2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class review | First Australian Drive S450L | CarAdvice

The new 2021 s class, but now we've had a chance to drive it, and i can tell you that benchmark has been raised Music now before we get to the new stuff. Let'S, take a look at some of the things we know, starting with this, the three liter inline six cylinder petrol engine. Now this is the same turbocharged unit with the 48 volt mild hybrid system that we've seen in the gls 450 same 270 kilowatt and 500 newton meter output. That has a bit more of both under eq boost over boost when you need it. I can say too that in this car, which is a big heavy sedan, it actually works really really well same as it does in the gls. You get decent power as you require, both in town and on highway, driving plus pretty impressive economy when you're, especially in a touring cycle, but enough of that let's take a look at the interior and the technology that really again lifts the s class. Well, above where it was previously Music, now, arguably for many s, class buyers or owners, the rear is potentially more important than the front as we saw when we had a look at the car static. There is a stack of room here, but on the move, you've got a really really comfortable ride in the long wheelbase. The seats are electrically adjustable as standard you've got an ability to stretch out you've got your own climate control here, but because the car runs on air suspension and all wheel drive standard it's, a very cushy, very relaxed ride.

Now what you do find is if the road is perhaps a little bit rough, you tend to sort of float and wobble a little bit, it's, not uncomfortable, but you can stiffen the car up by putting it in sport mode and it makes it actually a bit More comfortable, even here as a passenger, also worth noting, is the world first rear passenger airbags that come out of the rear of the front seats showing that mercedes puts not only attention on the driver and front passengers, but also the rear passengers too. Let'S, take it for a spin right well before we hit the road just a couple of things of note. First of all, the huge center touch screen one of five and a half or six screens that the car can actually run now. This is using the upgraded version of the mbux operating system that we're used to seeing in the current mercedes benz lineup. It is relatively familiar, but also a little bit more improved from an interface and a graphical representation perspective it's a big tick there, but perhaps the more noticeable one is the screen in front of the driver, which is actually a 3d projection. Now, to give you some context, it's like when you went to see avatar at the cinema for the first 10 or so minutes uh, you were sitting there looking at the 3d imagery thinking what is going on. Have i made a mistake, but then your brain figures it out and it actually becomes second nature to see thing in depth.

This works exactly the same way and you find that, with the navigation set on the instrument display here, it not only gives you a 3d look into where you're traveling, but also a 3d map of the world. So you get topographic features like mountains and hills and valleys it's really cool. Probably the one that i like the most, though, is the driver assistance display, which does look like a 1980s computer game as you move through traffic and traffic moves around you again, very impressive and a big step up. However, the most impressive screen in this car is the optional uh larger head up display. Now this gives you augmented navigation instructions which project a little bit larger and a little bit further ahead than what we used to on a head up system again. Takes you a few minutes to get used to it, but then it becomes second nature. It'S like having a flat screen tv sitting around uh five metres in front of the car and, as you come up to navigation instructor instructions and turn points, you get a series of growing animated arrows that show you where to go and your best path through obstacles And where to exit the roundabout it's, amazing and, quite frankly, a very, very impressive system that we know will filter down onto other mercedes benz models and i think perhaps before we go for a drive that's. The thing to take the most note out of is the s class is not necessarily about the s class.

This new platform that this car sits on is going to underpin the c class, and if this is any hint on what we're going to expect at a much more affordable level, the s class is making the c class look really impressive. Let'S hit the road now as we get on the road here in the new s class we'll uh use the mercedes benz virtual assistant, which has been enhanced for the new s class. Close all blinds nice anyway. So the first thing you do notice in this car is just simply how comfortable it is. You'Ve got multi chamber air suspension all round. As i said before, the car is all wheel, drive uh as standard this is the s450l. So the long wheelbase version it's got an extra 110 millimeters of wheelbase to help your rear seat passengers, which today is joel my videographer, who enjoy the comfort and luxury of being chauffeured by yours truly around in a new s, so he's a very lucky chat today. What you don't notice in this car is the difference between the regular wheelbase and the long wheelbase. Even over bumps. It is a very compliant ride. You find that the car will just simply soak up and sort of float around as an s class kind of wood. Now, for mine, that's great, when you're on the freeway or perhaps on a longer country tour, but if you're on a slightly more winding stretch now this isn't a sports car by any measure, but occasionally it is nice to make the car feel a bit more direct.

You can change the dynamic setting and put the car in either sport or sport plus mode, and that just simply stiffens the ride a little bit and gives you a bit more control and kind of stops. The float which, like i said earlier, is not only comfortable for driving the car but it's good for passengers as well in terms of power, as i said, the 450 engine, so the three liter six cylinder, petrol and mild hybrid system, it's, honestly more than enough than What you need for this car there is a v8 twin turbo coming. There will be amg variants coming that's, okay, that's, all well and proper, but really this is fine and you've got enough power and enough smoothness and enough capability for around town running and effortless overtaking at speed that the 450 is really really well matched to a car Of this size, also too, with the mild hybrid system, you get very impressive fuel consumption, especially on a touring cycle, so again, big tick for merck, on a way of dealing with technology and capability that they've put in in other models that work really really well. In the s class, but really we're not here, to hear about how powerful and how comfortable the s class is, because you kind of expect that it is the technology in this car. That is very, very impressive and, as i said, the big screen it's great. It works everything's, moving to bigger screens in the front now it's very nice.

It does get a bit smudgy and it is the only interaction you note there on the console here: there's, no touchpad or or other interface that you're used to on other mercedes benz models. So big screen means big fingerprints. Just keep a clock in the side pocket. The 3d display, as i said, is very impressive and again with a mercedes. You'Ve got a bazillion options of configuration that you can go through to change this, to be what you want, and while it does take a little bit of getting used to, it does become second nature very quickly and again is a very usable system and here's a Fun thing: the car actually tells you how to position yourself, uh in the seat for your height, so that you can see the instrument, detail and 3d effect the most clearly. So it is quite clever that way, but perhaps the most impressive thing is the the new optional, i will say advanced head up display. It is a game changer for this now and i don't say that lightly i'm used to head up displays in cars. I find them to be a very, very useful way of driving. It doesn't take your eyes from the road to be able to see what's going on, but this is another level and i don't want to oversell it, but it's like being iron man. So when you're there and you've got all this information coming up in your your head up, display that you see in special effects in movies that's real in this car, it is very, very impressive.

So all in all the s class is well it's, an s class it's very comfortable, it is beautiful to drive the fit and finish and material use in the front is is top notch. Even the windscreen wiper switch here is a lovely, textured, knurled, aluminium and again it's. What you expect at this level, you probably will find it's a plastic one lower down the range, but this is the s class and it needs to be that step above to set that benchmark, which again, i feel this car has has re raised. Another strong point of this car obviously is the overall pleasantness of the cabin now we're doing 100 kilometers an hour on a country road here, uh joel's in the back. How is it back there very comfortable, he's uh in business class i'm up here flying the plane, but it's, really quiet, there's, excellent, sound insulation you've got double glazed windows uh. You can feel the road you can hear the road when the surface changes but it's sort of a dull noise. You don't get any sharp intrusions from both tyre raw and wind uh and when you do hit sharper, bumps or or bigger, potholes and things. Yes, you can feel them, but it's not overly intrusive, both through the wheel and into the cabin fair. To note, too, that this car doesn't have the more advanced e active body control system on it. It is its standard air suspension and while you or i may not get a chance to spend an awful lot of time in an s class and when we do, it may even be in the back uh heading to a special occasion or as a vip passenger.

Like joel, but in terms of driving this car long distances easy cruising easy touring, you could do mile upon mile upon mile, in this thing very relaxed and very capable and getting out as refreshed as you like, because of course you can have a massage. While you drive as well, which is always a high point for me – hey mercedes Music turn on the driver's front seat, massage, please excellent. So our first look at the all new s: class it's, stylish it's comfortable, and it does have very impressive tech – and i know i've used that word quite a lot. But i'll use it one more time, because perhaps the most impressive part of the s class is what the insides and outsides mean for the new c class. We know the car is built on the same platform. We know it looks like a miniaturized version. We know it shares some of the same components and technology, and while this car has made us like bs class and obviously feel like a business class, traveler of technology and comfort, it has only made us want to drive the new c class more now, if you've Got any questions about the all new mercedes, benz s class, or perhaps about what's going to follow this car, like the c class hit us up in the comments below, as always, hit subscribe to stay up to date with all of our latest videos and don't forget To hit the like button because actually does matter, and we do like to see the content that you like of course two you can read up all about this – the all new mercedes benz s class over at car advice.