Mercedes-Benz makes all manner of automobile big and small, and AMG is the division charged with turning them into performance vehicles. Together they do sedans, wagons, coupes, convertibles, crossovers and SUVs, but their latest collaboration could very well prove the best yet.
It's the new S63 AMG Coupe, the two-door version of one of the most desirable performance sedans on the market — or looked at from another perspective, the AMG version of one of the most beautiful luxury coupes ever to roll down the highway. Set to debut in April at the New York Auto Show, the new S63 AMG replaces the previous CL63 AMG in the expanding S-Class family. The S550 Coupe which Mercedes revealed at Geneva Motor Show early in March is already a highly desirable form of transportation, but the S63 takes it even further.
Both feature a twin-turbo V8 engine driving all four wheels through a seven-speed automatic transmission and 4Matic all-wheel drive, but where the S550's displaces 4.7 liters to produce 449 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque, the S63's displaces 5.5 liters and churns out an even more impressive 577 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torque. That's enough to send a coupe that weighs a hardly featherlike 4,400 pounds to 60 miles per hour in 3.9 seconds and top out at 186 mph.
The hand-built engine is a good 41 hp and 74 lb-ft more capable than the outgoing CL63's, but thanks in part to stop/start engine management, it's more fuel efficient. Meanwhile a retuned air suspension and 20-inch wheels packing available carbon-ceramic brakes keep all that power and pace in check. An upgraded aero kit keeps the wind rushing smoothly around it and makes the S63 look that extra bit more aggressive than the S550 Coupe, while inside the cabin has been refitted with Nappa leather, a three-spoke steering wheel with aluminum shift paddles and more.
"The new S63 AMG Coupe is another exciting AMG dream car in the luxury segment,'' said AMG chief Tobias Moers. ''Now the S-Class Coupe also comes with performance-oriented AMG 4MATIC all-wheel drive — as we rigorously pursue our all-wheel-drive initiative. Mercedes-AMG is putting the pedal to the metal again in the new year. Our model initiative is set to continue at blistering pace in 2014."
Following its debut at the Javitz Center in Manhattan, the new S63 AMG Coupe will arrive at dealerships across the United States in the fall. The first examples will be offered as a special Edition 1 decked out in a matte grey finish with Swarovski crystals embedded into the LED headlamps and a two-tone red and black leather interior. 12-cylinder models, including the S600 Coupe and S65 AMG Coupe, are expected to follow. Though pricing has yet to be announced, the outgoing CL63 AMG started at just over $150,000, and we'd expect the new S63 AMG Coupe to follow along the same lines.
