New Mercedes S-Class spied from above looking large and in charge

Mercedes is keeping itself busy these days by working on three of its core saloons. The E-Class facelift was previewed (and accidentally leaked) this week, and we have numerous spy shots proving a next-gen C-Class is undergoing testing ahead of a 2021 launch. Today, we’re looking at the flagship S-Class that should be revealed before the year’s end with an evolutionary exterior and a revolutionary interior.

A couple of prototypes have been spotted by walkoARTvideos undergoing public road testing on a foggy day in Germany without much camouflage on the headlights. We can see the clusters almost in full, sporting a sleek look similar to other recent saloons carrying the three-pointed star, including the CLS.

At the back, the taillights remain mostly hidden underneath the swirly camo, but we still can figure out the clusters are now arranged horizontally rather than vertically like on the current W222. It appears Mercedes isn’t jumping on the full-width taillights bandwagon as the taillights will have a traditional layout without meeting on the boot lid.

While one of the prototypes had the conventional door handles exposed, the other carried around extra disguise in that area. We think the test vehicle likely had those pop-out door handles we’ve seen already on other test vehicles, lending the fullsize luxury saloon a cleaner profile and making it more aerodynamic.

A new S is coming:

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Big changes are on the agenda for the interior where you’ve probably already seen the gigantic touchscreen that will dominate the centre console. It will represent a significant departure from all previous S-Class models as many of the physical buttons will be integrated into that large display. If you’re a fan of conventional dashboards with a centre screen up top and buttons below it, you’ll likely be disappointed with the screen-heavy setup of the W223.

But it’s 2020 and things can’t stay the same forever, therefore the S is bound to go through some massive changes inside. As with every generation before it, we’re sure the new model will spearhead technologies that will later trickle down to more affordable Mercedes models.

When the wraps will come off in the months to come, some say there will only be a LWB version as the standard wheelbase could be dropped. Speaking of models getting the proverbial axe, the coupe and convertible have apparently been terminated as well to avoid an overlap with the AMG GT and the next SL, respectively. We’ve already seen the posh Maybach model testing, so it’s definitely coming.