2024 Mercedes-Benz S580 4MATIC test drive review

When we drove the 2022 Mercedes-Benz S580 two years ago, we loved it so much that we considered selling our house and moving into it. Day after day it beckoned, tempted and convinced me to always take the long way home and just sit in it, especially at night with its miles of ambient lighting. And that we did, with no regrets. Our hearts ached the day it drove away, and we wondered if we’d ever drive one again.

Well, now two years later almost to the week, we spent another week with one and fell in love all over again. We’ve driven a lot of luxury cars, and there’s nothing that quite captures what we envision a luxury car experience to be like the S580 has.

Mercedes-Benz may have the best luxury sedan available for less than $200K. Photo courtesy Mercedes-Benz

It’s ridiculously over-the-top and completely unnecessary, except for the 1% of the 1% who need things like mood energizer scents and sounds to better their day — after some long hours making more money than we do in a year.

The specs for the 2024 S580 are largely the same as the 2022 model. This time around, we’ll focus more on the driving experience and what impressed us most about the car. In our estimation, this is the best luxury sedan you can buy for under $500,000, which makes it quite the bargain if you’re looking to buy this sort of thing. 

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Luxury and comfort

The S580 doesn’t come cheap at a near fully loaded as-tested price of $159,300. But when compared to other upscale luxury rivals costing two or three times as much, the S580 is truly compelling.

Rear seat living space

Our tester came with a long list of opulent features, including a $6,800 Burmester high-end 4D surround sound system, a $3,500 Warmth and Comfort package, a $3,450 Executive Rear Seat package and a $3,400 Rear Seat Entertainment package. 

So what does more than $20,000 in options get you? One of the best, most comfortable rides ever crafted, especially for rear seat passengers. We can only imagine the relief one must experience as they recline in their massaging, heated, ventilated and fully contoured rear seat after a hard day’s work securing their children’s trust fund that will surely ruin their young adult years.

Back seat passengers may be so comfortable, they'll forget to ask when you'll get to your destination. Photo courtesy Mercedes-Benz

Front seat opulence 

With all these amazing features in the rear seat, you might assume that the front seat occupants get shorted. Pish, posh! We never thought we needed heated armrests, but we do now. Is a regular digital gauge cluster too dull for you? This one is 3D, without wearing those silly glasses! Oh, and the front seats massage, too. No one wants their chauffeur to have a sore back, especially if they have to fetch you the morning’s paper day in and day out. 

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Touchy infotainment, literally

The MBUX infotainment system continues to impress and is in top form in the S580. The display is large, beautiful and fairly easy to use, even with its plethora of menus. One significant drawback to the otherwise wonderful user experience is the over reliance on touch sensitive buttons and sliders. They’re annoying and left us longing for some perfectly weighted metallic buttons in their stead.

Top-tier driving experience

You would be forgiven for assuming something this large isn’t fun. Historically, huge luxury barges like this haven’t been. And don’t get us wrong, the S580 is no sports car, but boy is it enjoyable to drive. The brilliant engineers at Mercedes-Benz have poured their hearts into making sure this car drives supremely well, whatever your current mood may be. 

Want to relax after a long day at work? You’ll feel as though you’re floating down I-15, all the while being calmly soothed by the distant, low thrum of the twin-turbocharged V8 under the hood. Want to rip it up Big Cottonwood Canyon? Put it in Sport mode, or customize your drive settings, and let the four-wheel steering confidently carry you through every turn. Everything about the S-Class is so easy, so smooth and so confident and assured, the only upgrade would be a private jet. 

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Customize your drive settings in the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8. Photo courtesy Mercedes-Benz

A vacation from your problems

Our mother-in-law described the car perfectly as a “vacation.” And she’s right. You settle into the deep, soft, aromatic leather seats, surround yourself with the sounds of a $6,800 stereo, and enjoy the miles of ambient lighting as the woes of the day fade away. Merely transportation? Ridiculous. Cars are experiences and few can provide the level of luxury and escape of the S580.

The power is impressive, too. The S580 is powered by a 496-horsepower 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8. It is supplemented by a 48-volt mild hybrid system that assists mostly in providing smooth-as-butter acceleration off the line. This results in a 0-60 mph time of 3.9 seconds, as recorded by Car and Driver. Pretty darn impressive for such a large and heavy land yacht. 

The best part? You don’t sacrifice fuel economy for all that power. Our tester was rated at 18 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the highway. In our week of testing, we averaged just over 25 mpg and achieved nearly 30 mpg on some of our longer highway drives.

The S580 is impressive from any angle. Photo courtesy Mercedes-Benz

Final thoughts 

The 2024 Mercedes-Benz S580 is a special — if a bit excessive — car. On the one hand, it’s very expensive and can be optioned, as our tester was, with features that you probably don’t need. Things such as adaptive rear seat lighting, calf massage functionality and suede pillows are just the tip of the leather-hewn and open pore walnut trimmed iceberg. All total, we came out just shy of $160,000. 

On the other hand, to jump to the next level up you’re either paying for A) a private jet or B) something akin to a Rolls Royce, which easily could cost double, triple or more than what the S580 costs. In that regard, it’s something of an executive cruiser bargain.

There’s also the psychology behind such a purchase. Assuming you have the funds, buying the S580 provides so much more than just mere transportation. It’s an experience and it can be thrilling or relaxing, depending on your selected settings and driving mood, making it feel like several cars in one. 

The S580 is a vacation you can take daily. Life is hard enough and maybe, just maybe, you can’t put a price tag on 30 minutes spent in an S580. 

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Highs: 

• Supremely comfortable and luxurious

• Powerful, potent German V8

• More amenities than your house

• A relative luxury bargain

Lows: 

• Costs half as much as your house

• Over reliance on touch sensitive and slider buttons

• Almost too much technology

Passengers of all ages will have plenty of legroom. Photo courtesy Mercedes-Benz

FAQs

Is the S580 fun to drive? 

Definitely. It’s no sports car, but that’s not the point of it. It’s very fast and surprisingly agile, but it’s also supremely serene and smooth. It’s a driving experience that no other car has come close to providing in our years of testing.

Is it good for families?

Actually … yes. This may be the most covert family car on sale today — if you don’t care about the kids making a mess or spilling chocolate milk on the rear seat’s exclusive red Nappa leather. There’s a lot of space in the back, even more so than most SUVs, and the trunk is enormous. Trust us, your kids will love riding in this just as ours did.

*KSL Cars does not endorse any vehicles. The views or opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer and do not reflect the views or opinions of KSL.com or its employees.

About the author: Having owned everything from a DeLorean to an E46 BMW M3 and a Toyota Land Cruiser, Jason Bell is a lifelong car enthusiast who loves sharing his passions as a teacher, automotive journalist and social media manager. He is an accredited member of the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press where he serves on the Board of Directors. Contact him at jasonbellcars@gmail.com.