2025 Mercedes-Benz S 580e Road Trip Review: Smooth Move

• The Mercedes-Benz S 580e is a plug-in hybrid that offers up to 48 miles of electric driving range.
• It's also pretty stinkin' potent, with 510 horsepower and a sub-5-second 0-60 mph time.
• Smooth, silent electric power really suits Mercedes' flagship S-Class.

Not that the S 580e is a slouch, of course. Powered by a combination of a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six gas engine and an electric motor fed by a 28.6-kWh battery pack, the plug-in hybrid S-Class delivers 510 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque, enough to scoot this land yacht to 60 mph in less than 5 seconds. On its own, the electric motor makes 148 hp and 354 lb-ft of torque, which is enough to get the S 580e up and moving at city speeds without needing to fire the engine, and this is truly where the electrified S-Class feels best. It makes me wish Mercedes made a proper fully electric S-Class, rather than the meh-tastic EQS sedan that looks like a used bar of soap, Apple Magic Mouse or medicinal suppository (take your pick).

Riding on 20-inch wheels and a cushy adaptive air suspension, the S 580e soaks up potholes and smooths out even the most obtrusive speed bumps. It does so without being wallowy or feeling disconnected, too. Switch over to Sport mode and the S-Class hunkers down and corners with confidence, the electric motor providing ample assist for shooting out of a corner on a winding lakeside road.

Good as the S 580e is to drive, it's even better to be driven in. The quilted-leather seats are supple and provide all-day comfort, plus they look fantastic in this bordello shade of red. Rear passengers are treated to power adjustability, heating and ventilation, as well as privacy shades for the side and aft windows, to not only darken the cabin a bit on sunny days, but to block out the peering eyes of the poors.

The driver and front passenger are swaddled in similarly scrumptious surroundings, with massaging chairs, embroidered pillows attached to the headrests, and surface heating that extends to the center console and door armrests. Don't forget about the active bolstering support, too; the front seat sides can quickly inflate and deflate to provide additional support while cornering — something the big S-Class does mighty well, I might add.

Mercedes-Benz is getting a little heavy-handed with touchscreen tech these days — have you seen the Hyperscreen and Superscreen setups? — but the S-Class is blissfully bereft of this digital deluge. Sure, there's a 12.3-inch display in front of the driver and a 12.8-inch OLED display for the infotainment and multimedia functions, but the rest of the dashboard exists to showcase the S-Class' excellent craftsmanship above all.

Personally, I'm not really loving the whole carbon-fiber getup in this specific S 580e test car; this glossy, lightweight material would be more at home in an AMG S 63. Do yourself a favor and go for one of Mercedes' other options, like the natural grain walnut wood with thin aluminum pinstriping. That's so much more elegant and befitting of a flagship sedan.

At $129,350 including destination fees, S 580e sits in the middle of the S-Class range, above the six-cylinder S 500 and just below the V8-powered S 580. Of course, there's the ripsnorting AMG S 63, as well as V8- and V12-powered versions of the fancy-shmancy Mercedes-Maybach S-Class. And while those more expensive variants certainly have their place in the world, there's a literal wealth of inherent goodness baked into every S-Class model, right down to the base S 500.

What makes the S 580e stand out? Its additional battery-assisted shove gives it a sporting edge, and the fact that it'll do 48 miles of EPA-estimated electric-only driving gives it bona fide eco cred. More than anything, though, silent EV power really amps up the quiet luxury factor of a car like the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Just ask your passengers — well, when they wake up.

Photos by Tyler Clemmensen