The most powerful high-performance luxury saloon

Mercedes-Benz apply AMG power to new S-Class to make the S 63 AMG, and with more power and less weight than ever, it’s the hardest hitting super-cruiser in town. With a hand-built-by-one-man, AMG, 5.5-litre, twin-turbo, V8 petrol engine, and a ready-to-roll weight of around 2,000kg, the latest Mercedes mega-saloon’s stats are all going in the right direction. That’s weight down – using carbon fibre and aluminium – and power up – using a turbocharger on each 4-cylinder-bank of the aluminium motor.

So, that’s 577bhp and 900Nm of torque. That’s why the S 63 AMG pushes 62mph in 4.4 seconds and no doubt pulls endlessly all the way to its limited 155mph top speed. With an AMG SPEEDSHIFT MCT 7-speed sports transmission, luxury is now delivered at the speed of light!

The new Mercedes flagship is up to 100kg lighter than its predecessor model, and most of this chunk – about the same heft as a very large bloke – is cunningly trimmed by the use of AMG forged light-alloy wheels, a lightweight lithium-ion engine battery and lighter AMG high-performance composite brakes.

Also, there’s aluminium for the roof and front-end of the body, while the spare wheel recess is made of carbon fibre. Add all of this dynamic dieting to a motor that makes a shocking 900Nm of torque and it’s just no wonder that Mercedes are claiming the big S to be the most potent luxury longboat around.

AMG has sprinkled their usual aggression-detailing across the S-Class exterior, with new depth and darkness to the bumpers and side skirts that too are closer to the quickly passing road. Those huge AMG alloys frame the giant composite brake discs with equally mammoth calipers, and there’s a cheeky “V8 BITURBO” badge on the boot. The S 63 AMG may not scream about what lies beneath the bonnet, but you’ll soon find out if you’re standing anywhere near the rear-end at hard acceleration, thanks to the two chromed twin tailpipes of the AMG sports exhaust system.

And what do you get the car that clearly has everything inside? A set of new AMG sports seats wrapped in the best leather, a large high-resolution TFT colour display and plenty of AMG badging and embossing to spread the word of your superb automotive taste.

There’s no official word on pricing for the new S 63 AMG, with more of these kind of details expected when the car goes on show to the public at the Frankfurt International Motor Show, in September. But, if your interest is sufficiently piqued, you can expect to pay around £120,000 for this most flying of flagships.

By Dan Anslow

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