The Three Things You Should Know About the 2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class

• Being aerodynamic doesn't mean you have to be ugly.
• Steering — it's not just for the front wheels.
• How's this for loyalty?

When a car has been around for near-as-makes-no-difference five decades, there's bound to be enough trivia to bore not only your friends but your family and their neighbors, too. Well, if you love automotive trivia as much as we do, you're in luck. The next-generation 2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class is here, and it is chock full of factoids. Here are three that you absolutely need to know.

It's Slippery

Despite its fairly conservative exterior styling, the new S-Class is remarkably aerodynamic. How aerodynamic? Well, it has a drag coefficient of just 0.22. To put this in perspective, the fairly giant S-Class has a more aero-friendly shape than the Porsche Taycan Turbo S (0.25), the current-generation (and still currently misshapen) Toyota Prius (0.24) and the Tesla Model 3 (0.23). And while the S-Class is certainly far from the most fuel-efficient vehicle on this short list, its aerodynamic efficiency shows how hard Mercedes is willing to work to improve fuel economy. As a bonus, you can tell your Tesla-owning neighbor this little factoid and make them develop a tic.

It Turns Around Like a Smaller Car

The 2021 S-Class doesn't have rear steer like a forklift, but it does offer rear-axle steering. Specifically, its rear wheels can swivel up to 10 degrees in either direction to aid in high-speed stability or benefit low-speed maneuverability. Which way the rear wheels steer, and by how much, depends mainly on speed. Higher speeds (think a high-speed lane change) will see the rear wheels steer in the same direction as the fronts, whereas a low-speed move (like a U-turn) will have the rear wheels turning in the opposite direction. At low speeds, this effectively shortens the car's wheelbase, and Mercedes claims the rear-steering S-Class shaves just over 6 feet off the regular car's turning radius. That's fairly amazing. If the driver doesn't appreciate it, the valet guy surely will.

If You've Owned One, You'll Likely Own Another

Automotive manufacturers love to tout owner loyalty statistics, since repeat customers are a sure sign you're doing something right. That's especially true when your customers have the ability to purchase nearly any other luxury car brand under the sun. Well, Mercedes claims 80% of its Western European buyers will purchase another Benz and 70% of its North American customers will do the same. To geeks like us, that's impressive. And if you're like us (and we know you are) you're wondering how that compares to pickup-truck loyalty. Well, according to this survey, 41% of Toyota truck buyers were not willing to consider another brand, compared to 28% of Chevrolet truck buyers and 27% of Ford truck buyers.

Edmunds Says

While we find these facts fascinating, we wouldn't recommend you try to recite this kind of information on a first date. For all the latest facts and figures on the 2021 Mercedes S-Class, make sure you keep it set to Edmunds.