Is the Mercedes-Benz S580e a Good Luxury Sedan?
- Smooth, elegant, comfortable, luxurious and featuring great all-electric range, the Mercedes-Benz S580e plug-in hybrid is still a benchmark — but it’s a harder sell than it once was thanks to its overly fussy screens, touch-sensitive controls and tricky electronics.
How Does the Mercedes-Benz S580e Compare With Other Luxury Sedans?
- Technology has trumped actual luxury in every luxury brand’s flagship sedan, so the S580e isn’t any harder to use than a BMW 7 Series, Audi A8 or Lexus LS — and it beats them all when it comes to cachet.
The Mercedes-Benz S-Class has been an icon of luxury for decades, and its cachet, presence and reputation for solidity, quality, exclusivity and a bunch of other -itys keep it squarely atop the luxury flagship sedan class. It’s the luxury flagship every other automaker aims for but few have been able to catch. Increasingly, though, Mercedes-Benz has been making choices with its luxury vehicles that many folks find questionable — notably, the choice to promote technology as luxury. The company has loaded its SUVs and cars — especially the S-Class — with tons of multimedia offerings, controls, functions, screens and features that are difficult to learn, confusing to use and distracting in the extreme. The 2025 S-Class, which we drove in S580e plug-in hybrid form, is the latest example of this push. It begs the question: Has favoring tech over traditional luxury cues ruined the premier flagship luxury sedan or augmented it? And, on a separate note, how does the S580e work as a plug-in hybrid?
Related: 2023 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Plug-In Debuts Latest Hybrid System, Starts at $123K
How Much Does a 2025 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Cost?
Six versions of the Germany-built S-Class sedan are offered for the 2025 model year in the United States, including a choice of powertrains, a sporty AMG version and super-luxe Maybach trims. Unlike BMW, however, which offers a fully electric powertrain in its 7 Series, called the i7, if you want a full-on electric-only powertrain in a Mercedes-Benz luxury sedan, you have to switch to a totally different model, the EQS. All the following prices for the S-Class lineup include a surprisingly reasonable $1,150 destination fee.
- S500 4Matic: $118,900
- S580e 4Matic PHEV: $129,350
- S580 4Matic: $129,750
- AMG S63 E Performance: $187,350
- Maybach S580 4Matic: $204,650
- Maybach S680 4Matic: $241,650
The biggest difference between the models, which all come standard with all-wheel drive, is what powers them. The base engine in the S500 is a turbocharged inline-six-cylinder gasoline engine making 442 horsepower and 413 pounds-feet of torque. The S580e is a plug-in hybrid that also uses a turbocharged inline-six engine, as well as an electric motor and a large 22.7-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack. The setup offers up to 48 miles of all-electric range before the gas engine kicks in, producing a total of 503 hp and 553 pounds-feet of torque. The regular S580 swaps the hybrid stuff for a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 making 496 hp and 516 pounds-feet of torque, while the potent AMG S63 E Performance adds a big electric motor out back to help boost output to a stunning 791 hp and 1,055 pounds-feet of torque. If coddling is a bigger priority than blistering speed, the Maybach models come with an extended wheelbase. The Maybach S580 uses the same V-8 as the lesser S580, and the granddaddy luxury flagship Maybach S680 has a twin-turbo 6.0-liter V-12 making a buttery-smooth 621 hp and 664 pounds-feet of torque. Choose your preference — all it takes is money.
Plug It In, Plug It In
The plug-in hybrid powertrain in my S580e test vehicle means it can be used in a number of ways: as a pure-electric vehicle with a range of up to 48 miles, as a gas-electric hybrid that will decide for itself how to blend its power sources, or as a gas-powered vehicle with electric assist, which happens mostly in its Sport modes but also when the battery runs dry.
Upon startup, the S580e sticks to electric-only mode unless you switch out of it. It drives beautifully as an EV, with decent acceleration (so long as you don’t ask for full power) and smooth, silent operation. Its regenerative braking can be adjusted, too.
Operating the S580e is a mixed bag. As long as it stays in electric mode, it’s lovely. It’s still good when in its gas mode, though the nine-speed automatic transmission feels easily confused, often hunting for gears and being slow to kick down when big acceleration is called for, such as entering a highway or attempting a passing maneuver. But it’s during transitions between gas and electric power that the S580e really falters, delaying activation of the gas engine for so long it creates situations where you need big acceleration but find yourself waiting on the gas engine to help provide it. There’s no shortage of power in the S580e, just a curious method of delivering it. It’s annoying to the point that the car’s less powerful but smoother all-electric mode is preferable.
The rest of the S580e driving experience is pure Mercedes-Benz S-Class opulence. The ride is beautifully controlled thanks to a standard air suspension and adaptive dampers, soaking up bumps and frost heaves as if they weren’t even there. The steering is as video-game numb as expected in a luxo-barge like this, but it’s accurate and direct, and my test vehicle’s optional rear-wheel steering made for super-easy parking-lot maneuvers thanks to a tightened turning circle. It feels like a smaller car when you’re driving it thanks to that boost in maneuverability; it’ll make you wish all big cars and SUVs came with rear-axle steering. Visibility out is decent — better than you’ll find in the all-electric EQS, which features cab-forward styling and a super-high dashboard. The brakes, however, have a non-linear feel that varies depending on which drive mode the car is in and how much brake regen you’ve requested.
The S580e feels luxurious, beautifully isolated and sophisticated in its body control and operation. It delivered on its 48 miles of estimated electric range, which we achieved at highway speeds with the air conditioning running full tilt due to the muggy summer heat. That means that around town, in regular stop-and-go city traffic, the S580e’s electric range is probably quite underrated; we bet it could go much farther on electrons if driven carefully. It feels expensive from behind the wheel, delivering an experience worthy of its flagship status.
Too Much Tech, Not Enough Luxury
The problem with the S580e is the way it confuses technology for luxury, which is something we’ve experienced in many German luxury vehicles of late and is a trend that doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon. Almost all controls are located in the vehicle’s touchscreen multimedia system, including the climate controls and vehicle settings. It’s difficult to assess and use at a glance, though the more you live with it, the more you’ll learn where everything is. Still, the typical S-Class buyer might not be able to use half of this stuff due to how confusing it is and will probably not see the value in the other half of it.
A perfect example of this is the optional 3D gauge cluster that my test vehicle featured. At the push of an icon on the multimedia screen, some magic happens, and the gauge screen in front of you takes on a funky 3D effect. It’s a little bit cool and a lot unnerving and distracting; I ended up using the normal 2D mode most of the time to avoid getting a headache. Would I call this a luxurious feature, or merely technology meant to boost this car’s visual wow factor? The same thing must be asked of the multicolored ambient lighting throughout the S-Class’ interior, which can be set anywhere between a subtle glow and a full-on Las Vegas party bus. And how about its still-awful touch-sensitive steering wheel controls? It all feels like development money that could’ve been better spent on some nicer buttons, controls and materials throughout the cabin.
Mercedes-Benz would remind you that most of this car’s controls and systems are also voice-activated, from your choice of entertainment to the temperature of the cabin, but I’ve yet to meet anyone who actually wants to talk to their car. And sometimes people can’t talk to their cars, like when passengers in the vehicle are having conversations. And heaven forbid you actually say the word “Mercedes” in that conversation, because it will trigger the voice-command function. There are several staffers at Cars.com who immediately switch off the voice-command system in every new Mercedes-Benz test vehicle upon receipt because of how intrusive and interruptive it is.
The materials quality in the S580e is acceptable but no longer truly impressive. Many panels feel hollow and thin, just like in the EQS, and the S-Class no longer has that bank-vault solidity that prior generations enjoyed. The shapes are modern and pleasing, however, with a sculpted dash and an interesting layout for things like headlight controls, which are found on the driver’s door. I don’t mind the stalk-mounted shifter at all, as it frees up cupholder and storage space in the center console. The wood in there is real wood, the metal is metal, and that’s definitely real leather you’re sitting on. One of the reasons the S-Class in general is more expensive than its competitors is the variety of interior materials you have to choose from, with many color palettes, trim choices and other personalization options to make the vehicle yours.
The backseat of the S580e is just as nice a place to be as the front, with plenty of space to stretch out, copious headroom (despite the panoramic moonroof), and all the luxury touches one would expect this side of a Maybach-style limousine. Good luck finding the cupholders in the backseat, though; we had to consult online resources after our on-site search couldn’t turn them up. Turns out they’re in the fold-down center console, but they’re very difficult to engage; they seem like an afterthought. A car like this is often used to shuttle VIPs and captains of industry, so it’s odd that Mercedes made such a simple feature so difficult to use.
There’s a decent amount of trunk space in the S580e, as well, but not as much as you get in non-PHEV versions of the S-Class. That big 22.7-kWh battery pack had to go somewhere, and it appears that under the backseat and into the trunk is where it went. Even so, the trunk still has more than enough space for luggage or cargo.
Is It Worth It?
The latest version of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, in PHEV form, is still one of the top flagship luxury sedans you can buy today. My test vehicle rang in at $144,260, including options like the 3D gauge package, a Night Package with black-out trim, 20-inch wheels, rear-axle steering and more. The S580e is still opulent, still as silent and coddling as a proper luxury car should be, and still striking to behold and use. But Mercedes’ push to put more and more technology of questionable utility into the S-Class — where it’s foisted upon buyers who are not historically the most tech savvy — seems it will either have to peak soon, or a demographic shift will need to bring new buyers with different ideas about what constitutes proper luxury. The question as to whether Mercedes-Benz is prescient or going too far, too fast, will be answered by the sales numbers.
If you can handle the tech and are OK with spending a considerable amount of time learning how to use your new Mercedes-Benz S-Class, the S580e is a formidable choice. It’s still one of the most comfortable vehicles on the planet, and it will command a choice spot at the valet stand regardless of where you are.
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