For A 5.5-litre twin-turbo V8 takes pride of place in the S63 where once there was a 6.2 V8. Performance junkies needn’t fear, though – it’s still monstrously fast, but with greater driveability and reduced fuel consumption and CO2.
Against Running costs and depreciation will be huge despite the improved efficiency, but that won’t be the clincher for people spending a six-figure sum.
What Car? says
A connoisseur’s choice because of what it costs to buy and run, but if you’re lucky enough to be able to afford one, it’s a superb high-performance saloon.
Reader review rating
4.384615
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Mercedes-Benz S-Class Saloon S63L AMG 4dr full review
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Performance
Twin-turbo 5.5-litre V8 delivers 537bhp and 592lb ft of torque in standard form or 563bhp and 666lb ft with the optional performance package. So, acceleration is positively explosive, but driveability is in keeping thanks in part to the seven-speed auto transmission. There’s even a stop-start system to help you save fuel in traffic.
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Ride & Handling
AMG has done an amazing job to give these fastest S-Classes something approaching a sporty feel around corners, but ultimately you can’t deny the laws of physics. These are big, heavy cars, and you can never completely forget that. However, there are differences between the two; whereas the 63 AMG is the more sporty, the 65 AMG is more of a refined executive express.
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Refinement
This is one area where the AMG models differ very little from the regular S. A little bit of wind noise finds its way into the cabin when you’re cruising on the motorway, but otherwise it’s eerily quiet. Road noise never rises above a muted rumble, no matter how fast you go, and although you can hear the engine when you give it its head, those are the sporty sort of noises you’ll probably want to hear.
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Buying & Owning
It’s hardly a surprise to hear that the top versions of Merc’s largest saloon are expensive to buy, but these AMG versions are expensive even by S-Class standards. The 65 AMG, for instance, costs getting on for three times as much as our favourite S-Class. To cap it all, these versions have the worst fuel economy in the range and among the worst residuals.
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Quality & Reliability
While highly polished wood and premium leather trim are the least you’d expect, the precision fit and finish of the panels and proliferation of twinkling aluminium switches have the hallmark and solid quality reminiscent of an age when cars were hand-built by detail-obsessed craftsmen. Mechanically, this is a car that should take many miles in its stride.
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Safety & Security
Mercedes opposes deadlocks, claiming they could impede rescuers in an emergency, so you won't find them in this car. There are no big omissions in the safety spec, though, with all the active and passive features you’d expect, including all-round airbags, anti-whiplash restraints, stability control and brake assist. There’s even something called Attention Assist, which monitors the steering and alerts the driver to tiredness on long-distance drives.
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Behind The Wheel
There's plenty of room up-front, as well as finely adjustable seats. Many commonly used systems such as the stereo, ventilation and sat-nav, can be accessed through a single rotary dial and viewed on a large colour screen. This set-up, called Comand, is similar to BMW's iDrive and Audi's MMI. However, it’s more distracting than these rival systems.
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Space & Practicality
Like the dearer S65, the S63 is available only in long-wheelbase form. What that means is that there's little danger of its well-heeled occupants rubbing shoulders and even less likelihood of them brushing their hand-tooled brogues against the front seats. Boot capacity is 560 litres, so there's plenty of room for luggage, too.
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Equipment
The AMG models are the flagship models of the S-Class range, and they come with a suitably special standard kit. Naturally, the AMG touches include sports suspension and a sports exhaust, as well as a unique bodykit and interior. But, on top of that, there is pretty much every bit of luxury, technology and safety kit you can think of – and some you probably can’t.
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