2011 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG: Surprising power and fuel consumption!
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While the new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is the champion of this brand’s sports cars, the S-Class is king of the luxury cars. From the first, it just oozes comfort and luxury, mainly because of its generous size, but also because of its sophisticated and elegant style. That might lead you to believe that it’s an ultra-comfortable car that puts aside pleasure and sportiness, but you’d be dead wrong. The S-Class turns out to be a real beast and the AMG version – or versions – give it a completely different personality.
Canada represents an important market for the Mercedes-Benz’s sport and supercharged versions. In fact, Canadians buy more AMG models per capita than anywhere else in the world, which proves how much we love sportiness. Let’s face it: when you’re paying for a car as pricey as the S-Class, a few thousand dollars more isn’t going to scare away buyers. That’s why AMG versions represent a large percentage of the S-Class sales, and why it’s not surprising that the manufacturer is paying such special attention to them.
A brand new engine for 2011
The new engine in the AMG base version turns out to be the only real new addition to this year’s S-Class. The S63 AMG is stepping aside to make room for the... S63 AMG. Now that’s what I call evolution! The fact is that if you follow Mercedes’ naming patterns, it should be called the S55 AMG because of the 5.5-litre V8 replacing the old 6.2-litre naturally-aspirated V8 engine. But, so as not to create confusion with the other engines and most of all so as not to bruise the ego of this latest version, the manufacturer decided to keep the old name. It’s a little misleading, but all’s fair in love and cars...
This is the first time that Mercedes-Benz is using this new V8 biturbo. Sure, it has less displacement than the old 6.2-litre V8, but the combination of the turbocharger with the fuel injection helps produce 536 horsepower (19 more than the old engine) for a torque of 590 lbs-ft. That’s a good start. However, the most interesting feature is fuel consumption, which drops from around 18 l/100 km to only 10.5 l/100, according to the manufacturer. Of course, everything will have to be verified in normal conditions, but it’s surprising just the same. That’s what you call combining utility with fun, which the newly added start/stop system that cuts the engine when the vehicle is not moving also helps. Basically, despite its size and power, this S-Class AMG demonstrates better fuel economy numerous other vehicles.
For even greater performance from this AMG, you can order the Performance Package, which will increase the horsepower to 563 and the torque will go from 590 lbs-ft to 664 lbs-ft. This is all made possible by the extra pressure in the turbo, up from 1.0 bar to 1.3 bar. This package also adds exclusive rims and removes the electronically limited speed, set at 250 km/hr, a feature that is not really useful in Canada. All that power is transmitted to the rear wheels via an excellent seven-speed automatic transmission.
A question of standards
But why get rid of the old naturally-aspirated engine? The main reason is very simple: this new supercharged engine is one of the changes that will help the manufacturer meet the new fuel consumption and emissions standards that will be imposed by 2015. And this is something you can expect to see more and more since the new, stricter norms will force manufacturers to lower fuel consumption and emissions on all vehicles. A supercharged engine with a smaller engine capacity helps provide as much power, but with greater fuel economy. So, it looks like the turbos are here to stay!
Finally, if you have an even bigger budget and the S63 AMG is not exclusive enough for your tastes, you can turn to the S65 AMG, which features nothing less than a powerful V12 biturbo and 603 horsepower.
Of course, while the engine is a significant part of this S-Class AMG, the passenger compartment doesn’t disappoint either. The quality of the finish is exemplary and the choice of materials is extraordinary. Some of the AMG signature touches make the passenger compartment even sportier, like the aluminium pedals, but overall it remains sober and tasteful. On board, the environment is rich and unique, which will be striking for the uninitiated. Add to that limousine-style space for passengers and a wide array of gadgets – including a brand new 15-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system – and you get a vehicle that transforms long trips into a little slice of pleasure.
Security system all-stars
As the flagship model, the S-Class has the manufacturer’s latest in security features. In addition to the usual components, there’s a blind spot detection system that will not only warn you about a vehicle in your blind spot, but it will also lightly apply the opposite brakes in order to bring you back to your lane if you’re swerving toward the other vehicle. The Active Lane Keeping Assist, a system that detects involuntary lane changes (without signalling or when swerving slightly), takes the same action as the blind spot detector and will warn you by vibrating the steering wheel and lighting an indicator on the dash. There’s a plethora of other systems like these to help you out of many an awkward situation...
On the road, the supercharged engine delivers power without lag. In fact, so linear is the powerband, you wouldn’t know that there was a supercharged engine under the hood at all. Its rich sound with the pedal to the metal makes for a car that is a long way from a hypnotic luxury sedan. It can go from 0-100 km/hr in about 4.5 seconds, which isn’t bad for a big sedan. All that power is well supported by the excellent seven-speed AMG transmission that offers ultra precise shifting in a fraction of a second. While this gearbox goes hand in hand with the sportiness of the vehicle, it also contributes to fuel economy.
Of course, every AMG model at Mercedes has its own personality. Sure, the S-Class AMG gets a sportier treatment, but AMG work respects the type of buyer and the car remains comfortable at all times. Thus, the transformation is less drastic than in the case of the C-Class, for example.
Basically, this new engine is interesting, and to those who can afford it, this new S63 AMG offers the best of many worlds.
