The Mercedes-Benz S-Class: What the critics say

Autoweek

“If the 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class isn’t the best car in the world, it’s surely on a very, very short list of contenders.” Packed with high-tech firsts, including a perfume atomizer and a hot-stone-massage feature, the latest edition of the world’s best-selling luxury sedan is “without peer” in its attention to detail. How well does it ride, you ask? “The answer is a resounding ‘Ahhhh-mazingly.’” Powered by a “velvety smooth” 4.6-liter V-8, this executive’s chariot is as rewarding to navigate as it is to lounge in.

The Wall Street Journal

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

“Pity about the styling”: The new S-Class surely rates as “a masterpiece of gee-whiz innovation,” but it “looks like it was swallowed by a manatee.” Beneath its skin, though, reside 60 computers and 100 servo motors that animate everything from the seat belts to—when needed—the brakes. Stereoscopic cameras detect speed bumps ahead and effectively erase them. The brakes activate automatically when the car senses an imminent crash.

Motor Trend

The S-Class can, in fact, drive itself—by following road lines or the vehicle in front of it. Above 37 mph, flashing LEDs urge a human to take over, but the car’s detached driving feel will make many owners wonder if they actually have. Welcome to the future: “It’s a brave new luxury world.”