Smarter Mercedes-Benz S-Class coming December

The most luxurious and expensive car in the Mercedes-Benz range, the S-Class, is eyeing off the title of world's most advanced car.

How? By taking driving duties away from the driver via new autonomous technology.

A range of all-new engines, including the world debut of its inline six-cylinder petrol and diesel powerplants, will also headline the arrival of the facelifted S-Class, which is coming to Australian showrooms from December 2017.

Although pricing is yet to be confirmed, expect to pay between $220,000 and $500,000 depending on the model. Those ballpark figures don't include options, either.

Building on the latest E-Class's semi-automated driver assist features dubbed Intelligent Drive, the 2018 S-Class gets improved software that's more proactive in its approach to cornering, acceleration and braking.

"It is the next step. It's the best car in the world, and we've made the best car in the world better. That's also true for the technology," said Jerry Stamoulis, Mercedes-Benz Australia product communications manager.

It uses a detailed mapping system to recognise and slow down for intersections and tighter corners, although this functionality may be delayed for Australia.

Cosmetically, the updated S-Class comes with redesigned front and rear bumpers, headlights, tail-lights and grille. However, apart from the linking of twin 12.3-inch widescreens and adding a wireless phone charging pad and a new steering wheel that makes initiating Intelligent Drive system easier, the interior is largely unchanged.

Self-adjusting air suspension and adaptive dampers combine with dual front-facing cameras that read the road directly ahead, making up the Road Surface Scan system. This allows the S-Class to instantly vary suspension softness to smooth out rough sections of road more effectively than its predecessor.

More power, less fuel for new S-Class

New engines are another big drawcard for the 2018 S-Class, with a trio of new inline six-cylinder powerplants being offered in Australia.

There will also be a new S 560 model powered by a de-tuned version of the AMG 4.0-litre dual-turbo V8 and a 6.0-litre dual-turbo V12 for the Maybach version, naturally.

The range will be consolidated slightly but there's still plenty of models to get your head around when you factor in long and short wheelbase versions of each model.

The S 350d and S 400d models will open the ledger priced in the low-to-mid $200K range and powered by a new 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder turbo-diesel engine.

The S 350d (210kW/600Nm, 5.1L/100km) will be short wheelbase only, while the S 400d (250kW/700Nm, 5.2L/100km) is long wheelbase only.

These two diesel models are expected to account for around half of all S-Class sales in Australia.

There's also a pair of brand-new 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder turbo-petrol engines for the S 450 (270kW/500Nm) and S 500 (320kW/520Nm).

The S 500 engine is more complex, featuring a 48-volt electrical system with a mild-hybrid set-up in the form of a 1kWh lithium-ion battery pack and an electric turbo. Both engines have claimed fuel consumption of 6.6L/100km.

Then things escalate with the new 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 (345kW/700Nm, 7.9L/100km) which rips to 100km/h in 4.8 seconds -- pretty quick for a big rig.

There's also the Mercedes-AMG S 63 (450kW/900Nm, 8.9L/100km), which packs a significantly more potent version of the same twin-turbo V8.

The plug-in hybrid S 560e has also been revealed in Europe and will come to Australia next year, offering a 50km electric motor range -- after which the combustion engine chimes in.

Finally, the 6.0-litre twin-turbo V12 petrol engine will be exclusively available with Maybach S 650 in Australia. The 12-cylinder engine generates an almighty 463kW/1000Nm but is rather thirsty, at 12.7L/100km.

"We'll launch with everything in December bar the S 500 and S 560e plug-in hybrid, but they shouldn’t be too late," explained Stamoulis.

"Locally we no longer have an S 600 LWB and an S 650 LWB. We've sold a few Maybachs here so we're sticking to a V12 for the Maybach models."

The Mercedes-Benz S-Class has traditionally been the top-selling vehicle in its class, locally and globally.

In 2016 it outsold the newer, smarter BMW 7 Series and all other rivals in the segment, although in 2017 the BMW has edged ahead as the Benz goes into low-stock run-out mode ahead of this new version's arrival.

Since its debut in the early 1970s, more than four million S-Class cars have been sold.

"We've been very happy with the current S-Class and how it's performed. Diesel is very important and now we've got the option of two variants, so you can have an S 350d with short wheelbase, or if you want more power and more room, well the S 400d is the one for you," added Stamoulis.

"There'll be a lot of excitement around the new 4.0-litre V8 and the new 560 badge too."

The Mercedes-Benz Australia executive said it's unlikely there'll be a significant movement in pricing, which will be confirmed in December. But who actually has between $200K and $600K to splurge on a limousine?

"CEOs historically buy them," said Stamoulis. "It comes down to who is driving them too. We do know they get used as chauffeur cars but most Australian customers do drive themselves."