S-class to 'redefine cabins'

Mercedes-Benz says the next-generation S-class’s interior will set “new standards” of both design and quality when it goes on sale in 2013.

The new luxury saloon will carry over no cabin architecture from existing models. But hints of its design can be seen in the F800 Style concept revealed at the Geneva motor show in March.

Like the F800, the new S-class will have a much cleaner cabin with far fewer hard switches than it does currently. Expect it to be freer of artificial-looking materials, with greater use of contoured, marine-style wood and aluminium.

“This car [the F800] will have a really big influence on our production cars,” says Jürgen Hirsch, Mercedes’ concept manager. Key to the reduction in switchgear is a new control interface, which uses an iPhone-style touch-screen.

A raft of new technology will make its debut on the new S-class. Essential to much of it is the introduction of a pair of forward-facing video cameras in the rear-view mirror console.

Complementing the existing forward radar, the stereo cameras’ reading of the road will allow the introduction of Magic Ride Control, a damping system that Mercedes expects will reduce body movements by 50 per cent. They’ll also be used to identify vulnerable pedestrians and allow the introduction of a low-speed cruise control that also has the ability to take over the steering in certain situations.