuel injection.

Come 1959, Mercedes had moved onto the new W111 and W112 models, a new generation dubbed “Heckflosse” or “Fintail” for its, well, tail fins. (Mercedes claimed they were actually meant to help place the rear of the car when parking.) The big news here was on the safety side: these marked the first production cars to have crumple zones, which combined with features like a padded steering wheel to make this Benz one of the safest cars of its day (and establish a trend for the S-Class to come). Disc brakes and an air suspension also came to the big Benz for the first time.

These would in turn morph into the W108 and W109 models that debuted in 1965, which evolved the 1950s design of the Fintails into a conservative, more rectilinear look. The most exciting change, however, came a year later with the arrival of the limited-run 300 SEL 6.3 — a 247-hp V-8 beast that quickly claimed the title of quickest sedan in production, and would pave the way for generations of four-door AMG beasts to come. (The engine proved so popular that Mercedes rolled out a less powerful V-8 for regular models by 1969.)

1972: The First True S-Classdata:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==

1972: The First True S-Class

The “Sonderklass” term had been bandied about informally for Mercedes-Benz’s top production four-door before, but it was with the new W116 model of 1972 that Benz made it official, dubbing the car the S-Class. It launched a new era of Mercedes design, with squared-off headlamps and a broad grille highlighting a brand-new face that would define the carmaker for decades. Once again, safety features came to the fore: the gas tank was moved to help absorb impact forces in a collision; cruise control became an option in 1975; and starting in 1978, the W116 became available with Bosch’s revolutionary new electronic four-channel anti-lock brakes, better known as ABS.

The inline-six — now enlarged to 2.8 liters — was still kicking around, but the first true S-Class also saw more widespread use of V-8s, which started at 3.5 liters and 197 hp but quickly grew to 4.5 liters and 222 ponies. (Americans saw theirs restricted to 190, due to emissions rules.) In 1975, Mercedes rolled out an even bigger eight-pot in the 450 SEL 6.9, the successor to the 300 SEL 6.3; its 6.8-liter V-8 made 286 horses, although the aforementioned U.S. rules kept American ones to 249. And the W116 marked the first passenger vehicle in widespread production with a turbodiesel power plant, a feature that would come to define many future European cars and trucks.

1979: Second-Gen Success for the Sdata:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==

1979: Second-Gen Success for the S

The W116 stuck around for eight years, but when the last examples were still rolling off assembly lines, its successor was already on sale, with the new W126 model entering production in late 1979. The goal with the second-generation S-Class, as would largely become the tradition, was one of refinement and improvement. The results spoke for themselves: the car would stay on sale all the way until 1991.

On the outside, the body had been smoothed out and made more aerodynamic or the ‘80s, once again defining the look of Mercedes-Benz for a new era (and, as a bonus, improving efficiency). Again, safety innovation was of paramount importance: the W126 began offering a driver’s side airbag and seat belt tensioners for the front seats by 1981, with the front passenger airbag becoming an option by 1998. Traction control also became an option on eight-cylinder models in 1985. Under the hood remained a mix of inline-sixes and V-8s, with the powertrain lineup growing in size and power after a 1986 mid-life refresh; the beefiest, a 5.5-liter eight-cylinder found in the 560 SEL, reached 296 hp.

1991: The S-Class Gradually Evolves a Bit Moredata:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==

1991: The S-Class Gradually Evolves a Bit More

The look of the third-generation S-Class, known as the W140, was a graceful evolution of its predecessor’s appearance — sleeker and more taut, but no less imposing. Beneath the gradual change outside, however, the new S-Class was greatly changed. The development process was extended due to unforeseen competition, such as the arrival of the first Lexus LS and BMW’s second-gen 7 Series with its new V-12; this, combined with the brand’s dedication to the S-Class’s quality, led the gestation to stretch on — and the price to rise versus its predecessor.

The resulting S-Class, however, proved as innovative and impressive as its heritage suggested it could be. Electronic stability control, sonar-based parking aids, a voice-controlled car phone, and a GPS-based navigation system — all made their way to a Mercedes for the first time. And while all-new inline-six and V-8 engines were created for the W140, the third-gun S-Class also marked the first time a V-12 would find its way under the hood, in the form of the range-topping S600 that used a 6.0-liter engine making 402 horsepower. (The W140 also marked the first time that AMG would create an S-Class, outfitting them with a 6.0-liter V-8 —but only informally, and only for the Japanese market.)

1998: An All-New S-Class for a New Millenniumdata:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==

1998: An All-New S-Class for a New Millennium

If the story of the S-Class had, so far, been one of evolution, the W220 generation was all about revolution. Boxy design was out, and curves were in, a change most obviously seen in the curved headlights. It was a shocking new look, one meant to lead the Three-Pointed Star into the 2000s. And as the car brought Benz into the 21st Century, it came laden with new technology. Radar-based active cruise control, a fuel-saving cylinder displacement system, true keyless entry and push-to-start ignition, ride-height-adjusting active suspension — it was all here, along with an interior that brought a color infotainment display to the car for the first time.

On the powertrain front, the W220 boasted an incredible range of options, stretching from a 2.8-liter V-6 to mighty V-12s displacing more than twice as much. Come 2001, the first official AMG S-Classes arrived, in the form of the 354-hp S55 AMG — which, by 2003, had gained a supercharger for an upgrade to 493 ponies. For drivers who preferred their power in a more genteel package, the V-12 S600 delivered almost identical outputs — 362 hp in original form, 493 after gaining twin turbos in ’03. Or, if neither was enough, there was the S65 AMG of 2005, which made a whopping 604 horsepower. The W220 also became the first S-Class to offer all-wheel-drive, starting in 2002 … although not on any of those super-potent cars.

2005: A Return to Form for the Sdata:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==

2005: A Return to Form for the S

For all its appeal, the W220 was seen by some as a letdown compared with its predecessors (poor quality control on some early-build versions didn’t set a great tone). So, for the W221 that succeeded it, Mercedes remade it from stem to stern. Sharper angles came into play, and it grew inside and out, with an all-new interior design that was more graceful and more organically integrated with the increasingly important infotainment system. New technology like a lane-keeping assistant and self-activating emergency braking was added to the mix, as well.

A wide spread of engines was once again on offer, including V-6, V-8, and V-12 gasoline ones and four-, six- and eight-cylinder diesels. The big news for mainstream buyers was the arrival of a hybrid S-Class, the S400; the first hybrid car to use a lithium-ion battery, it combined an electric motor and a V-6 to make 295 hp and get 26 mpg on the highway. For enthusiasts, however, the best development was found under the hood of the S63 AMG of 2006; it marked one of the first appearances of AMG’s naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V-8, which cranked out 518 horsepower and sounded like heaven doing it.

2013: A Tech-Focused Upgradedata:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==

2013: A Tech-Focused Upgrade

With complete mastery of traditional luxury car skills pretty much under its belt by now, the sixth-generation S-Class — dubbed W222 internally — turned to tech to further upgrade its game. There was Magic Body Control, which combined forward-facing cameras with an active hydropneumatic suspension to smooth out bumps; a hot stone massage function for the seats; and, as Mercedes was excited to point out, it was the first production car to use exactly zero traditional light bulbs. All this was wrapped up in a body that seemed to take the best of its two preceding generations, combing muscular curves with bold, crisp lines and angles. And, for the first time, the Maybach range merged with Mercedes to create a new super-premium S-Class sub-brand that could exist as an extra-luxurious counterpart to AMG.

Speaking of AMG, all-wheel-drive — now proliferating across the lineup — came to play for the first time in an AMG S-Class to better make use of all that grunt. The S63 saw not one but two new V-8s during the W222 generation: it launched with a 5.5-liter twin-turbo V-8 that made up for losing the 6.2’s character by putting out 577 horsepower, then a midlife facelift swapped that out for a new 4.0-liter twin-turbo unit that pumped out 603 horses. The V-12-powered S600 was gone. The S65 AMG remained, but it was too potent for the AWD. its 621 hp had to flow through the rear wheels alone. On the other end of the scale, the first plug-in hybrid S-Class, the S 560 e, was launched in 2018.

2020: Streamlining the S-Class, and Splitting It Updata:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==

2020: Streamlining the S-Class, and Splitting It Up

The seventh-generation S-Class, known as W223, had the bad luck to debut in mid-2020 when the world was generally preoccupied with matters beyond new luxury sedans. Still, there was plenty to appreciate for those who were paying attention. The instrument panel display offered a 3D function, while a new infotainment system discarded most conventional buttons in favor of a massive tablet and a Siri-like voice assistant. A Level 3 semi-autonomous driving aid became available in certain markets. And, this being an S-Class, Mercedes certainly didn’t forget to impress on the safety front; the W223 became the first car to offer a rear seat airbag.

On the powertrain front, the W223 saw options streamlined down to two inline-sixes (including the sole diesel), two V-8s and one V-12. Plug-in hybrids were now available in six- and eight-cylinder forms; shockingly, the AMG S-Class was now only available as a V-8 PHEV, although the S 63 E Performance’s total output of 791 hp certainly helped assuage fears it had lost its groove. The V-12 was now relegated solely to the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class, the S 680; power was “just” 603 horses, but for the first time, the V-12 was paired with all-wheel-drive.

But the biggest change to the S-Class’s powertrain wasn’t even an S-Class. In a bid to keep its internal combustion and electric vehicles separate, Mercedes created what amounted to a second all-new S-Class in the form of the all-electric EQS, which debuted a year after the W223. The jelly bean-shaped EQS offered impressive range and power and pioneered new tech features like a dashboard-wide display called “Hyperscreen.” Mercedes has since walked back plans to go all-electric by the end of the decade, but even so — when you’re picturing the next S-Class, it’s worth looking at the EQS as much as the W223.

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