2010 Mercedes-Benz S-Class

The Mercedes-Benz S-Class has undergone some minor but highly anticipated design changes for 2010. For starters, the body-colored light strips that ran through the tail lamps have been replaced with LED lighting. Daytime LED running lights are now fitted into edges of the exterior front lamps, and the rear lights now have 52 distinctively arranged LEDs in the two taillights. LED lights last longer than HID headlamps and can project up to 1,000 feet without blinding oncoming traffic. There is also standard interior ambient LED lighting for 2010, with a choice of amber, neutral white and polar ice-blue color.

On the outside, the grille is more pronounced and arrow-shaped, accented by and a new front contoured bumper and a chrome strip below the intakes. Exhaust tailpipes on all S-Class trims are now integrated into the rear bumper. Inside, the steering wheel has improved aesthetics and feel, while the rims and airbag modules throughout the dash are lined with soft premium leather as standard. The LCD center-console display can now act as a split screen, allowing, for example, the driver to view a GPS map while the passenger watches a video.

Also new for 2010 is the introduction of the S400 Blue Hybrid. Using a compact and innovative 140-volt lithium battery, the S400 gets an estimated 19 miles per gallon in the city and 26 on the highway.