Mercedes S-Class 2017 teased in New York ~ station of gear

Revised limo gatecrashes GLC63 debuts - gets improved Distronic tech and styling tweaks

2017-04-12 02:15

Mercedes has teased its forthcoming revised S-Class in New York, ahead of the car’s expected public debut at next week’s Shanghai motor show.

The German brand’s flagship gatecrashed the launch of the GLC63 and GLC63 Coupe models - and while the chrome-wrapped vehicle hid some of its details, senior sources subsequently revealed more about the mild facelift. There are revised headlights, a new front bumper and the current V12 version’s front grille spread across the range. And the rear end gets new tail-lights and a different design of bumper that incorporates the tailpipes, even on the diesel editions of the car that still make up the vast majority of S-Class sales in the UK.

The cabin gets a mild makeover, with new materials and even greater scope for personalisation. There’s an updated infotainment system, too, to bring the S-Class up to the same level as its smaller brother, the recently launched E-Class. The dashboard now features a glass-enclosed ‘seamless display’ that’s actually a pair of 12.3-inch widescreens placed beside each other.

Read our ride review of the 2017 Mercedes S-Class

There’s a new design of steering wheel which incorporates more controls - including, notably, for the latest version of Mercedes’ Distronic cruise control, which is now operated from the wheel itself instead of a column stalk.

The S-Class’s Distronic system will move it clear of the rest of the Merc range, because it incorporates mapping data for the first time. The car uses a mixture of GPS information and stored map data to more accurately gauge safe distances and speeds for corners; it also tailors these adjustments depending on whether you’re in Sport or Eco mode, to focus on maintaining performance or maximising efficiency.

Other Distronic improvements include Active Lane Change Assist, which allows you to move between lanes on a motorway, between speeds of 50 and 60mph, by using the indicator stalk. And the S-Class can now wait up to 30 seconds before moving off itself in stop-start traffic.

Merc officials at the New York ‘sneak preview’ declined to provide engine details, although they did admit that the company’s new straight-six petrol motor will be included in the range, featuring 48-volt electrics and an integrated starter-alternator for greater efficiency. The bulk of UK S-Class sales will still be six-cylinder diesels, although a plug-in petrol hybrid with a pure-electric range of “more than 50km (30 miles)” is also under development.

Mercedes will start taking orders for the new S-Class from late May, although the first deliveries aren’t due until October. We’d expect only the mildest of increases in price, so the starting point for the range - which will still feature regular-wheelbase, long-wheelbase, Maybach and Pullman editions - should be around £70,000.

John McIlroy

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