Thanks to slightly longer, wider and taller exterior dimensions than the current S-Class, head, shoulder and elbowroom has grown by 12, 14, and 10 mm respectively for front passengers, plus there’s an extra 14 mm knee room and nine of shoulder room in the back.
Five different rear seat designs are available, from a fixed rear bench to two ‘Executive’ seats capable of reclining by up to 43.5 degrees. Specify the ‘First Class Rear’ package and the front centre console continues into the rear with cup holders that can heat and cool your drinks, as well as airplane-style fold-out tables.
Other new creature comforts include heated armrests, an active perfuming system that adds fragrance to the air-con and a hot stone massage function for the front and rear seats. A 10-speaker stereo is fitted as standard, while two increasingly powerful Burmester systems are aimed at audiophiles.
Dominating the dash are two 12.3-inch widescreen TFT screens, side by side. One replaces the traditional instrument cluster, while the other displays the status of various infotainment and navigations systems. A rotary push button is the main human-machine interface, while a new voice control function allows hands free control of the telephone and audios systems.
Unsurprisingly, none of this comes cheap. The new 2014 S-Class will be priced from €79,789.50 ($102,600) in Europe for the S350 BlueTEC short-wheelbase diesel, while the S500 long-wheelbase will close out the top of the initial range at €107,635 ($138,500).
