2020 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Sedan Review: Luxury Land-Yachting
Luxury, elegance, state-of-the-art tech. These are all terms that are perfectly embodied by the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Much like the M3 has been the compact sports sedan that all rivals try and often fail to beat, the S-Class is the ultimate in the luxury sedan segment, a market that the BMW 7 Series and Audi A8 can only dream of dominating in the way Mercedes does. The best of its kind, the S-Class is available with either a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 or a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8, producing 362 and 463 horsepower, respectively. Changing your own gears is something reserved for the proletariat, so a nine-speed automatic is the only transmission available, with motivation sent to either the rear wheels only, or all four. If you have around $100,000 floating about for luxurious transportation, this should be the first vehicle you consider.
What's the Price of the 2020 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Sedan?
Pricing for the S-Class doesn't exactly fall into the category of "loose change" unless your first name is Jeff and your last Bezos. The base rear-wheel-drive S450 is the cheapest model and costs $94,250 before the $995 destination charge. Opting for the 4Matic option costs $97,250. The V8 model, the S560, costs $104,450, while the S560 4Matic has a base price of $107,450. Fully loaded with all the amenities and options, your build cost can exceed $160,000.
Handling and Driving Impressions
Mercedes calls its optional adaptive air suspension system Magic Body Control (available on non-4Matic variants only), and that isn't an overstatement. The system can read the bends coming up ahead and prepare the body so that the car remains flat and level, ensuring that occupants are left unaware of the severity of road conditions. However, even the standard adaptive air suspension does a fine job of cosseting occupants and insulating them from imperfections and pockmarked asphalt. It's among the reasons that the S-Class has remained the benchmark in full-size luxury vehicles.
In the past, such glorious comfort would require a trade-off in the handling department, but the S-Class pushes boundaries here too. Change your settings to Sport mode and everything will firm up for a tauter and more dynamic ride. This is still an S-Class, so its weight and vague steering can't be fully overcome, but the car won't give you crash-inducing understeer unless you behave totally recklessly either. Braking is another area in which the S-Class shines, with appropriate pedal travel and feel allowing you to make consistently calm stops every time. Naturally, a more lithe and athletic experience will be had in something like the E-Class, but overall, there's very little to fault on the S-Class. It does exactly what is expected of it and will prevent total boredom when you need to go quickly, as well as avoid spilling your champagne when you're coasting along quietly.
Verdict: Is the 2020 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Sedan A Good car?
When it comes to luxury and comfort, the only vehicles that can come close to offering the same level of restrained opulence and next-generation tech are much more expensive offerings from the likes of Rolls-Royce and Bentley, and even those often fall short when it comes to offering the most advanced technology. For the price, the S-Class in any form is the best full-size luxury sedan on the market, and arguably one of, if not the safest vehicles around. With a focus on rear-seat comfort and luxury, the S-Class still manages to be a respectable driver's car too, and features like heated massaging seats, a cabin perfumer, and a long list of driver aids help make every drive a pleasant one. There are certainly more dynamic vehicles out there, and more practical ones too, but when it comes to luxury, even a Rolls-Royce can seem a little too overtly self-aware. The Merc doesn't announce its abilities with too much fanfare, yet is instantly recognizable as the class leader. That's why no one can dethrone it.
What Mercedes-Benz S-Class Sedan Model Should I Buy?
All versions of the S-Class are capable of swathing you in comfort and isolating you from the peasantry of the outside world, but we'd spend a little extra on a V8 model. Unless slippery conditions are a daily peril, we'd stick with the rear-wheel-drive S560. We'd use the extra money on the Driver Assistance package for its added safety and peace of mind, but we'd also be tempted by the multitude of options that can be added to specifically enhance the comfort of rear-seat passengers. With all of them ticked, the price does rise substantially, but by avoiding spending extra on bigger wheels and trick paint, you can still keep the price below $130k.
2020 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Sedan Comparisons
2020 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Sedan vs BMW 7 Series
If you want the best, we've already ascertained that, in most respects, the S-Class is it. However, the divide between it and rivals like the BMW 7 Series is not quite as big as it always was. If price is a concern at all, the BMW is attractive, starting at $86,450 - nearly nine grand less than the base S-Class. In addition, the Bimmer has surprisingly more legroom and a considerably larger trunk, at 18.2 cubic feet versus the Merc's 12.3. However, you won't get perfumed air wafted into the cabin of your 7 Series, and the ride, although excellent, is not quite as supple as in the S-Class. Both are tech giants and both are brilliant in their own way, but for us, the S-Class has the edge, which is why we've rated it with a 9.1 CarBuzz score while the BMW only gets 8.3.
2020 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Sedan vs Mercedes-Benz E-Class Sedan
If you don't need all the opulence and - some may say excessive - luxury of the S-Class, the E-Class is a competent alternative. Its looks are just as, if not more, handsome than those of the S-Class, and its base price is not much more than half that of the S-Class. You wouldn't be able to stretch out as much as in the S, but the E offers almost identical front legroom, with 41.3 inches versus the S-Class' 41.4. Headroom in the back is also just one inch worse than that of the S-Class, and it is predictably more maneuverable and lighter on gas. Despite being smaller, it also has a bigger trunk that measures 13.1 cubes compared to 12.3 in the S-Class. Most of the same standard and available driver aids are shared between the two, and the E-Class is a better car to drive spiritedly too. The S-Class is the king of its niche, but the E-Class offers similar levels of glamor for a fraction of the price.