We get our first look at the interior of the next-gen Mercedes-Benz S-class.

The all-new model will feature a massive central touchscreen on the center console.

Exterior photos also reveal new details like production head- and taillights.

The Mercedes-Benz S-class is the brand's technological flagship, and is usually the first model to introduce new safety systems, convenience features, and infotainment tech to the Mercedes brand. The next-gen S-class, due to debut in the next year or so, will be no different. We've previously spotted the new model—codenamed W223—testing in camouflage, but this latest round of spy photos has given us our first glimpse at a seemingly production-spec interior.



While the current S-class has two large screens atop the dashboard, with a flowing center console that has prominent air vents and some physical controls, it seems as if the next-gen model's dash and console will be almost entirely taken up by a massive, vertical-oriented touchscreen. The giant screen has a row of physical buttons at the base of it for functions like driving mode, audio volume, and some active-safety features, as well as the hazards and a home button for the infotainment. The top of the screen is obscured by a cloth, so there could be more physical controls up there, too.

KGP Photography

On the screen itself, we can see a row of buttons at the bottom for the climate-control system, with a home button above it flanked by a return arrow and what look like buttons for selecting the previous or next song. Sadly, the main part of the screen is entirely taken up by an error message, so we'll have to wait to get a look at the new S-class' full infotainment system. It will most likely be a drastic evolution of the MBUX system featured in the new A-class, CLA, and GLE SUV, with a larger emphasis placed on touch controls.

Like on the current model, there is a large rectangular screen in place of analog gauges. This screen is freestanding instead of being integrated with the central screen like it is now, and it looks bigger than the unit fitted to the current car. It's hard to see, but the graphics of the gauge display show two round dials, like one of the selectable views on the displays of existing Benzes. Both the driver display and the main center screen have aluminum-looking trim along the rounded edges. The spokes of the steering wheel are mostly obscured, but they look sleeker and more raked than on the current model; paddle shifters are fitted to the back of the wheel.

KGP Photography

Almost all of the rest of the car's interior is obscured by cloth, but we can see a large opening ahead of the armrest. It's unclear if this will be an actual storage compartment or if a panel has been removed for this prototype, but on the current S-class, it's the location of the rotary infotainment controller. Given that this new touchscreen should render a physical controller like that useless, it would make sense to convert that area into usable space. But, there's a chance that there could still be a flat touchpad like the one seen on the new A-class.

We previously gained some insight into the new S-class' interior design when we spoke to Hartmut Sinkwitz, the director of interior design at Mercedes. He said that the new S-class would put more emphasis on the occupants' "sense of touch." Sinkwitz also talked to us about how the use of ambient lighting would be expanded; the current S-class has highly configurable LED lights throughout the interior, giving it a sci-fi nightclub look. And even though we can't see much else, it's a given that the new S-class will be even more luxurious then the existing generation, hard to believe as that is. It remains to be seen whether the eventual Maybach S-class will mess with the regular Benz's interior formula; the existing Maybach's design isn't too different.

The prototype also has slightly less camouflage than the examples we've seen before, giving us a better look at some of the next S-class' details, namely the LED head- and taillights. Its headlights look sleek and angular like those on the sharklike CLS, while the tails are long and horizontal, as opposed to the stacked vertical units on the current car. The surfacing on the S-class seems almost devoid of lines or creases, which is the new Mercedes look.

We expect that the next-gen S-class will debut near the end of 2019 before going on sale in the United States in 2020, likely as a 2021 model. The flagship sedan will use a lineup of hybridized inline-six and V-8 engines, and it will form the basis of a fully electric EQS model. Daimler CEO Ola Källenius has said that the new S-class will be available with Level 3 autonomous systems at launch, but it's unclear whether those features will be offered here.

This content is imported from {embed-name}. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io