The 2018 Mercedes-Benz S-Class gets modest exterior changes but lots of new technology.
We’ve already gotten a good look at the mid-cycle update of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan and so, just in time for the Frankfurt Motor Show, the German automaker is lifting the veils off two refreshed S-Class variants.
As with the 2018 sedan, the S-Class Coupe and Cabriolet undergo relatively modest exterior updates – with the exception of cutting-edge OLED taillights unique to the two-door models. But they now add a range of new infotainment, driver assistance and safety gear that will be shared with the refreshed S-Class sedan.
The outgoing S-Class was a technical tour de force when it debuted just three years ago, introducing a range of features, including the ability to drive hands-free, albeit for short stretches of time on limited access highways. The new S-Class takes things a step further with a long list of new features that include:
- Active Distance Assist Distronic not only maintains a safe distance while cruising at a set speed but routinely adjusts both speed and distance when, for example, the vehicle enters a curve;
- Active Steering Assist essentially takes over the task of maintaining the vehicle in its lane;
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Both two-door versions of the 2018 S-Class will introduce new OLED taillights.
Active Lane Change Assist is upgraded for 2018 and now lets the S-Class pass automatically, simply by tapping the turn signal stalk;
- Active Emergency Stop Assist will brake the S-Class to a complete stop when Active Steering Assist is engaged but the system determines the driver is not “intervening,” a way of saying the motorist doesn’t regularly put hands on the wheel;
- Intelligent Light System with Ultra Wide Beams will use the LED brights to light up a broader swath of road when there is no oncoming traffic, something especially useful to sped animals and pedestrians in urban areas.
Visual changes for the S-Class Coupe and Sedan start with a revised front fascia and bumper and updated LED headlights. In the rear, there are new OLED taillights using the latest in lighting technology. The S-Class line also offers two new 20-inch wheel choices.
(Mercedes teases new Concept EQ A, one of the first new all-electric models set to launch its new battery-car brand. Click Here to check it out.)
Inside the 2018 S-Coupe.
The S-Coupe now can be fitted with Mercedes’ Magic Body Control with curve tilting which, the maker explains, “reduces force and makes for a more comfortable ride for passengers. The innovative system recognizes bends with the help of a stereo camera behind the windscreen, and a lateral acceleration sensor of the ROAD SURFACE SCAN suspension.”
While the automaker is holding back on some specifics ahead of the Frankfurt show, it claims that the new biturbo V-8 it will offer in the S560 Coupe and Cabriolet will be “one of the world’s most economical V-8 engines,” improving fuel efficiency over the old models by eight percent.”
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At the upper edge of performance, the S63 Coupe and Cabriolet will feature the handmade AMG 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 which will make 603 horsepower and launch from 0 to 60 in a factory-rated 3.4 seconds.
AMG versions of the 2018 S-Class Cabrio and Coupe models adopt the Panamericana grille.
The engine will be paired to a nine-speed MCT transmission and, like almost all new AMG models, will drive all four wheels, though the initial torque split will bias towards the rear wheels.
At the top of the S-Class range, the S65 two-door models will feature a 6.0-liter twin-turbo V-12 making 621 hp and 738 lb-ft of torque. All AMG models will adopt the new Mercedes Panamericana grille.
Pricing and fuel economy numbers will be released closer to the on-sale date in the autumn of 2017.
Mercedes will have a lot to talk about at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show. Along with the two-door versions of the 2018 S-Class, the automaker will reveal the eagerly awaited Project One hypercar using a street-legal version of its Formula One hybrid technlogy, as well as the all-electric Concept EQ A. The latter will be one of the first models in the new Mercedes-EQ sub-brand expected to see at least 10 battery-electric vehicles come to market over the next five years.
(Click Here for more on the Mercedes Project One hypercar.)