Mercedes S-Class Wins MotorTrend Car of the Year — at $114,100 to Start
The refreshed flagship beat 22 contenders a year after the Golf GTI won, and it reaches U.S. dealers with 442 to 576 hp and a $112,550 base price.
Mercedes-Benz's updated S-Class is MotorTrend's 2027 Car of the Year, a year after the magazine handed the same Golden Calipers trophy to the Volkswagen Golf GTI and Golf R. That's a jump from a hot hatch to a flagship sedan that starts at $114,100 with destination.
The timing suits Mercedes. The refreshed car is reaching U.S. dealers now, and S-Class sales already rose 47% in the third quarter, as detailed in our breakdown of Mercedes-Benz USA's Q3 sales.
Mercedes-Benz USA announced the result on Oct. 20 in a statement from its Atlanta headquarters. MotorTrend's judges tested 22 new or significantly updated cars and scored each on six criteria: advancement in design, engineering excellence, performance of intended function, value, safety, and efficiency. The Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport and Grand Sport X were among the finalists, according to GM Authority.
MotorTrend head of editorial Ed Loh said Mercedes "found the right balance of innovation and tradition" with this update.
What earned the trophy
This isn't an all-new generation. The S-Class received a mid-cycle overhaul that debuted in January, with an illuminated grille surround and Digital Light headlights whose partial high-beam function is offered in the U.S. for the first time, Mercedes says.
Inside, every version gets the MBUX Superscreen as standard: a 12.3-inch driver display, a 14.4-inch center touchscreen, and a 12.3-inch passenger screen, all running the fourth-generation MBUX software on Mercedes' new MB.OS operating system.
All three U.S. models come with 4Matic all-wheel drive, Airmatic air suspension, and 4.5 degrees of rear-axle steering:
- S 500 4Matic: 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline-six mild hybrid, 442 hp, 443 lb-ft, 0–60 mph in an estimated 4.3 seconds, $112,550.
- S 580 4Matic: 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 mild hybrid, 530 hp, 553 lb-ft, 0–60 mph in an estimated 3.9 seconds, $134,600.
- S 580e 4Matic: plug-in hybrid inline-six, 576 hp and 553 lb-ft combined, 0–60 mph in an estimated 4.4 seconds, $134,600.
Those prices, from Mercedes' U.S. reference guide, exclude a $1,550 destination charge. The S 500 is rated at 23 mpg combined and the V8 at 19 mpg. Mercedes hasn't published the plug-in hybrid's electric range yet.
An unusual pick for a "value" contest
Value is one of MotorTrend's six criteria, which makes a six-figure sedan a less obvious winner than last year's Golf. Loh's argument, in comments reported by WHEC, is that the technology in a flagship like this tends to filter down to cheaper cars over time.
The award also lands at the end of Mercedes' 140th-anniversary year, which the company has marked by driving three new S-Class sedans to 140 locations worldwide, including the tour's final European leg.
It comes days after a less flattering S-Class headline: Mercedes widened a brake hose recall to more than 30,000 earlier S-Class cars. Mercedes says the updated sedan now arriving at dealers isn't affected. Next up is a more powerful AMG version, which Kelley Blue Book reports is expected next year.
