W222 Series II S-Class

In December 2017 Mercedes-Benz updated its W222 S-Class luxury sedan range, with a new suite of engines, mildly refreshed styling and a streamlining of its line-up.

Variant range was reduced by around a third, while the OM656 3.0-litre turbo-diesel inline six-cylinder engine made its Australian debut under the bonnet of both the S350d and S400d L, increasing oil-burning choice from one variant to two.

The two different V8 engines in the outgoing S500 and S63 AMG were replaced by a single 4.0-litre twin-turbo bent eight found under the bonnet of a number of AMG-fettled models, while the S500 nomenclature was upgraded to S560.

The V12-powered S65 AMG variant was dropped leaving the Mercedes-Maybach S650 as the only 12-cylinder option in the range.

Extra active safety features including active lance change assist and traffic sign assist were added, as were a number of subtle styling changes to the front and rear.

The range was bolstered in mid-2018 with the addition of the S560e hybrid, teaming an electric motor with 50km of range to a twin-turbo V6 from the S450L.