Yahoo Autos 2024 Mercedes-AMG S 63 E Performance Review: Driving this posh performer
SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Although it’s best known as an opulent halo car that features Mercedes-Benz’s latest innovations, the S-Class tends to take on a slightly different sense of purpose after the engineers at Affalterbach get their hands on it. AMG-tuned versions of the full-sized sedan date back as far as the early 1970s with the W116 generation, and the formula has stayed admirably consistent throughout the decades: Stuff a massive power plant in the engine bay and support it with specialized performance hardware for maximum effect. That tradition continues with the new S 63 E Performance, but how that capability is achieved changes in some significant ways.
As the de facto successor to the dearly departed, V12-powered S 65, the S 63 E Performance seeks to further prove there is a replacement for displacement by pairing a boosted V8 with an AMG-developed hybrid system. Together, the powertrain develops a peak 791 horsepower and 1,055 pound-feet of torque, figures which make this the most powerful sedan in Mercedes-AMG’s history. It also allows the S 63 E Performance to be motivated purely by electricity for approximately 20 miles on a charge (its 13.1-kilowatt-hour battery pack was designed for performance rather than range, AMG notes), a feature that is expected to become an increasing necessity in European city centers over the coming years.
While this approach addresses the concerns of enthusiasts and regulators, it results in a powertrain that’s stunningly complex and a car that tips the scales at over 5,800 pounds – or about 900 pounds more than its predecessor. That’s not a negligible amount of mass, but the S 63 E Performance is also packing some clever engineering to address it.
Before diving into the mechanical nitty-gritty, let’s take a moment to soak in the S 63 E Performance’s aesthetic. It’s not a wild departure from a standard S-Class, but elements like the AMG-specific grille, front fascia, side skirts, rear diffuser and quad-tipped exhaust deliver a sportier appearance while keeping things relatively low-key. It’s a similar story inside, where aside from the flat-bottomed AMG steering wheel, badging and S 63-specific trim elements, it’s largely business as usual. That also means there’s still a distinct emphasis on providing a luxurious experience to the passengers in the back seats, as S-Class owners are far more likely to be chauffeured around in their cars than those who are cross-shopping E 63s and M5s.
Up front, the 12.8-inch OLED touchscreen infotainment system offers up real-time information about the hybrid system’s state of charge, electric motor temperature and battery temperature, along with readouts that provide a visual representation of the power flow of the entire drive system. The digital gauge cluster and head-up display can be customized with AMG-specific layouts for a more sport-oriented look, too.
The big news, though, is that powertrain. There’s a lot going on here, so we’ll start with the internal combustion stuff. Under the hood is AMG’s familiar 4.0-liter, twin-turbocharged V8 that develops 603 horsepower on its own, and it’s matched up with a nine-speed automatic gearbox that sends power to all four wheels through a variable all-wheel-drive system.
Situated behind the transmission is a permanently excited synchronous electric motor that offers 188 horsepower for up to 10 seconds at a time, or 94 hp continuously. It also generates 236 lb-ft of torque — all that power allows the S 63 E Performance to operate at speeds of up to 87 mph purely on electricity. The hybrid system has its own two-speed transmission as well as an electronically controlled limited-slip differential. The electric motor can control drive torque to each wheel independently through the limited-slip differential, effectively creating a supplemental, hybrid-system-based electronic stability control system. According to Mercedes, this means the combustion engine doesn’t have to be throttled, allowing it to operate at higher torque, ultimately increasing the car’s agility.
AMG says that the S 63 E Performance’s 13.1-kWh rear-mounted battery pack takes engineering inspiration from the system used in Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team's hybrid race cars – a design which emphasizes repeatable performance that can be called upon in rapid succession. To achieve that in the S 63, non-conductive liquid coolant is pumped through the pack and directed around each of its 1,200 cells to ensure that the heat is distributed evenly throughout and optimum temperatures are maintained. Four different levels of recuperation strength can be called up by pressing the drive mode button on the steering wheel (rather than turning it like a dial to change drive modes), and they range from Level 0’s virtually resistance-free coasting to Level 4, which is aggressive enough to allow for one-pedal driving.
