The Mercedes S-Class and BMW 7 Series are the flagship luxury sedans of their respective brands, and they have long been rivals. The S-Class received a facelift in June 2026 in India and, for the first time, gets a plug-in hybrid powertrain. The 7 Series, meanwhile, is offered with turbo-petrol and diesel engine options. Here, we compare the two on paper, looking at their powertrain specifications, dimensions and pricing.
2026 Mercedes S-Class vs BMW 7 Series: Powertrains
While the S-Class is plug-in hybrid, the 7 Series makes do with just a 48V mild-hybrid system, providing additional boost just for short bursts. The S-Class has a 54hp advantage over the petrol-powered 7 Series and 149hp over the diesel. It also produces 160Nm more torque than the petrol version and 30Nm more than the diesel. But if were to look at the claimed 0-100kph acceleration times, the BMW sedan is quicker, albeit with a slight margin; 250kph top speed is common here. Also, both have a rear-wheel drive layout.
The S-Class' 22kWh battery pack allows for a electric-only range of around 115km (claimed), which is another advantage that comes with this hybrid setup. Mercedes claims the battery can be charged from 10 to 80 percent in 20 minutes using a 60kW DC fast charger. The hybrid setup also helps the S-Class deliver a claimed WLTP fuel-efficiency figure of 32.3kpl.
2026 Mercedes S-Class vs BMW 7 Series: Dimensions
When it comes to dimensions, the BMW 7 Series has the advantage in most areas. It's 87mm longer, 29mm wider and 41mm taller. However, the two luxury sedans are almost identical in terms of wheelbase. The S-Class measures 3,216mm between the axles, just 1mm more than the 7 Series.
The biggest difference is in boot space. The 7 Series offers 540 litres of luggage capacity, which is 195 litres more than the S-Class. This is largely due to the S-Class' 22kWh battery pack.
2026 Mercedes S-Class vs BMW 7 Series: Price
At the time of writing, the S-Class is available just with a plug-in hybrid powertrain, and is priced at Rs 2.20 crore and Rs 2.38 crore for the S450e Launch Edition Exclusive Line and S450e Manufaktur Edition AMG Line, respectively. That makes it costlier by up to Rs 53 lakh than the 7 Series, which is priced at Rs 1.85 crore for both petrol and diesel versions. Mercedes will also introduce the petrol-only S 450 variant for S Class at a later date, and it's expected to be priced lower than the S450e.
Ex-showroom prices mentioned above are as of June 17, 2026.
Dipan Sur
Saptarshi Mondal
Viraaj Bhatnagar
