Mercedes-Benz S 63 AMG Coupeachieves an elegance that belies its size. Stuart Johnston got a sneak peek at the monster.

Select members of the motoring media were given a preview this week past of the most exciting Mercedes-Benz we are likely to see launched this year. It’s the Mercedes-Benz S 63 AMG Coupe, all 430 kW of its great 5.5-litre V8 heart clothed in aluminium, and with various weight-saving devices on board that sees it weigh in at some 65 kg less than its predecessor.

Apart from that palm-sweating power peak, there is 900 Nm of torque, more than enough to induce whiplash as you plant it off the line, but for the well-formed AMG-specific bucket seats that logically include orthopedically-designed head restraints.

Mercedes-Benz S 63 AMG Coupe price speculation

Before all you Cars.co.za readers rush out and order one in matte silver with the optional multi-crystal headlight sets, keep in mind that the car is only due here for launch in November 2014. And although Mercedes-Benz SA wouldn’t be drawn on a firm selling price as yet, Florian Seidler, Managing Director of Mercedes-Benz Cars South Africa, estimated that this top S-Class Coupe model would indeed weigh in at over the R2-million mark. And yet, if you are in that sort of financial league, best get your order in, because AMG cars in South Africa sell out very quickly.

SA is a popular market for AMG cars

It is a fact that in terms of market penetration, South Africa has one of the highest numbers anywhere in the world where Mercs are sold. This was confirmed at the elegant garden-poolside launch in trendy Umhlanga Rocks, north of Durban last week. Mr Seidler believes that the reason for this is that there are a substantial number of people in this country who are able to afford this type of money for a motorcar, and that the AMG nameplate is as prestigious as the most exclusive supercars here.

The new Mercedes-Benz S 63 AMG Coupeis set to increase that halo quality of the brand that evolved from a modest tuning shop in Alfalterbach in the early 1970s, modifying Benz sedans, before Mercedes-Benz bought the tuning firm in the late 1990s and established it as its prestige performance arm. Incredibly, 32000 AMG models were sold world-wide last year in a difficult global economy, and South Africa continues to grow its market share year on year.

Design and style

The Mercedes-Benz S 63 AMG Coupe’s great strength is the incredible harmony of its overall shape. It manages to achieve near perfect symmetry between the “weight” of the long nose and rear, and there is none of the heaviness about the rear end that is often associated with large coupes of this style. Part of the secret to this harmony is the contrasting swage lines down the flanks of the car.

The nose remains very much current-think corporate-Benz, being of the aggressive shovel-style that has been carried through from the SLS gullwing supercar through to the A-Class and now the all-new C-Class. I particularly enjoyed the scalloped edges of the front wheel-arches which were shown off to great effect in that elegant Umhlanga garden under floodlights placed to highlight every little styling nuance of this car, which arrived in South Africa straight from a maiden US showing in New York.

The interior of the S-Class sedan is a tour de force. In the Mercedes-Benz S 63 AMG Coupeit is even more harmonious, particularly on the passenger side where the lines flow curvaceously and sensuously, covered in top quality leather.

There are numerous styles of AMG wheel that can be specified for this car, the standard issue being 19-inch forged alloys, while 20-inch wheels from the Performance Studio are available, to accommodate 255/40 R20 and 285/35 R20 tyres ( front and rear). The bolt covers for these wheels feature an integrated bolt cover made of forged aluminium, and resemble those of a centre-lock racing wheel.

Mercedes-Benz S 63 AMG Coupe technology

In a car costing over R2-million one would expect the ultimate in hi-tech in terms of driver aids and dynamic tweakery, and the S 63 AMG Coupe owner will not be disappointed in this respect. Notable is MAGIC BODY CONTROL. This system on the coupe, uniquely at this stage in the Merc line-up, commands the big body to actually lean in to a corner much as a superbike would. This reduces the amount of lateral Gs to the occupants in a high-speed corner. Merc reckons the object of this system is not to generate quicker cornering ability but to promote cabin comfort.

The system also includes ROAD SURFACE SCAN as fitted to the S-Class sedan, this system using stereo cameras to scan the road surface ahead and adjust each damper in anticipation of the road surface.

We expect the ride of this car to thus be as good as, or even better than the superb S-Class’s swoosh-mobile experience. But there are obviously sports setting on the COMMAND toggle located on the console, and these will enable the full exploitation of that massive output of torque and power.

At the reveal we didn’t get to hear the engine, but we know it will sound like a wounded grizzly bear on amphetamine. It is quite amazing how different the AMG philosophy is regards engine note, and yes, handling dynamics, as opposed to the svelte audial and ride notes struck by the “comfort” models in the Merc line-up.

Performance

Those power figures are huge, and yet AMG is proud of the fact that its rated EU furl consumption of 10,1 litres/100 km in the combined cycle makes it the most fuel-efficient in this heady performance segment. The CO2 emissions are 237 g/km, not bad for such a potent monster weighing in at over 2000 kg!

The weight mitigates against a supercar acceleration figure, but, surely a 0-100 km/h time of 4.3 seconds will be sufficient for most owners. Top speed rated at 250 kph in the specs looks strange, and of course refers to the fact that German manufacturers all agree to a limit of 250 kphfor cars in this class. However, AMG will dial in a lap top and change that to 300 kphplus, once the owner has completed the AMG Merc high-performance driving course.

So, roll on summer then. Nice place to spend it in this, yet another styling and performance high-level mark from the marriage of AMG and Mercedes-Benz.