2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class spied almost entirely undisguised

The upcoming W223 generation of Mercedes-Benz S-Class has already been extensively teased and leaked. Now, we have spy photographs showing us the luxury liner almost entirely undisguised ahead of its reveal next month.

There’s nothing to conceal the new S-Class’s smooth, clean flanks. There’s a subtle crease below the belt line and another rising diagonally up above the rocker panels but otherwise the sides of the S-Class are much more unadorned than the outgoing W222-series.

The tail lights are now oriented horizontally like on the refreshed E-Class, a motif previously reserved for Mercedes-Benz’s coupes, wagons and SUVs. The seams for the boot have also been smoothed out somewhat.

The headlights appear to be slimmer and more horizontally-oriented than before for more of a rakish look, though it’s overall less of a departure from the current car than the rest of the body.

We’ve already seen the cabin almost in full thanks to a series of images shared by Mercedes-Benz. The interior trim was inspired by ship decks with gently-curved surfaces, and features a mix of wood, piano black surfaces and metal pieces.

Taking pride of place in the front of the S-Class’s cabin is a new, portrait-oriented 12.8-inch touchscreen that’s allowed Mercedes to remove 27 mechanical switches from the cabin.

As is expected for a new generation of S-Class, Mercedes-Benz is using this model as a technological showcase. It’ll debut a new rear-seat occupant airbag shaped like a catcher’s mitt.

There are up to three screens in the rear that offer the same comfort, navigation and voice command controls as you’ll find in the touchscreen up front, while you can share content with other occupants and access your personal preferences from any screen.

There’s also a new augmented reality head-up display that can virtually project navigation instructions onto the road plus a 3D-effect instrument cluster.

As is becoming Mercedes-Benz tradition, there’s extensive use of ambient lighting with the S-Class employing a network of fibre optic cables, diffusers, and 250 LEDs.

The lighting will flash red if you try to exit the car into oncoming traffic.