What is it?
The Mercedes-AMG S 63 AMG represents the middle ground to Mercedes-Benz’s newly re-established S-Class Cabriolet line-up – the first from the German car maker since the iconic W111 series model back in 1971.
Positioned between the S 500 Cabriolet and the even more exclusive S 65 Cabriolet, the plush four-seater is due to hit UK showrooms next month wearing a price tag of £135,675. This pitches it £50,000 below its closest perceived open-top rival, the Bentley Continental GT Convertible Speed, which goes for £185,200.
Predictably, the S-Class Cabriolet adheres closely to the latest S-Class Coupé. The two share the same basic design, mechanical package and luxurious leather-lined four-seat interior, which can be enhanced by a seemingly limitless amount of optional features.
To accommodate what is claimed to be the largest fabric roof applied to a current production car, the new open-top adopts a unique windscreen with greater rake and a more substantial frame for added rollover protection.
It also receives a uniquely designed rear end with added stiffening within the rear bulkhead, rollover structures designed to deploy from behind the rear seats, a tonneau cover that opens to reveal a large storage compartment for the roof and longer bootlid.
With a claimed drag coefficient of 0.29, Mercedes says the Mercedes-Benz S-Class Cabriolet is the most aerodynamically efficient car in its class. It has also developed a new sealing process for the doors and provided its latest model with double-glazed side windows in efforts to match the competition for outright refinement.
As with the latest S 63 Coupé launched in the UK last year, the S 63 Cabriolet runs AMG’s twin-turbocharged 5.5-litre V8 petrol engine. The 90deg unit produces 577bhp, giving it 129bhp more than the twin-turbocharged 4.7-litre V8 in the S 500 Cabriolet but 44bhp less than the recently upgraded twin-turbocharged 6.0-litre V12 found in the S 65 Cabriolet.
Power is delivered to all four wheels via AMG’s seven-speed automatic Speedshift gearbox and a 4Matic four-wheel drive system engineered to provide a nominal 33/67 front-to-rear torque split. There are three driving modes to choose from: Controlled Efficiency, Sport and Manual.
The S 63 Cabriolet is underpinned by a uniquely tuned version of Mercedes-Benz’s air sprung Airmatic suspension with adaptive damping, offering the choice between Comfort and Sport modes. AMG has focused quite a bit of attention on the underpinnings, providing the front wheels with added camber and adopting a larger-diameter roll bar than that of the standard S 500 Cabriolet up front. The rear also receives a stiffer subframe.
The ride height can be raised by 30mm at the press of a button. The chassis then lowers again automatically when switched to Sport mode at speeds of more than 75mph.
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S Class Coupe in UK
Your point being?
Greig, what was the point of writing that? Why does it matter whether they will, or not? How can you be so sure of your suspicion that you feel confident in foisting it on the reader?
How many owners of this type of car do you know? Even if you are correct, who cares what you think about the prowess, or otherwise, of potential owners? All that sentence does is make you come across as a cocky so-and-so who believes that his driving abilities are far superior to some people he's never met and in whose circles he is unlikely to mingle.
beechie wrote: '...a truly
The point of writing it, is to tell the readers that those who buy it won't drive it like a journalist will. Grieg will have been chatting to the guys from Merc, who will tell them who their customer base is.
His point being better than yours
Never mind the over-prominent
@abkq
Yep, it's horrible, looks lazy and amateurish. If Ford, Vauxhall or any other mainstream manufacturer produced this, they would be slated for it. Incidentally, did you notice the nose on the facelifted C-class pictures a few days ago? I hope it was a pre-production glitch, because the panel gaps were epic!
@ Daniel Joseph
abkq wrote: Never mind the
Lol.