Facelifted Mercedes-Benz S-Class Makes Its Public Debut... As a Robotaxi?

Due Already?

Believe it or not, the current Mercedes-Benz S-Class is already five years old. Internally known as the W223, it made its (online) world premiere in late 2020 for the 2021 model year, and has received rolling updates since.

Model life cycles are pretty predictable, and after four model years, it's now time for the flagship sedan to get a nip and a tuck. The facelifted S-Class was spied just a few weeks ago wearing, er, not-so-subtle camouflage. Well, it's not really camo if it grabs attention, right?

Partially Revealed

Weeks after it was spotted, Mercedes-Benz has published "official spy photos" of the new S-Class. Mercedes-Benz used the car to kick off its robotaxi pilot program in Abu Dhabi, though it's still wearing wraps on the front. Those autonomous taxis will soon hit the road in the Middle East, presumably after the car has been fully revealed sometime in the first quarter of 2026.

The rear appears to have less camouflage, but Mercedes conveniently didn't take photos from that angle. That said, we do see the car wearing its production headlights. We see the three-pointed star LED signature, suggesting that it'll at least get new light clusters. We could also expect new bumpers and a grille. The same goes for the rear end, although the wheel options seem to be the same as before.

2027 Mercedes-Benz S-Class: What to Expect

While the (covered-up) car has made a public debut of sorts, Mercedes-Benz isn't revealing any specs just yet. However, it's likely that most of the powertrain will be carried over, perhaps with a few updates to make it more efficient. That means a couple of turbocharged mild-hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and for European markets, diesels.

With the company flexing its autonomous driving tech as luxury taxis soon, some of that could end up in customer cars. Nvidia is in the process of doing final touches to the car's level 4 autonomous system, making use of 9 radars, 1 lidar sensor, 12 ultrasonics, and 14 high-definition cameras. The MB.OS will also get a massive upgrade to allow for hands-free driving and more.

Based on the spy shots, we're pleased to report that buttons are back in the S-Class. It is similar to the arrangement used in the CLA and GLB, and we're glad more cars in the Mercedes-Benz stable are getting it. The dashboard is also likely to get some tweaks, and it could be the same for the graphics in the infotainment system.

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