SPIED: 2026 Mercedes-Benz S-Class facelift dons gold camo livery

It's been over four years since Mercedes-Benz Philippines launched the seventh-generation S-Class. Codenamed the W223, the flagship luxury sedan was first revealed in September 2020 and became available in the Philippine market a year later, in 2021.

That means the flagship saloon has been in the market for over half a decade, and it's due for a minor model change, AKA a facelift. As luck would have it, our spies were able to take pictures of the refreshed S-Class, and we were surprised by what Mercedes-Benz did to the upcoming luxury sedan.

Whereas most manufacturers would try to hide the mystery vehicle with unique camouflaged liveries, Mercedes-Benz went the other way and gave the S-Class one heck of a gold livery. The automaker was even proud to display “140 years of innovation” on the livery to highlight the upcoming S-Class's new technologies.

Design-wise, the refreshed S-Class will feature a revised front fascia and a larger illuminated grille, making it more noticeable to all. There also appears to be a new set of LED headlights & taillights that will have the brand's signature three-pointed star design. The rest of the exterior is still covered, although we won't be surprised if it will only have subtle exterior changes.

Our spies also managed to take pictures of the interior, and like the other high-grade models of the brand, the refreshed S-Class will feature the MBUX Superscreen. This will likely give the luxury sedan a 14.4-inch touchscreen media display, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster for the driver, and another 12.3-inch touchscreen media system for the front passenger.

Last but not least is what looks to be a new steering wheel with physical buttons. For a while, Mercedes-Benz used capacitive buttons, which unfortunately didn't translate to a tactile feel for the drivers.

As before, we can expect the updated S-Class to be available with various engine options. These include the S500 3.0L turbocharged inline-six, the S580 4.0L twin-turbo V8, and the S680 6.0L twin-turbo V12. Diesel options will most likely be carried over for the facelifted version, and include the S350d 2.9L turbo-diesel straight-six, and the slightly more powerful S400d that also makes use of a 2.9L turbo-diesel inline-six.

With the refreshed S-Class set for a release sometime in 2026, we're hoping Mercedes-Benz decides to hold its official launch in Q1 of next year.