The Last Word In Limo Luxury Is Getting A New Look

How do you make one of the most elegant cars on the road look like hot garbage? Run it through sand, salt, and snow as you test it the winter in Sweden to make sure it’s ready for prime time.

This is the facelifted version of the current Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan, snapped by the CarBuzz shooters in the Scandinavian country, showing off its new trademark star lights front and rear and sporting a larger grille than the car it replaces. From a distance and from the front three-quarter angle, this could call to mind the slab-faced Audi A8s and A6s of the early 2000s.

S-Class Is Starting To Get Long In The Tooth

Benz’s biggest sedan, which was spotted parked at a northern testing facility as well as driving on public roads, is due for a makeover. The current W223-model S-Class generation was first revealed in 2020 and entered production later that year, which makes it quite out of date for Mercedes. Hence the facelift, because even the S-Class can’t keep the same look forever.

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The Mercedes-Benz star lamps, with representations of the brand’s logo in the housings for the head and taillights, are a detail we’ve seen a lot of on Mercedes prototypes in the last couple of years. The detail debuted on the CLA-Class concept car, and while no production cars have them yet, they will soon.

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This camo-covered car’s front grille appears to be larger than the one it replaces. The holes in the wrap extend down behind the front license plate, though that could be simply to throw us off the scent. The lower air intakes also look like they’ve been reshaped, though we’ll have to wait to really see them.

New Taillights A Small Detail, But Expect More Inside

The new taillights with that new emblem also look like they’re shorter in height than last year and help change up the look at the rear. The latest Benz prototypes for other series like the EQC turned GLC EV have been adding LED light strips across the trunk, and that feature will probably show up here, too. Aside from those changes, Benz doesn’t seem to be doing much at the back.

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Expect more noticeable changes inside. The second-generation MBUX system, which debuted with this S-Class is now out of date, so expect the third-generation system this time around. That system, already available in other models like the Mercedes-Benz EQS EV, delivers larger screens as well as more functions of the Hey, Mercedes virtual assistant. It can also now explain vehicle functions when asked, which is likely helpful in this luxury flagship model. As found in the EQS, it can give rear-seat passengers more entertainment options as well. More details on Benz’s next-gen system were announced at CES in 2024.

Our spies say that the refreshed Mercedes-Benz S-Class will make its debut in the middle of this year. If it does, it will likely go on sale just about a year from now.