2021 All-new W223 Mercedes-Benz S-Class: Previewing infotainment of all future Mercs

Mercedes-Benz recently unveiled the brand-new W223-generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class, featuring an overhauled exterior design, oodles of new technologies, and a revamped interior.

As part of the launch of the new model, the Stuttgart-based company also introduced an enhanced version of the Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX) infotainment.

For starters, the updated MBUX now features a massive 12.8-inch touchscreen, featuring stacked OLED layers to create a 3D effect.

The familiar “Hey Mercedes” voice command system makes a return here, but with a twist. Unlike earlier-iterations of MBUX, the one found in the new W223 S-Class is able to respond to voice commands from every seat of the car. Previously, MBUX is only able to respond to commands from the driver seat.

If that isn’t enough, as part of the MBUX Interior Assist, the W223 S-Class also features two laser cameras in the overhead control unit that recognizes what the driver is trying to do. For example, if the driver turns to look at the rear window, MBUX Interior Assist will automatically lower the rear sunblind.

The all-new W223 S-Class also features a large heads-up display with augmented reality (AR) feature that projects animated turn-off arrows onto the road ahead.

Being a chauffeur-driven car, rear comfort is top priority and Mercedes-Benz has fitted two 11.6-inch touchscreens at the rear of the front seats. Mercedes-Benz also offers an optional MBUX rear tablet that runs on the Android operating system (OS), enabling all features of the rear-seat entertainment to be controlled from any seat.

But that’s not all, as the new MBUX can also hook up to your smart home via the MBUX Smart Home Function. Not only can you preset your home temperature whilst driving, you can also check if everything is okay at home. Of course, this is only possible if your home has all the necessary sensors and hardware in the first place.

All of these are made possible as Mercedes-Benz has a partnership with Nvidia, which provided the “brains” required for this feat. In addition to being 50% more powerful than before, the new system also features a dedicated video processor with 691 gigaflops of processing power, 16 GB RAM, and a 320GB solid state drive (SSD).

Jensen Huang, the president and CEO of Nvidia said, “There’s more computing power packed into this car than any car, ever — three powerful computer chips with NVIDIA GPUs. Those three computer chips represent the brain and the nervous system of this car.”