Lexus IS vs Mercedes-Benz S-Class
What's the difference?

Lexus IS

$39,990 - $62,990

2021 price

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Mercedes-Benz S-Class

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2021 price

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Mazda 6

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Mercedes-Benz S-Class

Summary

2021 Lexus IS

2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class

By Tom White

By Byron Mathioudakis

Safety Rating

Engine Type

Inline 4, 2.5L

Twin Turbo V6, 3.0L

Fuel Type

Premium Unleaded/Electric

Premium Unleaded Petrol

Fuel Efficiency

4.9L/100km (combined)

8.4L/100km (combined)

Seating

Likes

Sleek and efficient hybrid drive
Graceful ride
Spec improvements

S-Class' return to splendour
Stunning high-tech cabin presentation
Outstanding ride and handling capabilities

Dislikes

Slow
Busy interior design
Fiddly and over-complicated software

Price of entry prohibitive for most
3D instrumentation can make you woozy
A tad conservative in design

2021 Lexus IS Summary

One question frequently discussed in the skunkworks of the CarsGuide office is: What exactly does Lexus stand for?

When the brand debuted its original export-market IS sedan in 1999 the messaging was more or less clear: Toyota’s premium sub-brand was here to be a Japanese BMW.

The brand even employed Nobuaki Katayama – chief engineer on the iconic Corolla AE86 program – to again take the reins of its small rear-wheel drive sedan program.

As the years went on though, Lexus changed. Fundamentally geared toward the US market, the second-generation (wild IS F aside) became a bit more sedate and softer around the edges, while the third generation strayed even further from the sedan’s performance-inspired roots, leaning into a plush interior, hybrid drive, and even CVT transmissions.

This brings us to today’s Lexus IS. Essentially a heavy facelift of the third generation (which arrived back in 2013), the brand has “reimagined” its core sedan with a tweaked design and updated technology for 2021.

Is it enough to keep it relevant against its ever-present European rivals and the newly arrived threat from Hyundai’s Genesis G70? I took a signature IS300h hybrid for a week to find out.

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2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Summary

It's only in the running for the title of world's best luxury car. No biggie here, then.

Like Rolex and Concorde, S-Class has become a byword for ultimate, and deserved or not, the Mercedes-Benz defines its segment despite the best efforts of the BMW 7 Series, Audi A8, Lexus LS and (sadly now-defunct) Jaguar XJ, as well as pointing the way forward with new technologies that eventually trickle down to more proletarian models.

Replacing the half-million selling W222 unveiled in 2013, the W223 is the latest in a long line since the first W187 Ponton debuted in 1951, and includes the famous ‘Finnies' and Stroke-8 models that followed immediately afterwards, but it is the 1972 W116 that really set the template.

Now, seven generations in, the 2021 S-Class is all-new again, with progressive safety and interior features that should help keep it Australia's bestselling full-sized upper-luxury sedan.

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Deep dive comparison

2021 Lexus IS 2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class

Verdict

Smooth, cosy, quiet, the IS looks and feels better than ever, but without a doubt this hybrid version is a car best suited to cruising the dense metropolis of Chiba at midnight more than it is carving up a bunch of S-bends in the Australian countryside on the weekend.

While that might still limit its appeal for fans of German sports luxury sedans and place it further from the original IS’s ambitions, it does offer an intriguing efficiency and luxury focused alternative, without the compromises brought by rivals with more sporting intent. In a way then, the IS 300h perhaps inadvertently best embodies what Lexus is as a brand.

Verdict

Mercedes-Benz set out to restore the S-Class' place amongst the greatest sedans in the world.

In the heavily-optioned, near-$250K-plus S450 as well as the extended S450L at $300K as tested (the sweet spot of the range for now), we reckon the Germans have succeeded, pushing safety, comfort and technology boundaries, in a package that is true to the heritage of the series.

Tax-fuelled sky-high prices will certainly keep the S-Class niche in Australia, but the car is more than good enough to dominate its tiny corner of the upper-large luxury car sphere.

The best new car in the world? We reckon it's highly likely. Mission accomplished, Mercedes.

Lexus IS vs Mercedes-Benz S-Class What's the difference?

Summary

Deep dive comparison

Verdict

Verdict

Lexus IS vs Mercedes-Benz S-Class
What's the difference?