Mercedes-Benz told us to wait until 20:00 CET (14:00 EST) today (watch live here) for the grand premiere of the new W222-codenamed S-Class luxury sedan at the Airbus A380 Delivery Centre in Hamburg, Germany, but the internet has a different plan.

Thanks to the mischievous Dutch crew from Autoblog.nl, we can now show you a full image gallery of the car that wants to become the benchmark in the highly prestigious full-size premium sedan segment rivaling the likes of the Audi A8, Maserati Quattroporte and BMW 7-Series.

If you want my initial opinion on the car’s design, the new S-Class looks pretty good on the outside with its CLA / CLS-esque profile and roofline and prominent front grille (not sure about those headlights yet, though) mixing sporty lines with elegant cues, and even better inside. In fact, regarding the latter, I would go as far as saying that Merc’s designers outdid themselves bringing the classic dashboard styling of older S-Class models into the 21st century. Naturally, that’s my opinion and you’re free to tell me yours in the comments below.

We’ll have more on the new S-Class later today, but we will tell you that, according to a leaked brochure, the W222 is slightly bigger than the car it replaces at 5,116mm long, 1,899mm wide, and 1,496mm tall for the regular wheelbase version, and that the initial range will include the following versions:

The S350, which is fitted with a 3.0-liter V6 turbo-diesel rated for 255hp (258PS), the S500 powered by a 4.7-liter turbocharged gasoline V8 with 449hp (455PS), and the S400 Hybrid featuring a 3.5-liter gasoline V6 and an electric motor, that develop a combined 302hp (306PS).

By John Halas

Story References: Mercedes via Autoblog.nl

PHOTO GALLERY

Mercedes-Benz S 350 BlueTec ( W222) 2012Mercedes-Benz S 350 BlueTec ( W222) 2012Mercedes-Benz S 400 HYBRID (W 222) 2013Mercedes-Benz S 400 HYBRID (W 222) 2013Mercedes-Benz S 400 HYBRID (W 222) 2013Mercedes-Benz S 350 BlueTec ( W222) 2012Mercedes-Benz S 350 BlueTec ( W222) 2012Mercedes-Benz S 350 BlueTec (W 222) 2013Mercedes-Benz S 350 BlueTec (W 222) 2013Mercedes-Benz S 350 BlueTec (W 222) 2013Mercedes-Benz S 350 BlueTec ( W222) 2012Mercedes-Benz S 400 HYBRID (W 222) 2013Mercedes-Benz S-Klasse (W 222) 2013Mercedes-Benz S 400 HYBRID (W 222) 2013Mercedes-Benz S 400 HYBRID (W 222) 2013Mercedes-Benz S 400 HYBRID (W 222) 2013Mercedes-Benz S 400 HYBRID (W 222) 2013Mercedes-Benz S 400 HYBRID (W 222) 2013Mercedes-Benz S-Klasse (W 222) 2013Mercedes-Benz S-Klasse, (W 222), 2012Mercedes-Benz S-Klasse, (W 222), 2012Mercedes-Benz S-Klasse, (W 222), 2012Mercedes-Benz S-Klasse, (W 222), 2012Mercedes-Benz S-Klasse, (W 222), 2012Mercedes-Benz S-Klasse (W 222) 2013Mercedes-Benz S-Klasse, S 400 HYBRID (W 222) 2013