2023 Mercedes S-Class by Renegade: Ultimate Luxury, Power, and Style 🚗

Highs The pinnacle of modern automotive luxury, a wealth of horsepower from both powertrains, lavish mechanicals such as active air suspension and rear-wheel steering.
Lows Semi-autonomous driving tech is no match for a chauffeur, a subtle design across a 17-foot canvas, 5000 pounds of car.
Verdict It may be lonely at the top for the S500 and more powerful S580 sedans, but you won’t feel anything but well looked-after when you travel in an S-class cruise ship.

Overview

The Mercedes-Benz S-class maintains superiority by being the full-size luxury sedan by which all others are judged. The S-class satisfies the tastes of its moneyed clientele with stacks of fine materials, deep-seated comfort, and loads of technology. There are two models, both equipped with standard 4Matic all-wheel drive—the S500 and S580—each with an exclusive powertrain. The S500 comes with a silken, 429-hp turbocharged straight-six, while the S580 bosses up with a smooth 496-hp V-8. The Mercedes-Maybach S-class super-luxury model, reviewed separately, offers an absolutely decadent experience. Although the S-class’s priority to comfort and swankiness is obvious from the thick leather thrones in the front and rear rows, the its standard air suspension completes the experience by turning the road to velvet. And the optional E-Active Body Control will even lean the car into corners to help you avoid spilling any of your champagne cocktail—which you are enjoying in the comfort of the available power-adjustable, reclining rear seats with their heated massage function. The S-class does a brilliant job of making the good life real.

What's New for 2023?

Life in the lavish Mercedes-Benz S-class goes uninterrupted for 2023 with only subtle changes to the available paint and upholstery options.

We think the ultimate luxury item is a powerful engine, so we'd pay extra to have the top-spec 496-hp V-8 and the more prestigious S580 trunk-lid badge.

Engine, Transmission, and Performance
Mercedes offers the S-class sedan with either a 429-hp turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six-cylinder engine on the S500 or a 496-hp twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 on the S580. Both powertrains are supplemented by a 48-volt hybrid system and pair with a nine-speed automatic transmission and 4Matic all-wheel drive. We've luxuriated in the S-class sedan and put our test equipment on the V-8 model, which delivered impressive acceleration. While every S-class rides on an air suspension, the optional E-Active Body Control has a "curve" function" that subtly leans the car into corners. The S-class can also be equipped with an all-wheel steering system that makes the big-bodied Merc surprisingly easy to maneuver in tight spaces.