2014 S Class: First Impressions

The all new Mercedes Benz S Class (Model W222) was unveiled yesterday and there was nothing new to see in terms of styling; no thanks to several spy shots. In retrospect, Mercedes shouldn’t have released those teaser images of the interior. The numerous leaks didn’t help either. So what’s new? Honestly, not very much. In fact, I think we've seen this car before.

That couldn’t possibly be true, could it? Well, sort of. The side profile of this car is reminiscent of an older generation S Class: the W220 (1999-2005). Another hint of the W220 can be found in the interior by way of the seat design. It’s hard to describe in words; the outline of the lumbar stitch pattern is identical to that of the W220. So what’s new?

We have a new front fascia, a new rear. Even the side mirrors have a new design language. As has been done in the past, this new design will probably filter down to other Mercedes models. I haven’t seen this car in the flesh but from the pictures, the whole exterior is a bit of a let-down.  On the interior, you’ll be greeted by two very large LCD screens which serve as the speedometer cluster and infotainment/navigation screen respectively. The cabin is mostly new but there are hints of both the W220 and W221. And the COMAND controller is still present. As I have said before, the COMAND interface is a flawed concept. This is true of every other car that uses a single knob to control its infotainment functions. Cue BMW iDrive, Audi MMI and Lexus Remote Touch. This flaw was highlighted in the promo video where the driver/architect had to use an iPhone to enter a web address. Whatever happened to voice control?

New Front Fascia

 

New Side Mirror

All the usual Mercedes safety technologies are also present. Pre-Safe, BAS (Brake Assist), Distronic, Stop and Go, Lane Keeping Assist, ABC (Active Body Control), Perfume/Air atomizer, Pedestrian detection and so on. Many of these technologies have been given new names. But who’s fooling who?

One touted feature is the new massage system. Mercedes claims it is based on the hot stone principle. I’m a bit confused about this very claim because hot stone massage requires the hot stones to be placed on your bare back and considering passengers will be clothed (most of the time), I’m not exactly sure how this will work. Most especially if you are wearing thick clothing. I guess we’ll find out.

The Vision Accomplished promo video released by Mercedes shows many of the supposedly new features. But from this video, I can see that Mercedes still hasn’t done some things right. With the amount of space in the interior, I’m wondering why the rear seat massage functions need a separate remote control unit. It’s just bad design. It seems they just wanted to incorporate some touchscreen tech at the rear for the sake of it.

Remote control unit for Rear-seat massage

If I’m to nit-pick, the Vision Accomplished video had a goof. I’m assuming the guy driving the car is an architect. Why was he using a laptop? A tablet would have been more appropriate; specifically, the Microsoft Surface Pro. It becomes even more ridiculous when you consider that the split screen tech used in the cockpit for the W221 (and presumably, the W222) is licensed from Microsoft. And even more ridiculously, an iPhone made an appearance. Common sense just eludes some people. But what do I know? I’m just a lowly blogger.

And why did they feel a need to feature Toyota vehicles in the promo video? Aside from the new S Class, three cars were featured. A W204 C Class, a Toyota Sienna and a 2012 Toyota Camry. Had one of unusual cast members been a Lexus LS, it would have been a direct jab. It remains unusual all the same. Perhaps a subliminal message. - both Toyota vehicles were engaged in wrong acts. - an inattentive/distracted Camry driver and an inconsiderate Sienna driver. The C Class driver was well behaved.

Toyota Camry & Sienna: unusual cast members

So what’s the verdict? The W222 is more of an evolution; a light upgrade of the outgoing W221 (2006-2012). Nothing revolutionary can be found here. There was a time when Mercedes made automobiles while every other automaker made cars. Those days are long gone. The world seems to have caught up with Mercedes. That being said, I would probably pick this new model over the outgoing W221.