SedanMercedes-Benz87% by Neofiliac Team71% by External Reviewers

Mercedes-Benz S-class W222 facelift

Full-Size Sedan

Product Gallery

Photo 0of Mercedes-Benz S-class W222 faceliftPhoto 1of Mercedes-Benz S-class W222 faceliftPhoto 2of Mercedes-Benz S-class W222 faceliftPhoto 3of Mercedes-Benz S-class W222 faceliftPhoto 4of Mercedes-Benz S-class W222 faceliftPhoto 5of Mercedes-Benz S-class W222 faceliftPhoto 6of Mercedes-Benz S-class W222 faceliftPhoto 7of Mercedes-Benz S-class W222 facelift

Product Overview

Mercedes-Benz S-class W222 facelift is a full-size luxury sedan in production from 2017 to 2020. It was available with a range of V6, V8, V12, and inline-6 engines that displaced 2.9 to 6.0 liters.
While the exterior styling changes in this facelift has been minimal, largely in the form of over-styling to compensate for the generic design of the pre-facelift W222, the powertrain changes are sweeping. Only the gorgeous M279 V12 bi-turbo engine lived on from pre-facelift, though it didn't even reach the end of W222's production run before being cancelled by environmental activists.
The rest of the engine lineup reflected Mercedes' final concession to the downsizing trend (which started close to a decade earlier at VAG/Audi, and to which Mercedes was one of the last European manufacturer to kowtow to).
To compensate for the new-found inadequacy in displacement, Mercedes decided to bump up the model numbers: For example, S500, which used to mean a 5.0L engine, became a 3.0L I6, while the V8 model, newly downsized to 4.0L, is proudly named S560. The jury is still out on whether the M176/M177 hot-vee V8 and the M256 inline-6 are reliable units.
The OM656 I6 diesel is the only diesel being offered. While we don't know much about it in terms of long-term reliability, inline-6 and diesel do go well together, and Mercedes has deep knowledge in this particular configuration from its large and storied truck fleet.
Engineers at Mercedes-Benz clearly made a great effort in aerodynamics, with a class-leading 0.24 coefficient of drag to show for it.
Drivers who appreciate handling will be pleased to know that the W222 comes with multi-link suspensions at all four corners. This provides the best cornering performance and tunability, at the expense of cost and a little bit of durability.

Ratings

What we found

Neofiliac score 87%
Pros
  • The last of the M279 bi-turbo V12s
  • Return of I6 engines
  • Superb suspension setup
  • Ingenious MBC hydraulic suspension
Cons
  • S63 AMG became AWD only
  • Downsized drivetrain with high turbo boost
  • Somewhat over-styled yet still generic
  • Too many electronics

What external reviewers found

External score 71%
Pros
  • Comfortable to drive
  • Powerful V8
Cons
  • Lacklustre ride
  • Noisy V8

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Price Comparison

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Specifications

Variants shown:
AMG S 63 L 4MATIC
AMG S 65 L
S 350d L 4MATIC
S 350d 4MATIC
S 350d
S 350d L
S 400d 4MATIC
S 400d L 4MATIC
S 400d L
S 400d
S 450 4MATIC
S 450 L 4MATIC
S 450
S 450 L
S 500 L
S 500
S 560 L 4MATIC
S 560 4MATIC
S 560 L
S 560
S 560e L
S 600 L

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External Reviews

carmagazine[1]

Reviewer score 71% (normalized by Neofiliac)
Reviewers from carmagazine have found:
Mercedes updated the S-class in 2017 to include a few choice upgrades. Along with updated versions of the S350d and mild hybrid S500 petrol, Mercedes also tweaked some of the driving assistance tech. But what about the hot AMG versions? There's two of them to choose from: the frankly ridiculous AMG S63 we're testing here and the absolute definition of overkill, the V12-powered S65. We thought we'd restrain ourselves and have a drive in the commoner's AMG – the S63.
Pros
  • Powerful V8
  • Comfortable to drive
Cons
  • Lacklustre ride
  • Noisy V8

References

  1. ^ Mercedes-AMG S63 L (2018) review: a brute in a sharp suit. [carmagazine].

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