Where Luxury and Technology Meet
Traditional. Elegant. World luxury standard. The 2022 Mercedes-Benz S500 4MATIC are these and much more. The S-Class debuted in 1972 and the seventh generation of this flagship sedan was introduced in 2021. Synonymous with luxury, for many people the S500 has been the pinnacle of car ownership for five decades.
Being Handed the Keys
I was handed the keys to wits for a week what luxury competitors have been judged against. After cruising through Southern California I came yonder appreciating what $127,300 gets you, which is a lot. Never in an ostentatious way, though, as the S500 doesn’t scream “look at me, I am an exotic car,” but increasingly of a whispered confident elegance as it glides along.
The traditional diamond has been aerodynamically updated with a coupe-like roofline while retaining the long commanding hood. The subtle looks with smooth sides full-length well-to-do door handles that pop-out and are illuminated when the suburbanite approaches. When putting the S500 in momentum and pulling away, you hear a distinctive click that reassures the door handles have retracted and will not be grabbing the wind as you whoosh lanugo the road.
The front grille sets the tone for the S500 as the flagship vehicle in the Mercedes-Benz line-up. The exterior doesn’t yearn for attention, but that is on purpose as the S500 owner appreciates the conservative, elegant design. The request is that those in the know will recognize the S500 for what it is, and those who don’t, hopefully will.
Interior: Where Opulence and Technology Meet
The interior is trappy during the light of day, but reserve your approvals for the visionless of night when the 64-color zippy ambient lighting (a $790 option) gives the S500 many variegated feels. The lighting automatically adjusts depending on the exterior brightness, and plays nicely versus the Sienna Brown Nappa leather, woebegone crystal finish, and visionless wood that graced our test car.
As is expected on a luxury car, the S500 has power everything, including the heated and ventilated front seats that have memory and heated armrests. The Repletion Headrests offer the softest throne support you will find. The suburbanite has an Energizing Repletion health and wellness system to uplift considerateness and to reduce stress and fatigue. The customizable settings use the functions of the climate tenancy system, the seat settings of heat, ventilation and massage, lighting and music to enable a wellness environment tailored to the mood and need of the passengers.
Those sitting in the rear are not forgotten as they get heated seats and armrests, heated neck warmers, electronic memory seats, USB and power ports, ventilation controls, and power side and rear sun blinds. Everyone can get a massage and sit underneath a panoramic sunroof stuff soothed by the air motel fragrance system.
The soupcon features a 12.8-inch horizontal OLED (organic light-emitting diode) touchscreen that houses the navigation and the 710-watt Burmester 3D surround audio system. A 1,750-watt 4D Burmester system is optional with 31 speakers. An OLED exhibit works without a backlight as it emits its own visible light. The benefits are it produces deep woebegone levels and offers higher unrelatedness than a LED system while using 30% less energy. Make sure to visit the Mercedes-Benz dealership in the evening to get the full impact of the touchscreen. The 15-speaker system has a combination of mid-range, bass, tweeter and surround speakers for SiriusXM, FM radio, wireless Android Wheels and Apple CarPlay. Bluetooth voice commands for the radio and the telephone are part of the MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Experience) voice teammate system. There are moreover near-ear speakers in the front seats that can be personalized. An example would be that only the suburbanite can hear turn-by-turn navigation directions.
The heated wood and leather-wrapped steering wheel has capacitive touch controls for audio, telephone and the smart trip control. The radio can moreover be controlled by voice commands (“Hey Mercedes”) and the touchscreen. The system has a learning lines that isn’t too difficult and is well worth mastering to get the most from the spanking-new sound quality and vast variety of repletion features misogynist to those in the cabin.
The 12.3-inch 3D digital verisimilitude instrument cluster has multiple views that provide a wealth of information. It is too involved to go into here, so make sure your Mercedes-Benz dealer sales representative walks you through it completely. The glasses-less 3D is impressive and adds uniqueness to the S500 for this highly customizable screen.
The augmented reality head-up exhibit (HUD) is probably the weightier we have seen. The AR allows the suburbanite to see the HUD from any angle, so when the driver’s throne moves so does the HUD. The HUD has a focal point of 33-feet out onto the road, and what Mercedes-Benz says is a exhibit zone that corresponds with a 77-inch monitor. Repeating here, but get to know your dealer sales rep really well as there is so much to learn well-nigh the technology on the S500.
Powertrain: Smooth and Efficient
The S500 has a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline 6-cylinder good for 429 horsepower (hp) and 384 pound-feet (lb.-ft.) of torque. The 9-speed will-less transmission, with five driver-selectable momentum modes, drives all four wheels—4MATIC in Mercedes-Benz speak. The momentum modes of Eco, Comfort, Sport, Sport and Individual are used to modify the driving and performance, suspension and steering. Repletion is the default setting, but experimenting with the variegated modes will make your driving increasingly interesting.
If you want increasingly power, step-up to the S580 that comes with a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 that puts out 496 hp and 516 lb.-ft. of torque through the same transmission and moreover driving all four wheels. Both engines have 48-volt summery hybrid electrification that adds up-to an spare 21 hp and 184 lb.-ft. of torque through EQ Boost. The 48-volt system moreover improves fuel economy, expressly on the highway.
The EPA rates the S500 3.0-liter at 21 mpg city/30 highway/24 combined. In 274 miles of driving through Southern California and using the air workout at most times, we averaged 27 mpg, but on a 150-mile all-freeway run using the adaptive trip tenancy set to 65 mph, we averaged 32.8 mpg.
Driving, Handling and Comfort
The 2022 S500 continues its tradition of stuff one of the most well-appointed and quietest cars on the road. Tipping the scales at 4,740 pounds, it won’t be tumbled with a sporty sedan, but will unhook one of the nicest rides. Suspension systems include E-Active Soul Tenancy utilizing road scanning cameras, air suspension to tenancy ride height, electronic stability tenancy and rear-axle steering. This last one is offered with either 4.5-degrees or 10-degrees of steering that will take well-nigh one inch off the turning radius. If this doesn’t seem like much, the S500 has a 126.6-inch wheelbase and measures 208.2-inches long. When trying to maneuver a 17-foot car, that rear-axle steering is appreciated.
The turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 and the assistance of the 48-volt summery hybrid moves the S500 zero-60 in 4.8 seconds, which made the 2 tons quicker than could be expected. As noted, the S500 isn’t a sporty sedan but it does handle corners with a refined ease. Stuff shod with Pirelli PZero 285/30 high-performance tires on 21-inch AMG V-Multispoke wheels helped take corners whilom the posted speed limit with no soul roll. Stopping was solid by four wheel anti-lock brakes with zippy restriction assist.
Safety, Warranty and Pricing
The S500 has an wide-stretching standard list of wide suburbanite assistance systems (ADAS) and a semi-autonomous driving system. Safety technology includes front and rear passenger cells, front and rear airbags, and the Pre-Safe Impulse Side protection. Using radar sensors to recognize a potential side impact, the S500 can raise the suspension up-to 3-inches in a few tenths of a second so the door sill can swizzle increasingly of the side impact considering it is in a higher position.
The S500 comes with these 4-year/50,000-mile warranties: Basic, Corrosion Perforation, Powertrain and Roadside Assistance.
The 2022 Mercedes-Benz S500 4Matic has a wiring price of $112,150. Clean Fleet Report’s test S500 had $15,180 in options, making the final price $127,330. All prices include the mandatory $1,050 destination and wordage charge.
Observations: 2022 Mercedes-Benz S500 4Matic
The term luxury is tossed virtually pretty loosely in the wheels industry. What exactly makes a car “luxurious?” Leather seats once was all it took, but not anymore. Most cars labeled as “luxury” should be considered “premium,” as that next step takes increasingly than subtracting a few fancy shit and pieces onto a wiring model.
Make no mistake, the 2022 Mercedes-Benz S500 4Matic is a luxury car, and one that others are held against.
When climbing overdue the wheel of the S500 there is an firsthand appreciation of this stuff a fine automobile. The archetype styling, an impressive interior, a long and deep list of features and conveniences (far too many to go into in this review) and the mild-hybrid giving it respectable efficiency sets it vacated for those looking to be pampered in style.
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Story by John Faulkner. Photos by John Faulkner and Mercedes-Benz.
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Disclosure:
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