As always, Mercedes is offering a few different powerplants with the refreshed S-Class. That being said, none of them are electric — that’s still reserved for the EQS, but those cars will be blended together for the next-gen S-Classsooner rather than later, hence my placeholder inference. In any case, the big news here is a “new” V8 in the S580 4Matic, called M177 Evo. The twin-turbocharged mild-hybrid 4.0-liter V8 pumps out 530 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque, according to Mercedes.
It says the engine is new, but really it’s just a heavy update on the old M177 motor that gives it a new injection system, retuned intake and exhaust ports, a revised intake camshaft, an improved compressor wheel and turbo housing, and a flat-plane crank with a new firing order. All of that means the revised engine makes 34 hp and 37 lb-ft of torque more than the old one — not too shabby.
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One level down is the S500 4Matic, which employs a mild-hybrid, turbocharged and electric supercharged 3.0-liter inline-six that is largely a carryover from the previous car. Still, thanks to some fiddling, torque is up 30 lb-ft for most driving to 443 lb-ft, and there’s now a special “overtorque” mode that can briefly bump power up to 472 lb-ft. This engine uses the same 23-hp integrated starter generator and 48-volt electrical system as the V8.
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Finally, we’ve got the plug-in hybrid S580e 4Matic, using the same turbocharged inline-six, but both power and range are up for 2027. Now there’s an extra 74 hp under the hood, which is surely going to be welcome to anyone with a lead foot like me. Power now stands at 576 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque of combined system output, and even with the extra oomph, Mercedes says it has more range out of its 22-kWh battery pack, though it doesn’t say how much.
The S-Class is a big vehicle, so to help with maneuverability, Mercedes decided to make rear-axle steering standard across the entire range. Now, the rear wheels of every new S-Class will be able to turn 4.5 degrees. However, if you need a bit more, there’s the option to get 10 degrees of rear-axle steering, which drops the car’s turning circle to a relatively tiny 35.4 feet.
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All S-Classes still come with Airmatic air suspension, but they’ve now got intelligent dampers that can actually take information from other Mercedes-Benz vehicles when it comes to road surfaces. From there, they can set themselves up to deal with crappy pavement conditions better, making a smoother ride for the folks inside. It’s another trick of the MB.OS computer. I’m not sure how effective it’ll be until more of these cars with this system are on the road, and from talking with folks at Mercedes, it sounds like it may take a little bit, but the concept is very neat.
