Mercedes-Benz S-Class W222 (2014-2020) review | Still a technology tour de force

What is the Mercedes-Benz S-Class?

It’d be wrong to say it doesn’t get more luxurious than the Mercedes S-Class. The folks at Rolls-Royce and Bentley would both have something to say about that. However, this large four-door saloon has always been renowned for combining luxury, cutting-edge technology and under-the-radar discretion like no other car.

The car reviewed here represents the sixth-generation of S-Class, known as the W222, and was the German marque’s flagship saloon between 2014 and 2020. If you want to be chauffeur-driven in something that’s as plutocratic as they come inside, yet relatively subtle on the outside, the W222 generation of S-Class is about as good as it gets.

Additionally, if you love the luxury and the technology but don’t want a saloon, you could make a sideways step towards the W222’s more style-oriented sibling, the C217 S-Class. Although we’re not reviewing it here, the C217 offers more or less the same car but with a coupe or convertible body.

How practical is it?

Climb aboard the W222 Mercedes S-Class and you’ll find a faultlessly finished interior replete with swathes of beautiful wood veneer. The level of finish is immaculate, with top-quality leather everywhere, while customisable ambient lighting creates strips of glowing colour that encircle you at night. The previous generation W221 S-Class was a luxurious beast, but it only takes just a few moments to notice how much more fresh and modern the W222 feels by comparison.

From the back seat, which is where many S-Class owners will spend a lot of time, the sense of isolation and calm is unassailable. That’s especially true if you opt for one of the long-wheelbase L versions, which give you even more room to stretch out. That said, even the standard S-Class offers oodles of space, whether you sit in the front or the back.

The boot, meanwhile, is bested by rivals for outright size, but only just – we’re talking a couple of bags of flour here – and it’s still a very usable shape. As a general guiding principle, petrol-powered W222 S-Class models have 530 litres of space, while diesel versions offer 510 litres. The V12 and some hybrid models have less, with 460 litres in a 2014 S600L, for example, or 390 litres in a 2019 S560eL hybrid. Furthermore, these are all very much traditional saloons, with hinged and not hatchback-style boot lids. Whatever you’re stashing behind the rear seats, whether it’s a suitcase or some golf clubs, you need to take the letterbox-like opening into account.

What's it like to drive?

Slide behind the wheel and the W222 S-Class feels imperious. You’re always aware of its considerable size, but it’s still pretty easy to drive, with a seamless automatic gearbox and light, linear steering. Even more of a surprise is the way the suspension ties the car down in Sport mode, allowing you to press on down a back road astonishingly well. For such a big car, the S-Class can feel remarkably agile. Just remember it weighs between between 1,950kg and 2,250kg, depending on the specification, when you stand on the brakes.

Settle back, stick the car in Comfort mode, and the S-Class transforms back into a smooth cruiser, smothering imperfections in the road as if they weren’t there. It’s eerily quiet, too; despite the big tyres and bluff front end, the tranquillity from within is uncanny. Were you to pack one up for a long weekend, you’d arrive at your destination feeling fresh and content, and certainly just as relaxed as if you’d travelled in the very latest W223 Mercedes S-Class.

Mercedes-Benz offered a number of petrol, diesel and hybrid powertrains over the course of the W222’s life. The non-hybrid diesel was a 3.0-litre turbocharged unit, known as the S350 Bluetec on pre-2017 facelift cars and simply the S350d on post-facelift examples. The former was actually more powerful and had more torque, but the latter is faster accelerating and more economical (more on fuel economy later). An S400d with the same engine, but more power and torque was available towards the end of the car’s life. However, this could only be combined with a long wheelbase body.

If you prefer petrol, you could have a V6 S450, a V8 S500 or a V12 S600, all available in long-wheelbase only. The S500 was the only consistent non-AMG petrol nameplate, however, as the S600 was dropped with the facelift and the S450 only appeared afterwards. However, the S500 itself actually went from V8 to V6 power with the 2017 refresh. All of these engines perform exactly as you’d expect: without any fuss whatsoever. With anything in the range of 362bhp to 532bhp, progress will be effortless, if not whiplash-inducing.

Hybrid options included an S300 Bluetech mild-hybrid V6 diesel with 228bhp in 2014, along with an S400 mild-hybrid V6 petrol with 328bhp. An S560e hybrid was available in 2019, with a total of 482bhp from its electric motor and V6 engine. As a full hybrid, Mercedes also claimed an fully electric driving range of 26-27 miles. Again, though, both of these powerplants were only available with long-wheelbase cars.

Finally, the big boys: the AMG machines. Not long after the W222 launch, you could purchase a turbocharged 5.5-litre V8 S63 or a V12 S65, with 577bhp or 621bhp respectively. The V12 remained unchanged after the facelift, while the S63 went from a 5.5- to a 4.0-litre V8. Torque remained the same, with a tyre-shredding 664lb/ft, but power went up to 612bhp. All of these cars will accelerate to 62mph in-between 4.2 and 4.4 seconds before reaching a top speed of 155mph. All you’d need to decide then is which engine you like the sound of most.

Technology, equipment & infotainment

Ahead of the driver sit two 12.3-inch screens – one containing a virtual dial setup, the other to control the navigation and entertainment – and no less than six bullseye air vents, all finished in chrome. Because so many of the car’s functions are accessed through the infotainment system, there are relatively few buttons, so the dashboard looks minimalist and modern.

You might think that makes the screen’s software difficult to navigate, and by dint of the sheer number of functions available, it does take some getting used to. Once you know where everything is, though, it’s relatively easy to navigate. What’s more, the dual display across the dashboard is crisp, clear and very attractive.

In addition, depending on the specification and the model year, you may find screens in the rear of the driver and passenger headrests. That’s right, 10.2-inch screens with wireless headphones can keep those in the back entertained. If you’re looking at a used S600 or an S65 AMG – any model that has a V12, essentially – the screens would be fitted as standard. For other trim levels, they were included as part of an optional pack or a standalone £2,450 extra. Furthermore, facelifted models had Blu-ray players rather than DVD players, if such a thing matters much now.

Away from screens, the W222 S-Class is loaded to the gills with technology, as you’d expect. You’d need to study the brochures from the model year you’re looking at, and the spec sheet of your chosen car, to know precisely what is included. However, LED front and rear lights, air suspension, automatic parking, fully electric and heated front seats, keyless entry, satellite navigation, Bluetooth connectivity, electric door mirrors, two-zone climate control and more were fitted as standard to every car. You even got an analogue clock on the dashboard. Other nice features that were available depending on the trim level were air conditioned front seats, a fancy Burmester sound system, a head-up display, a TV tuner and individual rear seats with fold-out tables. Features like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity, along with wireless phone charging, were model-year dependent.

On top of all the fancy kit, there were systems designed to keep you and anyone else in the car as safe as possible. From an attention alert system to road sign recognition, along with autonomous emergency braking, rain-sensing wipers, a system called crosswind assist, and an active bonnet to protect pedestrians were one to walk across the car’s path – all of these were standard or optional on the W222 S-Class.

Mercedes-Benz S-Class running costs

If you believe the official miles per gallon figures, the most economical version of the W222 sixth-generation S-Class is the S560e plug-in hybrid. However, plug-ins tend to do unrealistically well in fuel consumption tests, which suit them down to the ground, so don’t expect to get anywhere near the top-end 128mpg figure claimed unless you keep the car charged and do mainly short, electric-only journeys.

The diesel versions may well prove more economical in the real world, with a mixture of town and motorway miles, and you can take your pick because they were the best sellers in the UK. Expect to see 40mpg in day-to-day use.

As you might imagine, servicing costs for the S-Class are not insignificant. Indeed, you can expect it to cost more to maintain than an Audi A8 or BMW 7 Series. That said, it will set you back less in tyres and brakes than a Range Rover. Additionally, all S-Class engines use a timing chain rather than a belt, and these should last the life of the car. That means you won’t need to worry about costly timing belt replacements.

Mercedes-Benz S-Class reliability

Mercedes didn’t score well in the most recent What Car? Reliability Survey, ranking joint 22nd alongside Audi out of 30 manufacturers. We’d love to say Mercedes models of this vintage are more robust than their modern counterparts, but sadly that isn’t the case. In fact, this generation of S-Class finished eighth out of the nine luxury cars in the 2019 edition of the What Car? survey. However, it’s worth keeping in mind that most of the other luxury cars in that table were smaller and less electrically complex, which might partly explain the result. Even so, the Jaguar XJ – which is a direct rival to the S-Class – managed to finish first, with a score of 94.3 percent to the S-Class’s 88.1 percent.

Does that mean you should avoid a W222? No, you just need to be careful when selecting the car you want to own. Check the service history and all of the paperwork, look around the engine bay and check all the buttons and switches work. Mechanical problems can be costly to fix but aren’t always too complicated. Electrical issues on a car this complex could be horrendously difficult to rectify, though.

A W222 S-Class won’t be covered by a Mercedes-Benz warranty anymore, but there are plenty of knowledgeable specialists who know how to look after one properly, should you decide to take the plunge.