page_title: Mercedes-Benz S-Class
section_title: First generation W116 (1972–1980)
hierarchical_section_title: Mercedes-Benz S-Class / First generation W116 (1972–1980)
caption_attribution_description: English: 1972 Mercedes-Benz 350 SE (W 116) sedan. Photographed in Kew, Victoria, Australia. Vehicle registration enquiry results Jurisdiction Victoria Registration LWA562 Chassis code Not available Engine code 11698022006712 Compliance date Not available Year of manufacture 1972
context_page_description: The Mercedes-Benz S-Class, formerly known as Sonderklasse, is a series of full-size luxury sedans, limousines and armored sedans produced by the German automaker Mercedes-Benz, a division of German company Daimler AG. The S-Class is the designation for top-of-the-line Mercedes-Benz models and was officially introduced in 1972 with the W116, and has remained in use ever since. The S-Class is the flagship vehicle for Mercedes-Benz.
  The S-Class has debuted many of the company's latest innovations, including drivetrain technologies, interior features, and safety systems. The S-Class has ranked as the world's best-selling luxury sedan, and its next generation, the W223 S-Class, will premiere in 2020. As in previous iterations, the W223 S-Class will be avaliable in standard and long-wheelbase versions; I4, I6, V6, V8, V12, diesel and hybrid powertrains will be offered, along with an electric version, called the EQS. All models sold in North America are available in long wheelbase only.
  In automotive terms, Sonderklasse refers to "a specially outfitted car."
context_section_description: In 1972, Mercedes-Benz introduced the W116 line, the first to be officially called the  S-Class. Produced from 1972 through 1980, the W116 series featured a four-wheel independent suspension and disc brakes. The 280, 350, and 450 (4.5L version) models featured SE and SEL versions. Production of the W116 totaled 473,035 units. This was a groundbreaking sedan for Mercedes-Benz, and for the first time in the company history, the car had an obvious, blatant and outward emphasis on safety placed above a pure styling viewpoint. The overall design incorporated numerous safety features developed from the "safety research vehicles" in the mid-to-late 1960s to the very early 1970s.
  These safety features were all newly introduced passenger-car "firsts" on a production vehicle: padded door trim around the windows, heavily padded steering wheel (later to be replaced by an airbag with the Mercedes-Benz abbreviation of SRS standing for the English-language term Supplemental Restraint System), more comprehensive safety padding on the dashboard and around the interior, dual asymmetric windshield wipers, headrests with a center depression to locate the occupant's head in a more central position during a rear impact, a rain-water management system to improve visibility consisting of deep channels on both sides of the windshield and flowing into deeply channeled rain gutters, including similar designs on the side mirrors, rounded body shapes along the edges, such as the tops of the front fenders, etc., designed to ameliorate pedestrian injuries, ribbed rear taillamp lenses which would remain clearer of dirt on the recessed areas, an easy-to-access first aid kit stowed in a recessed compartment on the rear parcel shelf prominently labeled with the universally recognized "cross" symbol which represents "first aid", and several other subtle safety features related to both active and passive safety. The Mercedes Benz S-Class is a classic chauffeur driven car, and has frequently been used as standard by car hire companies. It is comfortable and safe as well as elegant looking; ideal for drives across the countryside or high class transport on a night out.
  The W116 models were large luxury sedans. The W116 was larger on the outside than the W108/W109 series it replaced, but had similar interior capacity, as the additional bulk was driven by several new and aforementioned engineering developments on car safety and occupant protection in a crash. The W116 introduced other improved passive safety features into the vehicle design, including a strengthened vehicle occupant shell. It was one of the first cars to be available with ABS, a driver's airbag supplemental restraint system (but not available at the vehicle's initial launch). Also, the W116 was the first mass production passenger vehicle offered with a turbocharged diesel engine.
  The 450SE, then the most powerful model in the W116 lineup, was awarded European Car of the Year in 1974. At the New England Auto Show in 1972 held in the fall season in Boston, the Monroney Label of a 1973 450SE was right at $13,000. 1973 was the first model year of the W116 for the US market. Starting in 1975, the W116 was upgraded with a new fuel injection system to comply with revised exhaust emission standards in European markets. A slight power reduction was a result of this update, but in 1978, a series of further engine upgrades restored original performance levels under the new fuel injection systems.
  Between 1973 and 1977, 997 Special Edition W116 models were made on order by Mercedes. These cars incorporated stronger body paneling and suspension and was 50 kg heavier than its normal counterpart.
caption: Large boxy rear lights of the 1970s W116, the first official "S-Class"
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