Mercedes-AMG S63/S65 Coupe

2015 Mercedes-AMG S63 Coupe

2015 Mercedes-AMG S65 Coupe

With the AMG versions of the first-ever Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe, you will feel like you're a bit of a loony when you drive one of these at the south of France on the weekends. For the AMG version, you have two choices; one is the S63 Coupe which comes with the 5.5L V8 Twin Turbo engine mated with the AMG SPEEDSHIFT MCT and it's available with either a rear-wheel drive or a four-wheel drive and the other is the RWD-only and slightly mad S65 AMG with the turbocharged 6.0L V12 engine and with the SPEEDSHIFT PLUS gearbox. In translation, there's an AMG S-Class Coupe that is up against a Bentley Continental GT V8 S and the other that is up against the Bentley Continental GT Speed. Hmmm....

The Germans strongly believed that these high-performance versions of the S-Class Coupe had got what it takes to compete against other grand tourers but when it comes to pricing, those six-digit price tags really incinerate my eyebrows because the S63 model costs 170,587 Euros, which is almost 14,000 Euros cheaper than the Bentley Continental GT V8 S, and that's good. However, the V12-powered S65 model is priced at a painstakingly 244,010 Euros, which is almost 33,000 Euros more than its rival, the Bentley Continental GT Speed!

The pricing isn't the least of our problems for the V12-powered S65 Coupe because while this car's 5PS more than the CGT Speed and it's 0.1 second less than the CGT Speed's 0-100kph time, the S65 Coupe's top speed is electronically limited to 250kph while the CGT Speed keeps on going to 330kph. That sounds embarrassing but because the S65 Coupe is RWD-only compared to the 4WD-only CGT Speed, it's over a hundred kilos lighter, which means, this car is pretty much dynamic to drive and drivers need to take serious precaution while handling this because...here come the tongue twisters and if you're getting slipped, you're going on a siege with this machine while controlling it back to normal. Even if its loaded with so much technology, the added power and the torque really sets you on fire and pretty soon, you could get thrown off the ground.

Rookies shouldn't drive that car because they're kids, especially this V8-powered S63 Coupe version which produces more power than the CGT V8 S but the S63's top speed is also limited to 250kph compared to the CGT V8 S's 309kph speed.

I know that this car maybe as fragile as your gram's fine china she spend with her retirement money but there's so much fun to drive this V8-powered S-Coupe AMG model because this variant comes with two versions with two distinct characteristics. The rear-wheel drive model is equipped with MAGIC BODY CONTROL which makes this car well-responded to your handling actions and it goes as it should be, and lastly, the four-wheel drive model with the AIRMATIC air suspension with the adaptive damping system ADS PLUS. Whichever S63 you're choosing, this grand tourer knows that every mile is a story because while this is essentially a two-door version of Mercedes' flagship saloon, being sleek and sporty isn't enough for the AMG version of the S-Class Coupe because when you get inside, it feels like you're in complete control of this car because of so much high-tech gadgetry surrounding you. It's like you're the AWACS kind of plane but with a million times more fun than a kiddie ride from the shops.

If I had a choice, I'd go for the S63 model because not only it's less expensive than the CGT V8 8 but with such dynamics, I can have as much fun as I like and I can still arrive at the Monaco casino in style.

Photo: Daimler AG