Sorry, Internet—The 2027 Mercedes S-Class Is Still A Proper S-Class: Review

Despite the larger screens and a whole bunch of stars, the latest S-Class remains the crème de la crème.

Photo by: Zander Sutton | Motor1

By: Zander Sutton

May 12, at 6:01pm ET

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Online discourse around Mercedes-Benz has hit an all-time high, it seems. No matter the product, announcement, or news clip, the court of public opinion weighs in faster than we can—and oftentimes, they decide that Mercedes is wrong for one reason or another.

Sometimes that can be a good thing; the four-cylinder C63 was so widely criticized that Mercedes ended up killing it entirely. But the internet is the internet, and that means, unfortunately for them, they are often wrong.

What is the internet wrong about? Well, in this case, it’s the facelifted S-Class, which many of our commenters have been... critical of. We went to Germany to drive it, and to the disappointment of many, it’s actually good. Really good.

Quick Specs	2027 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
Engine:	3.0-Liter I6 / 4.0-liter V8
Output:	442 horsepower / 443 lb-ft torque; 576 horsepower / 553 lb-ft torque
0-60:	3.9 - 4.3 Seconds
Base Price / As Tested:	TBD

The S-Class received a mid-cycle update for the 2027 model year. Exterior-wise, the car gets a new grille with integrated stars, new headlights and tailights with the star branding included—and that’s about it. The details feel like a bit much for an S-Class; a car that has long prided itself on being the reserved option now aims to emulate the 7 Series, and it’s "look at me" brand of buyer.

That said, the updated S-Class, at least visually, isn’t an affront to god. It could be a little less "in your face," but in an age of wild redesigns and over-the-top elements, the S-Class is a minor offender. Plus, in Patagonia Red, it helps give the car an unbelievable presence.

Inside is where, and I’ll concede, the S-Class has some low points. Before we get to the screens, let’s talk about materials. There are some really, really iffy choices happening in the cabin that made me stop and question what car I was even in.

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For example, the circular air vents on the dashboard are plastic. This is not acceptable. The Piano Black lacquer also feels less premium than some of the other wood options, something that is more of a general Mercedes problem, but it still exists here.

Photo by: Zander Sutton | Motor1

The updated S-Class comes with the Mercedes Superscreen, which, despite being an updated version of the years-old Hyperscreen, still has issues. The new driver and passenger setup is mostly unnecessary, given that it doesn't do much differently than the smartphone in your hand. It only makes sense if you need to take a Teams meeting or take a photo with the in-car camera—which, why would you?

The other issue with the Superscreen is its bezels. There is a lot of piano black between the center and passenger screens. This has been an issue since the OG Hyperscreen that debuted in the EQS. Given that the new GLC has one big screen that spans the entire dash (something we also don’t love), we can at least respect it for being one big singular screen, instead of having huge gaps that become very noticeable under direct sunlight, or when the screens are, you know, on.

Photos by: Zander Sutton | Motor1

Despite some of the iffy materials, though, the cabin of the S-Class is well put together, especially in the rear. The second row is easily the highlight here. We drove models with and without a four-seat setup, and while having the divider between the two rear seats is great, you don’t sacrifice much comfort without the fixed armrests.

If you do choose this setup, both passengers will receive heated and ventilated rear seats with massage functions, as well as the ability to roll any window on the car up or down, which we assume would not be abused at all. The rear passenger screen setup consists of two iPad-style screens on the back of the front seats, and while it is not as big and grand as the Theatre Screen on the BMW i7, the advantage here is that each passenger gets their own screen to do whatever they so please, like play Angry Birds.

Photo by: Zander Sutton | Motor1

The updated S-Class range consists of three models for the US market. There is the six-cylinder S500, the six-cylinder plug-in hybrid S580e, and the V8 S580. Europe and other markets get a diesel-powered S450d, which we also drove just to see what we’re missing out on. Spoiler: they haul.

The V8 engine for the updated S-Class is an all-new powertrain for the car, with a flat-plane V8 replacing the previous setup. This means 530 horsepower and 553 torque for the S580, with an electronically limited top speed of 155 miles per hour—or closer to 158 from our testing on the Autobahn. The six-cylinder models remain largely unchanged, with each of their powertrains putting out the same numbers as the pre-facelift.

Now, the thing that matters the most about the S-Class, maybe even more so than the materials, is how it drives. Not "how it drives" in the same way we’d evaluate a Porsche 911—although it does carry its weight well—but in a more "how easy is it to feel like you’re in your own world" way. And, we are delighted to say, if you go by that metric, the S-Class hasn’t lost its charm.

The ride, in all trims and drive modes, is sublime. Granted, German roads are very smooth, but even in construction zones, on Belgian cobble, and over one curb (whoops), you’d be hard-pressed to find this car uncomfortable. You feel disconnected from the road in a good way, and the ease with which you can drive the S-Class really puts its dynamics over the top. V-Max on the Autobahn feels planted, secure, and never like you’re about to fly out of control.

Photos by: Zander Sutton | Motor1

If we were to knock anything, it would have to be the brakes. There is a lot of play when you tap them lightly, and we often found ourselves having to press harder than we’d like to get to a stop, which led to some jerky stop-and-go moments.

Despite the S-Class being the size of a small town, thanks to the 10-degree rear-wheel steering, you can easily pull U-turns in places that you wouldn’t be able to in smaller cars. In fact, even though the S-Class does feel its size on tight city streets, the car does a good job of hiding its size when you’re driving aggressively. It has an E-Class spirit when you try to throw it around back roads, and because of the 4Matic all-wheel drive, you won't lose the rear end, despite our attempts.

Because the S-Class is Mercedes’ technical showcase for the entire range, the updated model has its fair share of stuff on it that, because it's 2026, is all focused around autonomy. Level 2 autonomous driving is available in this car, and Mercedes touts the system's capability within cities as its highlight.

For example, if you end up in a position where you have to reverse maneuver around a ton of objects, the car records your driving for the last couple of hundred meters and can recreate those movements in reverse. Spooky.

The system is also pretty solid while highway driving. We did have some issues getting the automatic lane-changing to engage, but other than that, the car was able to keep up with traffic, slow down for road construction, and even adapt to the unrestricted sections of the Autobahn, to a degree.

Mercedes-Benz S-Class Verdict

Photo by: Zander Sutton | Motor1

The updated S-Class is by no means the best S-Class ever. In fact, after our time with the car, we had the chance to drive the V12, W140, and we came back from our drive pretty confident that 1991 was peak S-Class.

But, despite the abundance of stars and the objectionable screen setup, the S-Class is still one of those cars that feels right. You know the ride will be sublime, you know the power will always be there if you need it, and you know that if you end up on the back, you won’t want to leave.

So, apologies, Twitter and Reddit, the updated S-Class is still an S-Class.