Mercedes S63 AMG coupe (2014) first official pictures

By Ollie Kew

First Official Pictures

16 April 2014 15:00

This is the new Mercedes S63 AMG, which is being unveiled at the New York motor show this week. It’s essentially a two-door version of the S63 AMG saloon, marrying the new S-class coupe body's with the twin-turbocharged, 577bhp engine of the fastest AMGs.

Mercedes claims the new S63 AMG is 65kg lighter than the outgoing CL63 AMG, mainly thanks to a new lithium-ion battery for the car’s ancillary systems. However, despite the trick battery and the aluminium-intensive body, this is still a two-tonne car, albeit one with some prodigious performance.

577bhp and 664lb ft catapult this Bentley Continental GT and Aston DB9 rival to 62mph in 4.3sec: thank a fast-shifting seven-speed automatic gearbox for that impressive figure. The top speed is limited to 155mph.

Chassis-wise, the S63 AMG coupe makes use of the regular S-class coupe’s party pieces, including Magic Body Control, which can lean the car’s body into corners, and Road Surface Scan, which use a radar-style sensor to ‘look’ down the road ahead for bumps and trims the damping stiffness accordingly.

Visually, the S63 coupe is distinguished by its AMG-badged grille, snarling front bumper, ‘V8 BiTurbo’ badging and quad exhaust pipes bookending a small diffuser. 19in lightweight alloy wheels are standard fit, enclosing upgraded sports brakes. Inside, a smaller flat-bottomed steering wheel from the GT AMG coupe and carbonfibre trim complement sports seats and AMG-bespoke graphics on the instrument screen.

Prices for the S63 AMG coupe, which arrives in the UK in late 2014, is yet to be confirmed. It’ll certainly be pricier than the S63 saloon (£119,565) – reckon on a £120,000-plus tag for the two-door

By Ollie Kew