Mercedes Is Readying a Significant S-Class Update for 2026
The Mercedes-Benz S-Class has always been the boundary-pushing model in the automaker’s catalog. Its ultra-rich price tag buys the best tech available, and it appears the car is about to get a significant update that will bring even more “new stuff.”
We already know Mercedes is brewing an all-new S-Class for release in a few years, but the current car is due for a midcycle refresh. That will happen in 2026, with company executives saying it was investing much more heavily in the update than it typically does for non-generational changes.
Mercedes is on quite a roll with new vehicles this year, as the updated CLA recently landed, and new versions of the GLC SUV and C-Class cars due soon. While it’s focused on new electric models, the automaker isn’t ditching gas, as the S-Class will retain internal combustion power, and AMG still offers V8s in some cars. That said, the latest C 63’s wildly complicated four-cylinder powertrain hasn’t wowed buyers. The new powertrains will also likely comply with upcoming changes to European and Asian emissions rules.
The S-Class never sold in high-volume numbers, but its modest sales numbers tumbled in 2024. Mercedes’ plan to retain gas engines is likely a smart move, as buyers have proven to be fickle when it comes to high-priced EVs, especially with performance models like those made and tuned by AMG.
[Images: Mercedes-Benz]
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Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.
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The BEV version of the S class, while very sleek on the outside, looked so poor from the driver's seat, with all these che3ap screens not integrated in the dash, that, instead of feeling like a million dollars, which m3ans TEN million 2025 dollars, you felt like a phone operator. THIS is IMO the reason its sles sucKED and Merc offered $20k discounts on leases. I was so turned off by it, I did not even care to test drive it once i sat in it. NEVER happened to me before, eVER.
The photo of the tail light is a reminder that it was the Germans who competed with each other for the weirdest headlight designs. That gravitated to the other auto companies, making it near-impossible to replace damaged or burned out headlights without special tools, detailed instructions, and a thick wad of cash. Thanks, Heinz!