2015 MERCEDES-BENZ S550 COUPE
FOR AS LONG AS WE’VE dreamed of driving across Italy and it’s been a fantasy for a while now we've clung to a few preconceptions: The roads would be challenging. The vistas, breathtaking. The car, long, loud and Italian. Our co-pilot, charming.
It worked out a little differently in reality. The cross-Tuscan route we charted was suitably picturesque, but our partner for the ride while a perfectly nice guy wasn’t exactly what we’d consider our type.
And the car (well, make that cars)? At first glance, the 2015 Mercedes-Benz S-class coupes are about as far from vintage Italian steel as you can get. But we’ll try anything once, and it didn’t take much to convince us to give the new Benz two-doors a shot. With undeniable style, comfort and performance, the cars incorporate all the fundamentals that made the classics endure while adding a helping of Teutonic solidity.
The S550 coupe, which we sampled first, forms the base of Benz’s range topping flagship lineup. At about $120K, it’s not a bad place to start, nor a bad place to sit; from the driver’s seat, your problems (and the tri-star emblem at the car’s prow) seem very, very far away. The proportions are timeless: long hood, short deck, pillarless greenhouse in between.
There’s a 4.7-liter turbocharged V8 up there, somewhere, but you can barely hear it from a well appointed cabin that Benz says is the world’s quietest (a very believable claim). The car’s seven gears are cycled through almost imperceptibly. Driving is suitably effortless. It’s relaxing, not invigorating.
Since all S550s headed for North America get 4Matic all wheel drive, Benz’s pothole erasing Magic Body Control system isn’t available. But fear not the Airmatic suspension delivers the floatiness craved by drivers who like to forget there’s a road
beneath them.
It’s certainly nice, but its luxurious cushiness is better suited to the highways of Florida than the hill country around Florence. Enthusiast that you are, you’ll be much happier to have the naughtier S63 AMG rounding out your fleet. Not because of the appearance enhancements, necessarily; you can’t see the well vented front fascia, tight tail end or AMG badges from behind the wheel, though you can rest assured the car remains under stated, even with an eye grabbing matte-effect paint job and near $162,000 price tag.
Imagine 0-60 mph in a lag free 3.9 seconds, all in a 4,400-pound rolling statement with a leather upholstered cabin nicer than those of the person al jets in which we like to pretend we’ve been. Yeah, you want the 5.5-liter twin-turbo V8 and every one of its 577 horses and 664 lb ft of torque.
The AMG SpeedShift seven speed automatic, which trades in its torque converter for a secondary clutch, offers a fair amount of control to the driver in “manual” mode,
particularly on upshifts. Downshifts, though, are not quite as precise as they might have been with a true dual clutch setup.
That 4Matic system and its 33/67 percent front/rear torque split, mandatory on all S63 AMGs at launch, instills confidence and encourages you jump on the optional ceramic composite brakes later, attack corners harder, get back on that throttle sooner.
The car will dutifully sort out everything behind the scenes, making you feel like a better driver than you probably are. But you won’t coax a raging bellow out of the motor no matter how much fuel you feed it, and a few snappy downshifts on the DCT won’t trigger much more than a quick, sensible snare drum bark from the exhaust.
We did say the S63 AMG will round out your fleet, not compete for the spot in your garage you’ve reserved for a true sports car. Even with an engine from Affalterbach and sport driving modes to fiddle around with, the car remains a luxury coupe first and a performance coupe second.
As for the $231,825 S65 AMG: We haven’t yet driven the outrageous rear wheel drive, 621-hp, 738-lb-ft, twin-turbo V12 land yacht. If it’s anything like its top-of-the top CL65 AMG coupe predecessor, we suspect it’s a toss up as to whether its dozer like torque, silky-smooth power delivery and subtle visual differences are really worth the hefty premium over its V8 sister ship which is 0.1 second faster to 60 mph, by the way.
As value isn’t necessarily a top consideration of those shopping in this ultra exclusive corner of the market, however, we suspect Mercedes will have no trouble selling as many as it chooses to make.
If there’s anything the S-class coupe lineup lacks, it is drama or perhaps more precisely, edginess. In all of its incarnations, the two door is simply too comfortable, too predictable, too carefully managed, too refined for you to ever feel like you’re getting away with something while behind the wheel, even while exceeding the speed limit by a comfortable margin.
Yet the gran turismo concept has always been more about elegant, continent crossing performance than back-road antics. In that respect, the S-class coupes and the S63 AMG, in particular carry the GT torch with at least as much flair as its Italian and British contemporaries.
Those now in the market for a high dollar luxury two door have a wealth of options; provided you have the funds, you could just as easily get in line for one of Ferrari’s raucous offerings or have the folks at Crewe build a Bentley Continental GT to your spec. Then there are the Astons and Maseratis to consider …we might as well include the beastly Rolls-Royce Wraith in the conversation.
Its cutting-edge technological suite, impressive performance and coddling interior make the S-class coupe, in any incarnation, a winner.
Whether making the obvious choice offends your hipster sensibilities, know that the new Benz two doors namely, the S63 AMG variant will serve you well on a ride down the twisting, turning roads of your dreams. As for the charming co-pilot,you’re on your own there.
It worked out a little differently in reality. The cross-Tuscan route we charted was suitably picturesque, but our partner for the ride while a perfectly nice guy wasn’t exactly what we’d consider our type.
And the car (well, make that cars)? At first glance, the 2015 Mercedes-Benz S-class coupes are about as far from vintage Italian steel as you can get. But we’ll try anything once, and it didn’t take much to convince us to give the new Benz two-doors a shot. With undeniable style, comfort and performance, the cars incorporate all the fundamentals that made the classics endure while adding a helping of Teutonic solidity.
The S550 coupe, which we sampled first, forms the base of Benz’s range topping flagship lineup. At about $120K, it’s not a bad place to start, nor a bad place to sit; from the driver’s seat, your problems (and the tri-star emblem at the car’s prow) seem very, very far away. The proportions are timeless: long hood, short deck, pillarless greenhouse in between.
There’s a 4.7-liter turbocharged V8 up there, somewhere, but you can barely hear it from a well appointed cabin that Benz says is the world’s quietest (a very believable claim). The car’s seven gears are cycled through almost imperceptibly. Driving is suitably effortless. It’s relaxing, not invigorating.
Since all S550s headed for North America get 4Matic all wheel drive, Benz’s pothole erasing Magic Body Control system isn’t available. But fear not the Airmatic suspension delivers the floatiness craved by drivers who like to forget there’s a road
beneath them.
It’s certainly nice, but its luxurious cushiness is better suited to the highways of Florida than the hill country around Florence. Enthusiast that you are, you’ll be much happier to have the naughtier S63 AMG rounding out your fleet. Not because of the appearance enhancements, necessarily; you can’t see the well vented front fascia, tight tail end or AMG badges from behind the wheel, though you can rest assured the car remains under stated, even with an eye grabbing matte-effect paint job and near $162,000 price tag.
Imagine 0-60 mph in a lag free 3.9 seconds, all in a 4,400-pound rolling statement with a leather upholstered cabin nicer than those of the person al jets in which we like to pretend we’ve been. Yeah, you want the 5.5-liter twin-turbo V8 and every one of its 577 horses and 664 lb ft of torque.
The AMG SpeedShift seven speed automatic, which trades in its torque converter for a secondary clutch, offers a fair amount of control to the driver in “manual” mode,
particularly on upshifts. Downshifts, though, are not quite as precise as they might have been with a true dual clutch setup.
That 4Matic system and its 33/67 percent front/rear torque split, mandatory on all S63 AMGs at launch, instills confidence and encourages you jump on the optional ceramic composite brakes later, attack corners harder, get back on that throttle sooner.
The car will dutifully sort out everything behind the scenes, making you feel like a better driver than you probably are. But you won’t coax a raging bellow out of the motor no matter how much fuel you feed it, and a few snappy downshifts on the DCT won’t trigger much more than a quick, sensible snare drum bark from the exhaust.
We did say the S63 AMG will round out your fleet, not compete for the spot in your garage you’ve reserved for a true sports car. Even with an engine from Affalterbach and sport driving modes to fiddle around with, the car remains a luxury coupe first and a performance coupe second.
As for the $231,825 S65 AMG: We haven’t yet driven the outrageous rear wheel drive, 621-hp, 738-lb-ft, twin-turbo V12 land yacht. If it’s anything like its top-of-the top CL65 AMG coupe predecessor, we suspect it’s a toss up as to whether its dozer like torque, silky-smooth power delivery and subtle visual differences are really worth the hefty premium over its V8 sister ship which is 0.1 second faster to 60 mph, by the way.
As value isn’t necessarily a top consideration of those shopping in this ultra exclusive corner of the market, however, we suspect Mercedes will have no trouble selling as many as it chooses to make.
If there’s anything the S-class coupe lineup lacks, it is drama or perhaps more precisely, edginess. In all of its incarnations, the two door is simply too comfortable, too predictable, too carefully managed, too refined for you to ever feel like you’re getting away with something while behind the wheel, even while exceeding the speed limit by a comfortable margin.
Yet the gran turismo concept has always been more about elegant, continent crossing performance than back-road antics. In that respect, the S-class coupes and the S63 AMG, in particular carry the GT torch with at least as much flair as its Italian and British contemporaries.
Those now in the market for a high dollar luxury two door have a wealth of options; provided you have the funds, you could just as easily get in line for one of Ferrari’s raucous offerings or have the folks at Crewe build a Bentley Continental GT to your spec. Then there are the Astons and Maseratis to consider …we might as well include the beastly Rolls-Royce Wraith in the conversation.
Its cutting-edge technological suite, impressive performance and coddling interior make the S-class coupe, in any incarnation, a winner.
Whether making the obvious choice offends your hipster sensibilities, know that the new Benz two doors namely, the S63 AMG variant will serve you well on a ride down the twisting, turning roads of your dreams. As for the charming co-pilot,you’re on your own there.
2015 MERCEDES-BENZ S550 COUPE
Reviewed by Unknown
on
7:07 AM
Rating:
Reviewed by Unknown
on
7:07 AM
Rating:
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