The Mercedes-Benz S-Class, formerly known as Sonderklasse (German for "special class", abbreviated as "S-Klasse"), is a series of full-sized luxury sedans, limousines and armored sedans produced by the German automaker Mercedes-Benz. The S-Class is the designation for top-of-the-line Mercedes-Benz models and was officially introduced in 1972 with the W116, and has remained in use ever since. The S-Class is the flagship vehicle for Mercedes-Benz.
The S-Class has debuted many of the company's latest innovations, including drivetrain technologies, interior features, and safety systems (such as the first seatbelt pretensioners). The S-Class has ranked as the world's best-selling luxury sedan. In automotive terms, Sonderklasse refers to "a specially outfitted car." Although used colloquially for decades, following its official application in 1972, six generations of officially named S-Klasse sedans have been produced.
In 1981, the two-door, four-seat S-Class, designated as SEC, was introduced, sharing the petrol V8 engines with its four-door version, W126. After the introduction of a new nomenclature scheme, SEC was simply renamed as S-Class Coupé. For the 1996 model year, the coupé was separated from the S-Class line and named as new CL-Class (in line with other two-door models: CLK, SL, and SLK); however, the CL-Class was reintegrated into the S-Class model line (same with CLK becoming E-Class Coupé and Cabriolet). The first-ever S-Class convertible since 1972, internally named A217, was introduced and became a one-generation model only. After the end of W222 production in 2020, the successors to the C217 coupé and A217 convertible are not planned, citing the low demand for those models and stronger demand for SUV models.
Model nomenclature
The major revision to the nomenclature scheme in 1991 renamed the S-Class with the "S" prefix that has three numbers for engine displacement in "centilitre" with no suffix for fuel type or wheelbase length. The extra information was sometimes affixed to the right-hand side of boot/trunk, denoting the diesel version (TURBODIESEL or later CDI), hybrid version (HYBRID), all-wheel-drive version (4MATIC), AMG, and MAYBACH. The second revision in 2015 allows the suffixes such as d (diesel), e (plug-in hybrid), and the h (mild hybrid) for several years before h was dropped. For 2018 model year, the model designation and AMG and MAYBACH labels switched their position to the left.
Predecessor models
"Ponton" (1954)
The W180 line debuted in 1954, and is the first lineup of "Ponton" models retroactively associated with the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. The W180 featured six-cylinder sedan, coupé, and convertible models, and was produced until 1959. It featured the 220S models (sedan, coupé, and cabriolet) powered by a 2.2L straight-6, and came to ten. The "Ponton" designation referred to its unibody construction, with the era's rounded fenders a stylistic feature on the W180 model.
The "Ponton" lineup included four- and six-cylinder models, but only the six-cylinder W180 line is considered part of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class chronology, as they were the most powerful "Ponton" versions available. The Big "Ponton" model was Mercedes' first without a conventional frame, using a unitized body/frame construction.
"Fintail" (1959)
Mercedes-Benz Fintail () is an informal nickname given to Mercedes-Benz vehicles notable for the presence of tailfins. Though never officially designated as such — Mercedes-Benz claimed they were functional and designated them , assisting to mark the end of the car in the rear-view mirror. The Fintail series replaced the Ponton series.
The exterior was designed for the European and North American markets. The W111 was a chassis code given to its top-range vehicles, including four-door sedans, produced from 1959 to 1968, and two-door coupes and cabriolets from 1961 to 1971. The W111, was initially attributed only to six-cylinder cars with 2.2-litre engines. The luxury version with big-block 3-litre engines were given the chassis code W112. The entry-level vehicles with four-cylinder engines were called W110. All three versions W110, W111, and W112, in both two- and four-door bodies, were based on the same unibody structure.
W108 (1965)
The updated and larger W108/W109 model lines were introduced in 1965. The squarish W108 line included the straight-six M129 engine powered 250S, 250SE, 280S 280SE and 280SEL. In 1968 the 300 SEL 6.3 borrowed the 6-litre V8 from the W100 600 Pullman to offer a truly high-performance luxury sedan.