The 2027 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Is Getting Cloud-Based Comfort Tech. Here's How It Works

• The Mercedes-Benz S-Class full-size sedan will get a significant refresh this year.
• New suspension tech will use data from the cloud to change damper settings on the fly, smoothing out road imperfections before you get to them.
• More powerful engines and new multimedia tech are coming too.

From the road to the cloud

Mercedes simply calls it intelligent damping; I guess Magic Body Control (remember the chicken ad?) never caught on. The current S-Class is fitted with cameras mounted high in the windscreen that scan the road ahead and preadjust the damper settings for upcoming road imperfections. But with the 2027 model year update, this tech will then make use of Mercedes' Car-to-X vehicle communication system to store this information in the cloud. So if there's a pesky pothole you simply can't avoid on your daily commute, the S-Class will remember it's there.

Even better, because this data is stored in the cloud — securely and without any personal information, Mercedes-Benz assures me — other vehicles can make use of the same information. If your S-Class detects a gnarly bump on the road, it'll send that info to other S-Classes so the dampers can be ready. As this damping tech makes its way to other Mercedes-Benz cars, you can bet the info base will grow. And if a pothole or bump gets repaired and is no longer a problem, as soon as a car detects this, the blemish will be removed from the database. It's an ever-updating bit of ride-smoothening software.

Does this change the way the S-Class feels? Not really. Merc's full-size sedan has always been an exemplar of on-road comfort, and while being driven around Sindelfingen, I can't say that the new S-Class feels appreciably better than the current model. No complaints here.

More power across the board

Like the current S-Class, the new model will be available with a range of six- and eight-cylinder engines, plus a plug-in hybrid. The 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline-six in the S 500 now has 443 lb-ft of torque — up from 413 lb-ft — and there's an overboost function that increases output to 472 lb-ft when demanded. This'll make the S-Class even more assertive when aggressively pulling away from stoplights or passing slower cars on the freeway. A 23-hp integrated starter-generator also gives the S 500 a hand to fill in gaps while the turbochargers spool up and smooths out the operation of the stop-start system as well.

The S 580 has the same starter-generator integrated into its V8 engine, and total system output is a healthy 530 hp and 553 lb-ft — increases of 34 hp and 37 lb-ft, respectively, over the current model. If it's more electric power you desire, Mercedes will offer the S 580e plug-in hybrid, which combines the aforementioned straight-six engine with a big battery and electric motor (exact specs are still TBD). Mercedes says the S 580 PHEV will have an additional 73 hp over the current car, so that means 576 hp in total.

Not enough power? High-performance AMG variants will surely be on the way. Need a bit more luxury? A Mercedes-Maybach S-Class is no doubt in the cards too.

Coming soon

Mercedes-Benz says the new S-Class will make its premiere "in 2026," which is super vague. I don't think it'll be too long before the 2027 S-Class shows its face, though — the eye-searing, gold-wrapped prototype I rode in felt solid, and the cabin, which I can't talk about, was pretty much done. All that's left to discuss is what visual changes lie beneath the brightly colored wrapping paper. But let's just say there'll be plenty to talk about when all is revealed in the not-too-distant future.