Manufacturer Mercedes-Benz | Production June 2013–present | |
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Class Full-size luxury car (F) |
The Mercedes-Benz W222 is the version of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class produced since 2013, and the successor of the Mercedes-Benz W221. The W222, designed during 2009 by Robert Lešnik, has a similar design theme to the CLA-Class and Pre-Facelifted E-Class (W212).
Contents
- Technology
- Suspension
- Safety innovations
- Equipment
- Models
- S 63 AMG S 63 AMG 4Matic 2013
- S 65 AMG 2014
- S 500 e 2014
- S 600
- Mercedes Maybach
- Body styles
- References
In Europe, sales of the S 400 Hybrid, S 350 BlueTEC, S 350 BlueTEC Hybrid, and S 500 began in September 2013. US sales of the S 550 also began in September; the 4Matic four-wheel drive model went on sale in November, 2013. Additional models, including V12 models and those from AMG were released in 2014.
The newest S-Class debuted on 15 May 2013 in Hamburg, Germany and entered production in Sindelfingen, Germany June 2013. A new Burmester 24-speaker surround sound audio system is available.
Technology
The W222 is the first S-Class using very-high-speed FlexRay optical fiber data bus technology, which interconnects (data fusion) all electrical/electronic systems, particularly the COMAND Online control interface (with Intel Atom processor), MBC road scanning active suspension and the multitude of new driver assistance systems, since all these require very high data bit rates.
Suspension
Mercedes' Active Body Control hydraulic active suspension has been updated with a system dubbed Magic Body Control (MBC) that is fitted with a road-sensing system ("Road surface scan") that pre-loads the shocks for the road surface detected. Using a stereo camera, the system scans the road surface up to 15 meters ahead of the vehicle at speeds up to 130 km/h (81 mph), and it adjusts the shock damping at each wheel to account for imperfections in the road. Magic Body Control is not available on any of the 4-Matic models, as of Model Year 2017.
Safety innovations
The W222 S-Class has a unique lighting system: Exterior and interior lighting is composed only of LEDs, the first automobile to do so. All models include all-LED lighting, though the number depends on the equipment of the specific vehicle. Around 500 LEDs attended to all the lighting functions on a car for the first time on the S-Class in 2013. The LEDs are placed as follows:
It can also park itself.
Equipment
Models
The vehicle was unveiled at Airbus in Hamburg-Finkenwerder followed its landing in Hamburg on board an Airbus A300-600 DHL cargo plane, followed by Shanghai's Mercedes-Benz Arena, 2013 Osaka Motor Show (S 400 HYBRID). The new S-Class has been available to order since the middle of May 2013 with official arrival at Mercedes-Benz dealers on 20 July 2013. Early models included S 400 Hybrid, S 500, S 350 BlueTEC, followed by S 300 BlueTEC Hybrid in early 2014.
US models went on sale as 2014 model year vehicles; the lineup initially included only the long wheelbase "S 550" (S 500 in Europe) in September 2013, and long wheelbase S 550 4Matic which arrived in November 2013. Auto Bild measured the LWB as the quietest among cars like Rolls-Royce Ghost and Bentley Flying Spur in 2014. Additional models, including V12 models and those from AMG arrived in early 2014.
Europe models went on sale at the end of July 2013, followed by China at the end of September 2013, USA at October 2013.
Japan models went on sale and delivery began at November 2013. Early models include the S 400 Hybrid (right steering), S 400 Hybrid Exclusive (right steering), S 550 long (left/right steering), S 63 AMG long (right steering), S 63 AMG 4Matic long (left steering). The S 300 BlueTEC HYBRID, S 350 BlueTEC 4MATIC, S 600, and S 65 AMG Saloon arrived at dealer showrooms in March 2014.
There is also the "S 500 Intelligent Drive", which is a self-driving version of the S 500 sedan, using sensors that are also available in the production version of the S-Class. The car uses the sensors to capture the massive amounts of data in traffic. The vehicle was unveiled in 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show.
S 63 AMG, S 63 AMG 4Matic (2013–)
Available in short (S 63 AMG only) and long wheelbases, they are versions of S-Class saloon with Mercedes-Benz M157 engine rated 585 PS (430 kW; 577 hp)@5500rpm and 900 N·m (664 lb·ft)@2250-3750rpm, 10-spoke or Siena 5 twin spokes AMG forged light-alloy wheels (8.5x19 front and 9.5x19 rear) with 255/45 R 19 front and 285/40 R 19 rear tyres (optional titanium grey and polished 8.5x19 front and 9.5x19 rear wheels with 255/40 R 20 front and 285/35 R 20 rear tyres), lightweight 78 Ah lithium-ion battery (from SLS AMG Coupé Black Series), a weight-optimised AMG high-performance composite brake system, aluminium body panels, a spare wheel recess made of carbon fibre, AMG sports exhaust system, AMG SPEEDSHIFT MCT 7-speed sports transmission, ESP Curve Dynamic Assist, 2 suspension types (AMG RIDE CONTROL sports suspension, AIRMATIC with the Adaptive Damping System ADS PLUS in S 63 AMG 4Matic; "Magic Body Control" with Crosswind stabilization in S 63 AMG with rear-wheel drive), front apron with three large air dams with grille in high-gloss black, flics in high-gloss black on the side air intakes, side sill panels with three-dimensional inserts in silver chrome, AMG sports steering wheel. Other features include AMG door sill panels, AMG floor mats, AMG sports pedals in brushed stainless steel with rubber studs, Ambient lighting, Attention Assist, Collision Prevention Assist, COMAND Online, 10 loudspeakers with Frontbass, Metallic paintwork, Pre-Safe Plus, Tyre pressure loss warning system, LED High Performance headlamps, DISTRONIC PLUS (Driving Assistance package Plus, Night View Assist Plus).
AMG Performance Studio options include AMG Exterior Carbon-Fibre package, AMG ceramic high-performance composite brake system, AMG carbon-fibre engine cover, AMG performance steering wheel in black nappa leather / DINAMICA, AMG trim in carbon fibre/black piano lacquer, red brake callipers.
Other options include Air-Balance package, Burmester surround sound system, Burmester high-end 3D surround sound system, Business Telephony in the rear, Chauffeur package, designo appointments packages, Executive seat, Exclusive package, First-Class rear suite, Folding tables in the rear, LED Intelligent Light System, Seat Comfort package including ENERGIZING massage function, Warmth Comfort package.
The vehicles were unveiled in 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show and were set to go on sale in September 2013.
US model of S 63 AMG 4Matic included increased top speed of 300 km/h, and was set to go on sale in November 2013.
S 65 AMG (2014–)
It is a version of the long wheelbase S-Class sedan with AMG 6.0-litre V12 biturbo engine rated 630 PS (463 kW; 621 hp)@4800rpm and 1,000 N·m (738 lb·ft)@2300-4300rpm, exclusive carbon-fibre/aluminium engine cover, 2 AMG logos on left and right with a centrally positioned Mercedes star, seven-speed automatic transmission, 78 Ah lithium-ion battery, AMG sports suspension with MAGIC BODY CONTROL with Crosswind stabilization, ESP Dynamic Cornering Assist, electromechanical AMG speed-sensitive sports steering with variable steering ratio, 8.5x 20/9.5x20-inch front/rear ceramic high-gloss polished AMG 16-spoke light-alloy wheels (optional 10-spoke forged wheels in polished titanium grey or matt black with a high-sheen rim flange and screw-in fully integrated wheel bolt cover, 5-twin-spoke forged wheels in titanium grey with a high-sheen finish and a black wheel bolt cover), 255/40 R 20 and 285/35 R 20 tyres, optional AMG ceramic high-performance composite braking system (front brake discs with a diameter of 420 millimetres, "AMG Carbon Ceramic" logo at brake callipers), V12 radiator grille with six twin louvres in high-gloss chrome, front apron with three large cooling air intakes, grilles and flics (air deflectors) on the side air intakes in high-gloss chrome and dark paint colours, side sill panels in high-gloss chrome, high-gloss black rear diffuser insert (optional grilles and flics in high-gloss black), "V12 BITURBO" lettering on the wings and the "S 65 AMG" model badge on the boot lid in modern typography, AMG sports exhaust system with two chrome-plated separate twin tailpipes, interior upholstery in exclusive nappa leather with seat upholstery layout in an exclusive diamond-pattern design, delineated perforations in the leather upholstery of the AMG sports seats, no perforations in the nappa leather wherever there is contrasting topstitching, nappa leather roof liner, leather-lined dashboard, door centre panels in a diamond-pattern design, leather-clad roof grab handles, additional wood trim, AMG stainless-steel door sill panels illuminated in white, choice of 5 colour schemes for Exclusive nappa leather upholstery (black, satin beige/espresso brown, nut brown/black, porcelain/black and crystal grey/seashell grey), newly contoured seat cushions and backrests, AMG badges on all four seat backrests, embossed AMG emblems on the front and rear centre console, AMG emblems on the trim of the seat backs, 2-spoke AMG sports steering wheel, contoured steering wheel rim is covered with nappa leather with perforated leather in the grip area, insert with AMG lettering, aluminium shift paddles, analogue clock in an exclusive IWC design (three-dimensional, milled metal hands and genuine metal appliqués on the dial), chrome-plated door pins with AMG logo, AMG instrument cluster with two animated round dials on TFT colour display (AMG-specific lettering and the needles in red/silver, AMG logo in the speedometer with 360 km/h scale (left) and the "V12 BITURBO" lettering in the rev counter (right), animated AMG start-up display is shown on the right-hand display, AMG main menu with digital speedometer and a permanent gear display in the upper section), head-up display, 6.5 x 4.5 centimetres touchpad integrated into the handrest with a cover for the keypad.
AMG Performance Studio options include AMG Exterior Carbon-Fibre package, AMG ceramic high-performance composite braking system, AMG performance steering wheel in nappa leather/DINAMICA (black), AMG trim in carbon fibre/black piano lacquer, red brake callipers.
Other options include 360° camera, Business Telephony in the rear, designo appointments packages, executive seat, First-Class rear suite, Individual Entertainment System in the rear, folding tables in the rear, Warmth Comfort package.
The vehicle was unveiled in 2013 Los Angeles International Auto Show and 2013 Tokyo Motor Show, followed by 2013 Osaka Motor Show.
The vehicle was set to go on sale in March 2014.
S 500 e (2014–)
The S 500 e is a plug-in hybrid version of long wheelbase S-Class sedan with 3.0-litre V6 twin turbo engine rated 333 PS (245 kW; 328 hp) and 480 N·m (354 lb·ft), electric motor rated 109 PS (80 kW; 108 hp) and 340 N·m (251 lb·ft), externally rechargeable battery, 4 hybrid operating modes (HYBRID, E‑MODE, E-SAVE and CHARGE), second generation recuperative braking system, haptic accelerator pedal, pre-entry climate control of the interior, Intelligent HYBRID with (dis)charging management based on COMAND Online navigation data, 8.7kWh battery pack.
The all electric range is about 30 km (19 mi) under the New European Driving Cycle. Under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) tests, the S 500 e has an all-electric range of 14 mi (23 km), with some gasoline consumption (0.1 gal/100 mi), so the actual all-electric range is rated between 0 to 12 mi (0 to 19 km).
The EPA, under its five-cycle tests, rated the 2015 model year S 500 e energy consumption in all-electric mode at 59 kWh per 100 miles, which translates into a combined city/highway fuel economy of 58 miles per gallon gasoline equivalent (MPG-e) (4.1 L/100 km; 70 mpg−imp gasoline equivalent). When powered only by the gasoline engine, EPA's official combined city/highway fuel economy is 26 mpg‑US (9.0 L/100 km; 31 mpg‑imp).
The production vehicle was unveiled in Toronto in 2013, followed by 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show. Deliveries began in September 2014 in Europe, starting at a price of €108,945 (~US$146,000). The U.S. launch is slated for early 2015. A total of 17 units have been registered in Germany as of September 2014. According to JATO Dynamics, a total of 38 units have been registered in Europe through September 2014.
S 600
It is a version of long wheelbase S-Class sedan with 6.0-litre V12 biturbo engine rated 530 PS (390 kW; 523 hp) and 830 N·m (612 lb·ft)@1900rpm, ECO start/stop function, optional touchpad, optional head-up display, COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST PLUS, optional electric windscreen heating. The vehicle was unveiled in 2014 North American International Auto Show. The vehicle went on sale in March 2014.
Mercedes-Maybach
In 2015, Mercedes brought back the Maybach names as a sub-brand of the Mercedes lineup, representing advanced luxury. The first model produced was the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class, designed to be pitched against the Bentley Mulsanne and Rolls-Royce Phantom. At 5,453 mm (214.7 in) long with a wheelbase of 3,365 mm (132.5 in), the new model is approximately 20 cm (7.8 inches) greater in both dimensions compared to the long-wheelbase S-Class models. The Mercedes-Maybach is available as S 500 and S 600 models (the US received Mercedes-Maybach S 550 and S 600 models, with the S 550 having the same 4.7L engine as the S 500 Mercedes-Maybach elsewhere), with 4MATIC optional with the V8 engine and V12 for the latter. The basic car has colour options, and the choice between a rear bench seat or 2 reclining rear seats. Options include air-conditioned, heated and massaging seats; heated armrests; a system to pump scented, ionised air around the cabin; and a 1540 watt Burmester 3D surround sound system with 24 speakers.
The Maybach S 500 assembly started in Pune, India in September 2015 and is the second country to produce a Maybach.
Body styles
The S 500 (and 4Matic) is sold as the S 550 in the US.