2014 Mercedes-Benz S-class gets price cut

The 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-class will start at $93,825 when it arrives in dealerships in October. That’s $2,100 less than last year’s entry-level model. The S550 4Matic, coming in November, will sticker for $96,825, and the rocket-powered AMG will hit your wallet for $140,425. That also comes in November.

The least expensive model comes well-equipped: it is a Mercedes after all, with a 4.6-liter V8 making 455 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque. Power is routed to the rear end via a seven-speed automatic transmission. The 2-ton-plus sedan can sprint to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds. We drove the S-class in June. Check out our review here.

The S-class comes with more than 30 active and passive safety features, including Distronic Plus radar-based cruise control, Pre-Safe Brake, which automatically brakes the vehicle up to 31 mph, Pre-Safe Plus, which looks for accidents from behind and BAS Plus that reads cross-traffic with stereoscopic cameras.

Some our favorite features are the Magic Ride Control, which smoothes out both small and big road imperfections, the hot-stone massage and the $6,400 Burmeister stereo system. We’ll wait for the AMG before we do any stoplight tests.

Eco-conscious models will eventually follow, consisting of the S350 Bluetec diesel and an S400 hybrid version.

In other Mercedes news, the company teased its Concept S-class Coupe on Sunday, which is coming to the Frankfurt motor show.

By Jake Lingeman