The Mercedes-Benz S-Class is MotorTrend’s 2027 Car of the Year. The big sedan beat 21 other contenders for the magazine’s Golden Calipers trophy. Mercedes-Benz USA announced the S-Class Car of the Year win from Atlanta on October 20, 2026.
A day later, MotorTrend head of editorial Ed Loh revealed the result on a nationwide satellite media tour. His pitch was short. “V8s are back!” he said of the car’s new twin-turbo engine.
For Mercedes, the win lands on a flagship that has carried a lot of firsts. It also arrives with a car that is more new than it looks. Kelley Blue Book reported earlier this year that more than half of its parts and features are new.
How the S-Class Car of the Year was picked
MotorTrend’s judges scored 22 cars from a wide range of segments, according to the Mercedes-Benz USA release. They rated each one on six criteria. Those are advancement in design, engineering excellence, performance of intended function, value, safety and efficiency.
The process is hands-on. In the media-tour release, Loh explains that every all-new or significantly updated contender goes to a proving ground for testing. Then a small group of finalists gets a couple of days on city and highway roads. Finally, the judges sit in a room and vote.
“The S-Class has always represented what a luxury car can be,” Loh said in the Mercedes release. Adam Chamberlain, president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA, also weighed in. “Since its introduction, the S-Class has embodied our brand’s pioneering spirit and unwavering commitment to innovation,” he said.
What changed for 2027
This is a heavy update to the seventh-generation car, which Mercedes last redesigned in 2020. Kelley Blue Book’s January report lays out the visual changes. The grille is about 20 percent larger, gains a fourth chrome bar and lights up for the first time.
The lighting goes further than that. Micro-LED headlights carry twin-star shapes, and each taillight holds three LED stars. Buyers can also order an illuminated three-pointed star for the hood. Meanwhile, 19-inch wheels are standard, with 20-inch wheels available.
Inside, a single pane of glass called the Superscreen now spans the dash as standard. It combines a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a 14.4-inch center touchscreen and a 12.3-inch passenger screen. According to KBB, the passenger display is designed so the driver can’t see it.
The engines, and why one number is missing
KBB lists three powertrains. The S 500 4Matic uses a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six. Above it, the S 580 4Matic gets the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 that Loh celebrated. There is also an S 580 e plug-in hybrid that pairs an inline-six with an electric motor and a 22-kWh battery.
However, the V8’s output depends on who you ask. The MotorTrend media-tour release and Kelley Blue Book give different horsepower figures for the S 580. Since we haven’t seen Mercedes-Benz USA’s own U.S. rating, we’re leaving that number out until the brand publishes it.
The chassis story is clearer. KBB says 4Matic all-wheel drive, air springs with adaptive damping and rear-axle steering are all standard. The rear wheels turn up to 4.5 degrees, or up to 10 degrees with an optional system. In addition, the S 500 and S 580 use a 48-volt mild-hybrid system.
A suspension that remembers the road
MotorTrend singled out the optional active suspension. As Loh describes it, the system looks ahead, remembers roads and their bumps, and can lift a wheel over them. In other words, the car prepares for a pothole it has met before instead of reacting to it.
The car also runs a new Mercedes-Benz operating system with an AI assistant. According to the media-tour release, it handles navigation and climate control. It can also look things up on the web.
Why the S-Class matters beyond its own buyers
Loh tied the win to the car’s history. In the media-tour release, he notes that the S-Class was the flagship where anti-lock brakes and radar adaptive cruise control debuted. He adds that ABS and other safety technology from the S-Class are now federally mandated on U.S. vehicles.
That’s the case for paying attention to a big luxury sedan most readers won’t buy. As Loh put it, “You get to see what’s coming, perhaps to your own driveway.” The 2027 S-Class Car of the Year itself is German-built: KBB reports that Mercedes makes it in Sindelfingen, Germany.
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