One of the most admired cars to ever make its way to the market has been the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. This car, which in German is called Sonderklasse or special class, is the top of the lineup when it comes to the sedan models offered by this brand. This has been the flagship model that we’ve loved and admired over the past six decades and through eight generations. The beginning can be traced back to 1954 even though the first S badge didn’t arrive until 1972. Let’s take a tour through the history of this flagship sedan.
1954-1959 Mercedes-Benz W180 series – While not called S-Class, this early form of the flagship sedan was nicknamed Pontons because of the square shape of the body. This early car used some of the features from the W196 Formula One race car but offered it in a way that allows the car to have better handling and a smoother ride. Over the period of time, this car was sold more than 111,035 models were sold, beginning the S-Class tradition.
1959-1971 Mercedes-Benz W111, W108/109 Series – During this period the car took on a variety of shapes and engine builds. The Fintail model was introduced which gave us the world’s first crumple zones, and the elegant look and feel of these cars were easily able to capture our attention. There were several different engines that were used along with different transmissions to make this one of the most important generations of the S-Class.
1972-1980 Mercedes-Benz W116 Series – This was the first generation of the car to wear the S-Class badge and it offered streamlined style, improved engineering and a long list of innovative safety features for the time it was built. The 350SEL model was powered by a 3.5-liter V8 engine and rode on a double wishbone suspension which made this version the most popular model during this generation.
1979-1991 – Mercedes-Benz W126 Series – Over this 12-year period the S-Class experienced its longest production run of any single model for this car. During this time the S-Class sold an amazing 818,036 vehicles. This car was able to embrace an emphasis on fuel mileage, aerodynamics and a change from an iron block engine to an aluminum block. This was the pinnacle of the luxury sedan market that was unchallenged during most of this generation.
1991-1998 Mercedes-Benz W140 Series – This was one of the most challenging generations for the S-Class because the competition begins to emerge from the likes of Audi, BMW, Lexus, and Infiniti, which caused this car to need to increase what it brought to customers. This version of the S-Class used double-pane glass and the first serially produced V12 engine while also adding the benefit of stability control.
1998-2005 Mercedes-Benz W220 Series – Even though the 1990’s version of most cars, including the S-Class, lacked style, most automakers wanted to create new and exciting models in the next generation. The S-Class was no stranger to this and this version of the car showed off a style and elongated build that captured our admiration. This car increased the amount of technology offered and added items that we still see as a benefit in the S-Class of today.
2005-2013 Mercedes-Benz W221 Series – Building on the previous generation, this version of the S-Class came in with more complex styling, plush interior qualities, an improvement of the electronics and a variety of engines. The smallest engine was a 2.1-liter four-cylinder diesel model and the largest was the massive 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged V12 that could give an owner a full 604 horsepower with an engine that had gained a strong following.
2013-Present Mercedes-Benz W222 Series – With the style and engines figured out this version of the S-Class will become the car that is considered the one that paves the way toward fully autonomous vehicles. This model of the S-Class offers a variety of radar and camera-guided self-driving aspects to be the most technologically impressive car on the road today. This is a car that can drive itself much farther than government regulations allow without the aid of a human driver.
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