The Mercedes-Benz W222 S-Class, sold from 2013 to 2020, is the car that taught a luxury sedan to see the road. Its Magic Body Control used a stereo camera to scan the pavement ahead and adjust the suspension before the wheels reached a bump. It was also one of the first cars to use no conventional light bulbs, and it relaunched the Maybach name as the ultra-luxury Mercedes-Maybach S-Class.

W222 at a glance
Production 2013–2020
Body styles Sedan (standard and long wheelbase), Maybach, Pullman; coupé and cabriolet (C217/A217)
U.S. models S 450, S 550/S 560, S 550e/S 560e plug-in hybrid, S 63 and S 65 AMG, Maybach S 560 and S 650
Firsts Magic Body Control, all-LED lighting, rear Beltbag

Magic Body Control

Air suspension already made the S-Class comfortable; the W222 made it predictive. Magic Body Control combined Active Body Control hydraulics with Road Surface Scan, a stereo camera behind the windshield that read bumps and dips ahead. The system then prepared each wheel’s suspension in advance, so the body stayed level over imperfections that would normally jostle passengers. A later “Curve” function even leaned the car slightly into corners, like a motorcyclist, to reduce side forces on occupants.

A car without light bulbs

The W222 used LEDs for everything — headlights, taillights, indicators and interior lighting — with hundreds of individual LEDs in total. LEDs last longer, use less energy and allow precise lighting designs, and the S-Class helped make them the norm.

A cabin designed for the rear seat

The W222’s Executive Rear Seat package offered a reclining backrest, calf rest, hot-stone massage and a fold-out table. Outer rear passengers could get a Beltbag, an inflatable seat belt that spreads crash forces over a larger area of the chest. The Energizing comfort control, added in 2017, coordinated seat massage, climate, fragrance and lighting into programs such as “Vitality” or “Warmth”.

Maybach returns

In 2015 Mercedes brought back Maybach — not as a separate brand but as the top version of the S-Class. The Mercedes-Maybach S-Class added about eight inches to the wheelbase, all of it for the rear passengers, along with extra sound insulation and reclining rear seats. An even longer Pullman version with facing rear seats followed. Read more in our guide to the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class.

Coupé and cabriolet

The W222 family also included the S-Class Coupé and the S-Class Cabriolet — the first four-seat S-Class convertible in decades.

2017 update

The 2017 facelift introduced new engines — including a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 in the S 560 and a new inline-six with a 48-volt electrical system — plus more advanced Intelligent Drive assistance that could adjust speed for curves and junctions using map data.

Before and after

The W222 followed the W221 and was replaced in 2020 by today’s W223. For the full story, see our S-Class history.