2018 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Facelift Thinks Camouflage Is for Peasants

With the way automakers go about their business these days, Mercedes is probably already working hard on its successor, even though it’ll probably be one more year until we get to see the facelift, so at least four or five until the next all-new S-Class will face the public. But planning ahead is key if you want to remain ahead of Audi and outdo BMW.

After showing up wearing different types of camo over different parts of its body, the S-Class facelift now makes a reappearance without any sort of concealment hiding its discreet changes. And they are, indeed, discreet.

But the fact that a new set of headlights and a modified radiator grille design are enough to make the S-Class look like it was only just sketched yesterday is only testament to the excellent work its designers did in the first place. The S-Class doesn’t look one week dated, even though it was in fact introduced almost three years ago.

This new video shows several test cars having a casual stroll down some German roads, but all of them have one thing in common: they’re not wearing any sort of camouflage. We’d like to talk to you about the changes that are made obvious by this footage, but we’d be relying too much on our imagination. The S-Class looks largely untouched.

It’s the same story with the interior. The disappearance of a few buttons that stood in the way of the two large displays becoming one is the most noticeable change, but expect to find more subtle ones once the car is officially unveiled.

Speaking of which, there’s no date set in stone for that either. The cars seem to be ready to hit the dealerships tomorrow, if needed, but Mercedes-Benz would be wise to wait a little bit longer. That’s why we’re putting our money on a 2017 launch as a 2018 model year. We could be wrong, though. Believe it or not, it has happened before...