2027 Mercedes-Benz S-Class First Drive: Big Tech, Bigger Power, Same Flagship Mission

A new AI-powered OS and evolved V-8 make Mercedes’ flagship sedan smarter than ever.

The Mercedes-Benz S-Class has been the three-pointed star’s flagship sedan since 1972, the car that has come to epitomize the company’s engineering expertise. It has routinely debuted cutting-edge technologies such as airbags and antilock brakes and stability control that would eventually trickle down to lesser automobiles. So it comes as a bit of a shock to learn that one of the headline technologies of the 2027 S-Class lineup debuted on an entry-level Mercedes first. MB:OS, the in-house-developed operating system at the heart of the refreshed car’s impressive electronic capabilities, made its debut on the CLA sedan, the third-cheapest Mercedes currently on sale in the U.S.

That reflects a new reality of modern automaking: Software is tricky stuff, and bugs will almost invariably lurk among the millions of lines of code that define a software architecture as complex as MB:OS. Best, then, to run the real-world stress tests, to flush out the bugs, in a car that doesn’t carry the weight of expectations of an S-Class. That said, the S-Class hasn’t entirely abandoned its role as the three-pointed star’s technology spearhead. The revised S580 4Matic debuts a new V-8 engine that will eventually see duty in a range of upcoming models. Software might be tricky. But when it comes to hardware, Mercedes-Benz knows its stuff.