When it comes to rapid, luxurious, technologically advanced four-door German transportation, the S63 coupe Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG sedan needs no introduction. This high-powered version of the S Class comes quickly to the mind of anyone who knows anything about segment-defining European flagships. But by ripping two doors off the big sedan, Mercedes set a new tone in big coupe style. They eliminated their capable but somewhat undramatic CL63 AMG coupe and replaced it with a vehicle that steals the show from just about every other car in their lineup (aside from the upcoming AMG GT). The new 2015 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG 4Matic Coupe is a revelation of a grand tourer.
The new coupe is Mercedes’ best expression of elegance and power to date. That unabashedly wide, black cross-hatch grille is made to flaunt the Mercedes emblem, while the double bar bisecting the grille gives it a slightly more performance-focused look; the fascia is underpinned with a touch of AMG drama, thanks to the sporty brushed metal trim of the vents below the bumper. And with the pronounced creases on the front quarter panels, we just might have the best profile of any production car on the planet right now, tailed with a hefty diffuser and quad squarish AMG that look more than ready to thrust out thousands of cubic feet of exhaust all for the sake of speed.
And speed is just what Mercedes ordered with its grand tourer extraordinaire. The beast housed under the S63 Coupe’s hood is a hulking 5.5-liter twin-turbo V8 that emits 577 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torque, utterly destroying the high-performance Audi RS7. The 4Matic all-wheel-drive gives the big coupe the proper traction for all that power, while the Speedshift 7-speed automatic transmission moves through the gears quickly. 0-60 time is nearly supercar speed: 3.9 seconds, and a top speed of 186 mph. Drivers will enjoy all the power of Zeus’s rage from a well-bolstered seat.
But the S63 AMG isn’t just about straight-line speed; AMG HQ at Affalterbach also made sure the car could handle curves and twists with aplomb by recalibrating the steering to give it a heftier feel, beefing up the suspension and adding fat rubber — 255/40R-20s in front and 285/35R-20s in back, as wide as a Porsche 911’s shoes. It may not be the first car you decide to track on the weekend, but it could easily handle tarmac duties if so directed.
Drivers will enjoy all the power of Zeus’s rage from a well-bolstered seat.
The interior is positively decadent, a bespoke cabin that assures the driver of hours’ worth of comfort and exclusivity, giving Bentley a good reason to worry. The center vents are a work of art, with soft, rich leather as their medium. The plush seats, in Designo trim, distinguish themselves from the usual diamond-quilted pattern with a distinctive wave pattern. Everything about the sedan is made racier in the coupe — especially the huge, sweeping expanse of the carbon fiber dash, best contrasted with striking white leather. Simply put: the S63 Coupe takes German interiors to a new level.
Mercedes-Benz didn’t settle on simply improving the CL63 with the S63 AMG 4Matic Coupe. Instead, they strove for a new class of two-door luxury for the automaker, one that other German automakers have failed to even dare to follow, leaving a wake of decadence and performance few others will be able to match.