Next S-Class spied

16th June 2010

The current S-Class has been around for five years. So to keep it ahead of the pack, Mercedes is working on the next generation car, due to make its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2011.

As it’s still in a very early stage of development, drawing any conclusions about the look of the next car is tricky. However, the look is derived from the dramatic 5.17-metre long F700 Concept shown in 2007.

The new flagship has been penned by Gorden Wagener, so expect similar dashes of chrome trim, glitzy LED daytime running lights and angular surfaces to those of the latest E-Class. The slender, headlights from the F700 are also likely to make production.

Technology is always cutting edge and the new car will be now exception. It will use Mercedes’ latest direct injection V6 and V8 engines with stop start, as well as there being a plug-in hybrid version.

More significant is that the car will feature Mercedes’ PRE SCAN suspension, which uses lasers to anticipate the upcoming road surface and adjusts the air suspension accordingly for a true magic carpet ride.

On the inside, the car will get SERVO HMI. It incorporates all of the car’s major controls (heating, lighting, stereo, satnav etc) and can be operated either by touch or by voice.

Safety kit includes seatbelt mounted airbags, and a curtain airbag which falls between passengers so they don’t bump into each other in a crash.