S-Class (W223) [Spy Shots] Mercedes-Benz S-Class (W223) Spy Shots and Info

[okanevcev]

As innovative as the sketches look, they are sketches for the W222 & C217, not the W223. I doubt MB would liberally reveal next gen sketches at this point.

Agreed, but there may be some design elements that will be carried over to the next gen e.g. a more holistic cabin.

 

[mercpassion]

It is very unlikely that these prototypes are the real deal, I would believe it to be a highly decorised early test mule..

 

[SKY]

The shoulder line, door handles and rear lights are different enough from the W222 ones to believe this to be a prototype rather than a mule IMO.

 

[Busty]

@SKY is right and mentions crucial details. Mules (mostly) use existing parts that are rebuilt/modified in a very simple manner (broader wheelarches, variations in wheelbase, elevated hood, etc.).

 

[SKY]

I was wondering if Autobild will get a glimpse at the looks of the car as early as they did with the W222. They published a render in late 2010 that looked 95% like the car we ended up getting.

 

[DjordjeC63]

This? It wasnt Autobilds render.

 

[sako97]

This? It wasnt Autobilds render.

That was a much later 2012 render, when we all knew how it would look like. Here are the early renders from 2009. The third one was nearly on the money.

 

[sako97]

And then there were some garbage attempts by others. Sometimes I wonder why we bother posting terrible renders in spy threads...

 

[mercpassion]

All those good times lol...

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

This? It wasnt Autobilds render.

Damn that was close. They had definitely seen an official photo to render that.

 

[Yaz]

It was only close because the car was already about to debut.

 

[sako97]

It was only close because the car was already about to debut.

Yeah, like I alluded to, that render came out when it barely had camo. And it was after the two major photo shoot leaks.

 

[Carmaker1]

As history proves, this is a mule that will share nothing on the exterior with finished product. I still remember seeing the first shot of the W221 prototype in 2003. Incidentally a year after Autospies infamous leak of the finished W221 product way back in 2002 at a clinic. It still amazes me that happened.

2002:

I think the first prototypes were caught in May 2003 for the W221 programme. That leak was published in December 2002, just several weeks after the W220 facelift went on sale. Design of the W221 began at MB Tokyo Studios in 2000, yet some indirect claims have been the final design was approved in 2001.

I have always leaned towards 2002 and final freeze that same year. The mule shots were published circa April 8, 2002, but one thing that is forgotten, is how the C219 CLS and W221 were mixed up quite often.

Was that really just a mule is one thing I ask myself?

Truth is these mules are more in line with the first real W222 mules we saw after the initial W221-like mules.

Yes, I think prototypes at this stage can still be called mules. Particularly "advanced mules" built to design specification.

Horizontal tail lights that cross the bootlid will be a MASSIVE design change for the S-Class. Last time it had horizontal tail lights was the late 80s.

Hey! The W126 was still a thing in the early 90s! I take pride that back in January 1991 (birth month), that the W126 was still the pinnacle of MB 4-door motoring. Even if the W140 had been leaked so much the previous year.

I was wondering if Autobild will get a glimpse at the looks of the car as early as they did with the W222. They published a render in late 2010 that looked 95% like the car we ended up getting.

Thank you, as that was the rendering I went with until the leak of scale colour models in 2011 (hidden in plain sight since late 2010!) and Wild Speed's rendering. Someone showed them a scale model minus the details and then they filled in the blanks back in Nov 2010.

This? It wasnt Autobilds render.

No it wasn't, that was shown exactly 18 months later in May 2012, about 3 months after FEP cars started wearing production lighting.

That was a much later 2012 render, when we all knew how it would look like. Here are the early renders from 2009. The third one was nearly on the money.

Well, somewhat. This was the only rendering that made sure it was up-to-date and close as posssible. The rest didn't really improve.

Damn that was close. They had definitely seen an official photo to render that.

That Wildspeed had access to something, as they got it very close.

It was only close because the car was already about to debut.

The car was leaked on March 18, 2013 and debut came about 2 months later 5/15. This rendering was from May 2012, when it was still wrapped up more.

Yeah, like I alluded to, that render came out when it barely had camo. And it was after the two major photo shoot leaks.

Which photoshoots? I remember when Wildspeed released these renderings back in May 2012 and it was seen as the holygrail of renderings by me, after Autobild's November 2010 attempt in the preceding weeks leading up to the first December 2010 spy shots. The rest of the 2011-12 W222 renderings I just flatout dismissed as lazy and obtuse (missing the obvious from updated spy shots).

Wildspeed is a terribly mysterious fellow, that has had to possess internal insight, to allow for such accuracy. Not only with this car, but also with Ford's S550 Mustang when the car barely began testing publicly in early June 2013.

Ford had barely built the first S550 protoypes in May 2013, yet he had it very close once again while it was wearing the craziest disguise to obscure the design.

Anyway, this has been the timetable for S-Class spy shots. The W116 was first caught in 1970, some months after its December 1969 sign-off. The W126 in 1977, following Q3 1976 design freeze. W140 in September 1987, with some changes appearing by Fall 1988, representative of design freeze in 1987 (styling defined December 9, 1986). Mid 1993 for the facelift. W220 surfaced in February 1996 and W221 in May 2003.

 

[sako97]

@Carmaker1 ; Remember this? Both ahead of reveal.

Mid-May 2012

Two months prior to reveal.

 

[Monster]

@Carmaker1 ; Remember this? Both ahead of reveal.

Mid-May 2012

Two months prior to reveal.

Even to this day the W222 still looks so fresh.

 

[sako97]

Regarding the W221: Indeed - Technical evelopment began in Q1 1999, design work began in Q1 2000 at the Advanced Design Center in Tokyo, and the final design was team lead by Wagener at the Sindelfingen Advanced Design Center.

Final design was approved Q4 2001, frozen for production in Q1 2002 and patented in Japan on May 21, 2003 under 1208488 and in Germany on December 4, 2003.

| marsMediaSite

Here's the PDF article Autospies published Dec. 2002 fully describing the W221:
http://www.autospies.com/images/uploads/medium/SPECIAL REPORT v2.pdf



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Huge throwback 2004 Autoweek article discussing the details of the W221. It's since been deleted off the web, but I archived a copy:
Title: In the works: 06 Mercedes W221 S-Class
June 16th, 2004
By GREG KABLE

This computer-generated rendering, based on the latest scoop photographs, provides an accurate indication of the swoopy appearance we can expect in the next-generation S-Class. (Photos by G. Lehmann / Hidden Image)

Mercedes-Benz is taking no chances with its all-new 2006 S-Class. Along with the evolutionary appearance revealed here, Stuttgart's future luxury flagship receives a new range of engines as well as an improved interior and a host of high-tech features, all aimed at fending off challenges posed by the BMW 7 Series, Audi A8, Volkswagen Phaeton, Cadillac STS and Jaguar XJ.

Codenamed W221, the big sedan arrives in North American showrooms in early 2006 following its world debut at next year's Frankfurt motor show. That's still quite a ways off, but in a clear display of Mercedes-Benz's intent to see the S-Class remain atop the luxury car ranks, prototypes have being plying the roads around Stuttgart for 18 months in what has been described to AutoWeek as one of the German carmaker's most intensive development programs ever.

Going against the prevailing trend at the top end of the luxury car ranks, Mercedes has eschewed aluminum space-frame construction in favor of a more conventional steel monocoque, mainly in the interests of strength and refinement. The new S-Class body, however, will be fashioned out of a mixture of steel and aluminum in a bid to meet weight-reduction targets of 10 percent across the range compared with today's model, which tips the scales at 3800 pounds in base S350 guise.

Like the larger Maybach, the initial styling proposals for the new S-Class were created at Mercedes' Tokyo design studio as long ago as 2000. Credit for production styling, however, goes to the company's Sindelfingen design studio near Stuttgart.

A bold new front end gives the new car greater visual presence, incorporating large, single-piece headlamps similar to those found on the current model. The bi-xenon units will incorporate Active Light Control technology, allowing the main beams to swivel in tandem with the front wheels for increased illumination.

The biggest styling departure is toward the rear, where the familiar look of today's model is replaced by a more dynamic appearance heavily influenced by the soon-to-be-launched CLS, Mercedes' new four-door. The integration of the trunk is similar to the controversial 7 Series, with its freestanding trunk lid.

Mercedes designers also have been challenged by requirements to engineer portions of the body to extend out in case of a crash, as part of the continuing evolution of Mercedes' Pre-safe system. It is yet to be officially confirmed, though AutoWeek understands the hood of the next S-Class will be mounted on hydraulic strutsand will automatically lift up in a frontal impact. The arrangement is needed to meet European pedestrian safety laws in effect in 2005.

Dimensionally, the new S-Class remains close to today's model, with a lengthened wheelbase and widened tracks to make the car far roomier than either the 7 Series or A8, and "make the STS and XJ appear like mid-range vehicles," a Mercedes official says. Once again, there will be two distinct versions: a standard-wheelbase model and a more luxuriously equipped long-wheelbase flagship. The new car will also form the basis of a sleek replacement for the 2+2 CL coupe, codenamed C216 and likewise due in 2006.

Following criticism about the quality of today's S-Class interior, Mercedes-Benz is putting a lot of effort into ensuring its new model meets the expectations of buyers. "There's a big push on to lift the look and feel of our interiors," said a Mercedes-Benz official. "We're experimenting with a range of different materials that will put us back on top."

Power will come from a new line-up of modular V6 and V8 gasoline engines. Among the more significant developments is a switch from three-valve to four-valve cylinder heads and the adoption of Mercedes' Twin Pulse direct-injection technology as seen on the carmaker's four-cylinder powerplants. Allowing finer metering of the fuel supply than today's conventional sequential-injection engines, it contributes to a more efficient combustion process, with moderate power increases, lower fuel consumption and reduced emissions. Secrecy surrounds the exact makeup of the new S-Class engine lineup, though AutoWeek sources say there will be a base 3.5-liter 272-hp V6, a 4.7-liter 325-hp V8 and a 5.5-liter 410-hp V8. Topping the lineup will be a 5.5-liter 500-hp twin-turbo-charged V12.

Also planned is a powerful successor to the popular S55 AMG. It is earmarked to run a new 500-hp normally aspirated 6.3-liter V8 now under development at AMG's Affalterbach headquarters outside Stuttgart. Above it will be the replacement for the S65 AMG, using an updated version of today's 6.0-liter 612-hp twin-turbo-charged V12. The new engines will drive through Mercedes' 7G-tronic seven-speed automatic transmission, with AMG versions set to receive steering wheel-mounted shift buttons.

The suspension is an evolution of today's AirMatic system, with upper-end models set to receive a refined version of Mercedes' roll-reducing Active Body Control system. Mercedes' Sensotronic Brake Control is being reworked to incorporate fully hydraulic operation and a series of other features, including a traffic-jam program that allows the S-Class to creep forward of its own volition using the parking sensors to judge the distance to the car in front. The radar-based Distronic cruise control system will be updated to include a lane departure warning system. Mercedes is also testing a new system that uses small cameras within the front and rear bumpers to project images onto the COMAND system monitor to help the driver maneuver in tight spaces.

Simplified dashboard controls and more intuitive operation are among the aims of the new car's interior, which receives a central controller and steering column-mounted automatic gearbox shifter. A new DVD-based COMAND system is being developed and Mercedes-Benz is also considering offering the so-called Floating Car Data Module, enabling it to receive information from fellow road users on such things as road conditions, weather and traffic flow.

Also planned is night vision that uses an infrared camera to alert the driver of obstacles in the darkness, a wireless communication and data interface, electrically height-adjustable door armrests and the electrochromatic glass roof from the Maybach.


---

I'm getting all nostalgic of the old days of closely following the W221 development.

 

[Carmaker1]

@Carmaker1 ; Remember this? Both ahead of reveal.

Mid-May 2012

Two months prior to reveal.

Yes, these ones. I always had the sneaking feel since these were posted in the W222 spy thread, that Wild Speed relied heavily on these exact May 2012 spy shots. What I had been trying to establish, was that the latter two photographs were distinct from May 2012 set. Coupling the May 2012 set of shots with the other existing black vinyl covered shots, would allow someone a good idea of what it looked like, plus that of colour models dated October 19, 2010, but barely leaked in May 2011 here on GCF. Not to mention, the first tease of the W222 in April 2009, with Wagener overseeing the design process.

The very weird thing about this is, no single entity has bothered taking a guess at the next S-Class yet, which is shocking. Even by 1995, renderings of the W220 were in progress and shown in German magazines. Yet, as of now, prototypes are actually running about and no one has seen anything from Autobild, Auto Motor und Sport, and etc. What is going on then? As even by July 2009, about 17 months before the first actual car running around, they tried to take a guess.

 

[Carmaker1]

Regarding the W221: Indeed - Technical evelopment began in Q1 1999, design work began in Q1 2000 at the Advanced Design Center in Tokyo, and the final design was team lead by Wagener at the Sindelfingen Advanced Design Center.

Final design was approved Q4 2001, frozen for production in Q1 2002 and patented in Japan on May 21, 2003 under 1208488 and in Germany on December 4, 2003.

| marsMediaSite

Here's the PDF article Autospies published Dec. 2002 fully describing the W221:
http://www.autospies.com/images/uploads/medium/SPECIAL REPORT v2.pdf



-----

Huge throwback 2004 Autoweek article discussing the details of the W221. It's since been deleted off the web, but I archived a copy:
Title: In the works: 06 Mercedes W221 S-Class
June 16th, 2004
By GREG KABLE

This computer-generated rendering, based on the latest scoop photographs, provides an accurate indication of the swoopy appearance we can expect in the next-generation S-Class. (Photos by G. Lehmann / Hidden Image)

Mercedes-Benz is taking no chances with its all-new 2006 S-Class. Along with the evoluti...

I didn't know development began that quickly after October 1998 to April 1999 global launch of the W221. My research years ago lead to the conclusion, that sometime in 2001 that design was approved, but a definite date of design freeze was all over the place. Having studied that mock-up from 2002 and the patent photos from early-mid 2003, the bonnet/hood design changed between then and production.

 

[mercpassion]

Yes, these ones. I always had the sneaking feel since these were posted in the W222 spy thread, that Wild Speed relied heavily on these exact May 2012 spy shots. What I had been trying to establish, was that the latter two photographs were distinct from May 2012 set. Coupling the May 2012 set of shots with the other existing black vinyl covered shots, would allow someone a good idea of what it looked like, plus that of colour models dated October 19, 2010, but barely leaked in May 2011 here on GCF. Not to mention, the first tease of the W222 in April 2009, with Wagener overseeing the design process.

The very weird thing about this is, no single entity has bothered taking a guess at the next S-Class yet, which is shocking. Even by 1995, renderings of the W220 were in progress and shown in German magazines. Yet, as of now, prototypes are actually running about and no one has seen anything from Autobild, Auto Motor und Sport, and etc. What is going on then? As even by July 2009, about 17 months before the first actual car running around, they tried to take a guess.

As always, very detailed and useful findings, would you care to elaborate on the April 2009 tease of the W222? that's new to me..

 

[SKY]

@Carmaker1 this is the render we were taling about:

Deep Dive: Mercedes-Benz S-Class and 2014 Audi A8

Originilly it had the CLS graphics for the front lights and LED fog lamps.