Beyond Luxury
The 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
Article by Gary Anderson
Images from Mercedes-Benz USA
The best or nothing is the current meme for Mercedes-Benz Cars, but after being introduced to the all-new 2014 S-Class in Toronto, I’d suggest that the company consider a new slogan for this automobile: The best of everything.
Of course, that is exactly what this car must be. For decades, Mercedes-Benz has been the leading producer of luxury automobiles in the world, and the S-Class has been the best selling luxury model in the marketplace. More than 515,000 examples of the outgoing W221 model were sold. More amazing, in its eighth year of production, that model still outsold every other luxury car in its class.
That’s a tough act to follow, but we can say with confidence that the W222 – reaching dealers early this fall – should have no trouble taking over the mantle. The combination of understated exterior styling, interior luxury and comfort, and technical advances don’t merely measure up: A new yardstick has been introduced.
Totally different, instantly recognizable
Over dinner with Robert Lesnik, the young Slovenian-born designer responsible for the exterior of the new S-Class, we discussed his design brief. Deceptively simple, the new model had to be instantly recognizable as the most exclusive model in the Mercedes luxury-sedan lineup, but noticeably different from any S-class that came before it.
Lesnik and his team met this challenge by making some elegant yet minimal changes to the previous model’s design. The front end was redesigned to be consistent with current styling cues used in the newest sedans, but with a larger, more vertical and more deeply sculpted grille harking back to earlier S-Class cars.
Balancing the eye-catching front end, the sides of the car are sleeker, with the bulges over the wheels now gone. The plane of the side is now broken by a “descending line” beginning at the rear of the headlamp that visually changes the car’s stance from an aggressive challenger to confident elegance.
In the rear, the size and complexity of the tail lamps has been reduced and they are separated from the trunk opening, while smoother edge curves add to the gracefulness of the overall impression. Lesnik says that his favorite perspective on the new design is from behind the rear quarter of the car looking forward along the side.
Major changes inside
I found the interior to be the most altered, with advances in almost every aspect. Modern flat-panel screens and completely rearranged control buttons and knobs create a facia and instrument cluster that is at once sensibly efficient and visually sophisticated.
Three major changes have been made. First, the driver’s gauge cluster and the center stack information screen are now composed of a single horizontal band of two flat-panel displays approximately five inches high and more than 20 inches wide. With this “glass cockpit” display comes both informative flexibility and effective presentation.
Second, in creating the interface, the designers in Germany and California continued to eschew the trend toward touch screens that can be awkward and unsafe to use when the car is in motion. Instead, they used a central control knob and separate buttons on the steering wheel, dash, and console. Also, rather than building an off-putting panel on the center stack with buttons in rows and columns, the HVAC switches are arrayed directly under the center air vents and the control buttons have been arranged in an easy-to-reach crescent around the center multi-purpose knob. The whole cluster is positioned directly beneath the driver’s right hand when the arm is resting on the center armrest.
Third, with the center control stack removed, the designers adopted a smooth curve extending from door to door across the facia in a shape that one designer said was inspired by the outspread wings of a swan.
Personalized luxury throughout
Certainly the comprehensive use of high-quality wood, leather, and shining or anodized metal – not a square inch of plastic or vinyl is visible – is sumptuous in the extreme. This is a car that is relaxing just to sit in.
Because of the radical differences in owner preferences across its key markets, Mercedes-Benz has an interesting challenge in designing its flagship. In North America, the largest market for this car, it must appeal to an owner-driver who will use it both for personal transportation and to squire clients and colleagues. In Asia, the second-largest and fastest-growing market, owners prefer to be chauffeured in comfort, with the car attesting to their status. In Europe, the third-largest market, the S-Class is most often company owned and used to transport executives over long distances in an efficient working environment.
To address these challenges, as well as fill the niche that spans a range from airport limousine fleets to owners with unlimited wealth now that the Maybach has been discontinued, the Mercedes-Benz interior engineers noted that they developed the entire interior around the rear cabin, and in particular the seat diagonal to the driver.
Even working within the range of listed interior options, the owner has a variety of choices. For the fleet limousine, an efficient bench-seat arrangement can be specified for three passengers to be conveyed with a taste of elegance. For its executives, a company might order a two-passenger working environment with foldaway desks, display screens, and convenient controls. A specialty transportation company or multicar household might design an elegant sitting room where momentous or romantic occasions can be toasted with champagne from the refrigerator. The successful entrepreneur might order a first-class private cabin where a senior executive can nap in an extended lounge seat after a hot-stone massage while an assistant prepares for the meeting at the distant destination.
Lest we overlook the driving experience
Perhaps I am remiss by not remarking at length about how the S-Class drives and handles. Those traits certainly and obviously are exemplary, but at the same time seem irrelevant to most potential owners of this car.
As I was once taught in a chauffeur’s course, the goal is to convey clients to their destinations without them being aware they’re in a car. Against that criterion, I can only say that the Mercedes-Benz S-Class is better than any car I’ve ever driven. For the person who really does care about the driving experience, I’d recommend skipping all the rear-cabin options and applying the money toward the purchase of an S63 AMG, which will be available in October (see page 10 of this issue).
In Toronto, as either driver or passenger in the standard model, I could imagine myself to be in an executive suite or secluded mansion, with my carriage performing all its appropriate tasks – accelerating and decelerating, negotiating turns, maneuvering through traffic, absorbing all the bumps of an unyielding world – without ever in the least intruding on my concentration, my work, or my relaxation.
SPECIFICATIONS
2014 W222 S550
Chassis and Body: Aluminum hybrid body shell with aluminum outer panels
Engine: 4,663cc dual turbocharged V-8
Transmission: 7-speed direct-select automatic
Drive: Front engine rear or 4Matic all-wheel drive
Horsepower: 455 @ 5,250 rpm
Torque: 516 lb-ft @ 1,800-3,500 rpm
Performance: Zero-60 4.8 sec u
Estimated top speed 130 mph
Length: 206.5 inches
Other specifications: TBA
Styling in the front cabin is all curves and classy materials, with two texture options.
Extensive rear cabin options are available; this version is suited to executive use.
Two large flat-panel screens provide most driving and vehicle control information.
Controls have been rearranged for ergonomic convenience in a stylish crescent.
The 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
Article by Gary Anderson
Images from Mercedes-Benz USA
The best or nothing is the current meme for Mercedes-Benz Cars, but after being introduced to the all-new 2014 S-Class in Toronto, I’d suggest that the company consider a new slogan for this automobile: The best of everything.
Of course, that is exactly what this car must be. For decades, Mercedes-Benz has been the leading producer of luxury automobiles in the world, and the S-Class has been the best selling luxury model in the marketplace. More than 515,000 examples of the outgoing W221 model were sold. More amazing, in its eighth year of production, that model still outsold every other luxury car in its class.
That’s a tough act to follow, but we can say with confidence that the W222 – reaching dealers early this fall – should have no trouble taking over the mantle. The combination of understated exterior styling, interior luxury and comfort, and technical advances don’t merely measure up: A new yardstick has been introduced.
Totally different, instantly recognizable
Over dinner with Robert Lesnik, the young Slovenian-born designer responsible for the exterior of the new S-Class, we discussed his design brief. Deceptively simple, the new model had to be instantly recognizable as the most exclusive model in the Mercedes luxury-sedan lineup, but noticeably different from any S-class that came before it.
Lesnik and his team met this challenge by making some elegant yet minimal changes to the previous model’s design. The front end was redesigned to be consistent with current styling cues used in the newest sedans, but with a larger, more vertical and more deeply sculpted grille harking back to earlier S-Class cars.
Balancing the eye-catching front end, the sides of the car are sleeker, with the bulges over the wheels now gone. The plane of the side is now broken by a “descending line” beginning at the rear of the headlamp that visually changes the car’s stance from an aggressive challenger to confident elegance.
In the rear, the size and complexity of the tail lamps has been reduced and they are separated from the trunk opening, while smoother edge curves add to the gracefulness of the overall impression. Lesnik says that his favorite perspective on the new design is from behind the rear quarter of the car looking forward along the side.
Major changes inside
I found the interior to be the most altered, with advances in almost every aspect. Modern flat-panel screens and completely rearranged control buttons and knobs create a facia and instrument cluster that is at once sensibly efficient and visually sophisticated.
Three major changes have been made. First, the driver’s gauge cluster and the center stack information screen are now composed of a single horizontal band of two flat-panel displays approximately five inches high and more than 20 inches wide. With this “glass cockpit” display comes both informative flexibility and effective presentation.
Second, in creating the interface, the designers in Germany and California continued to eschew the trend toward touch screens that can be awkward and unsafe to use when the car is in motion. Instead, they used a central control knob and separate buttons on the steering wheel, dash, and console. Also, rather than building an off-putting panel on the center stack with buttons in rows and columns, the HVAC switches are arrayed directly under the center air vents and the control buttons have been arranged in an easy-to-reach crescent around the center multi-purpose knob. The whole cluster is positioned directly beneath the driver’s right hand when the arm is resting on the center armrest.
Third, with the center control stack removed, the designers adopted a smooth curve extending from door to door across the facia in a shape that one designer said was inspired by the outspread wings of a swan.
Personalized luxury throughout
Certainly the comprehensive use of high-quality wood, leather, and shining or anodized metal – not a square inch of plastic or vinyl is visible – is sumptuous in the extreme. This is a car that is relaxing just to sit in.
Because of the radical differences in owner preferences across its key markets, Mercedes-Benz has an interesting challenge in designing its flagship. In North America, the largest market for this car, it must appeal to an owner-driver who will use it both for personal transportation and to squire clients and colleagues. In Asia, the second-largest and fastest-growing market, owners prefer to be chauffeured in comfort, with the car attesting to their status. In Europe, the third-largest market, the S-Class is most often company owned and used to transport executives over long distances in an efficient working environment.
To address these challenges, as well as fill the niche that spans a range from airport limousine fleets to owners with unlimited wealth now that the Maybach has been discontinued, the Mercedes-Benz interior engineers noted that they developed the entire interior around the rear cabin, and in particular the seat diagonal to the driver.
Even working within the range of listed interior options, the owner has a variety of choices. For the fleet limousine, an efficient bench-seat arrangement can be specified for three passengers to be conveyed with a taste of elegance. For its executives, a company might order a two-passenger working environment with foldaway desks, display screens, and convenient controls. A specialty transportation company or multicar household might design an elegant sitting room where momentous or romantic occasions can be toasted with champagne from the refrigerator. The successful entrepreneur might order a first-class private cabin where a senior executive can nap in an extended lounge seat after a hot-stone massage while an assistant prepares for the meeting at the distant destination.
Lest we overlook the driving experience
Perhaps I am remiss by not remarking at length about how the S-Class drives and handles. Those traits certainly and obviously are exemplary, but at the same time seem irrelevant to most potential owners of this car.
As I was once taught in a chauffeur’s course, the goal is to convey clients to their destinations without them being aware they’re in a car. Against that criterion, I can only say that the Mercedes-Benz S-Class is better than any car I’ve ever driven. For the person who really does care about the driving experience, I’d recommend skipping all the rear-cabin options and applying the money toward the purchase of an S63 AMG, which will be available in October (see page 10 of this issue).
In Toronto, as either driver or passenger in the standard model, I could imagine myself to be in an executive suite or secluded mansion, with my carriage performing all its appropriate tasks – accelerating and decelerating, negotiating turns, maneuvering through traffic, absorbing all the bumps of an unyielding world – without ever in the least intruding on my concentration, my work, or my relaxation.
SPECIFICATIONS
2014 W222 S550
Chassis and Body: Aluminum hybrid body shell with aluminum outer panels
Engine: 4,663cc dual turbocharged V-8
Transmission: 7-speed direct-select automatic
Drive: Front engine rear or 4Matic all-wheel drive
Horsepower: 455 @ 5,250 rpm
Torque: 516 lb-ft @ 1,800-3,500 rpm
Performance: Zero-60 4.8 sec u
Estimated top speed 130 mph
Length: 206.5 inches
Other specifications: TBA
Styling in the front cabin is all curves and classy materials, with two texture options.
Extensive rear cabin options are available; this version is suited to executive use.
Two large flat-panel screens provide most driving and vehicle control information.
Controls have been rearranged for ergonomic convenience in a stylish crescent.