Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG 2015 review

Life is nice when you're driving a Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG through the top end of town. The new Benz Coupe has everything you expect in a $400,000 luxury car, with an added burst of twin-turbo V8 muscle. It is quiet and cushy, fully loaded with luxury and safety, and can crack along. 

It's also fitted with Dynamic Curve suspension that tilts the car into corners, motorcycle style, to crush the worst of Australian roads and potentially eliminate carsickness from motoring.

There are plenty of people who think the S63, and cars like it, are irrelevant for real-world motoring but it has the technology and quality that cascades down through the whole Mercedes-Benz range and helps set the standard for the company's showroom rivals.

The S63 is the first of the new S-Class Coupes to land in Australia and will be followed soonish by the S500 at "only" $319,000 and then the outrageous V12-powered S65 at any equally outrageous $499,000. They are cheaper than the CLs they replace, by more than $10,000 in each case, yet they are still unique and exclusive.

"They are quite rare. We don't sell huge numbers," says Gordon Jones of Mercedes-Benz Australia. But these are cars that sell against upper-crust brandssuch as Bentley and Aston Martin, so they fit comfortably into the "because you can" category.

When you put your foot down, it answers all the questions

The S Coupe marks a major change for Mercedes, which until is more closely aligned to the S-Class limousine, although there are plenty of differences beyond a 90mm slice out of the wheelbase and overall length. Lined up side-by-side, and driven on the same day, the limo and Coupe have plenty of visual differences - including the latter's more aggressive nose - and a dashboard with a different shape and extra equipment and quality.

It's a great place to sit and a great place to travel. The car is incredibly quiet and cosseting, from the lounging room in the cabin to the shape and leather stitching of the seats.

When you put your foot down, it answers all the questions. The engine note goes down two octaves, the gearbox - a seven-speed AMG-tweaked auto - jumps down the ratios, the turbos light up and it overtakes in a flash.

The AMG package makes it more taut, and more taut than I expect, even after an S63 sedan. The Magic suspension is brilliant, with various choices but best in the "tilt" mode than means the car sits flatter on the road than anything I can remember. I anticipate tilting suspension will spread quickly through the Mercedes range, and the company is studying the potential benefits for carsickness sufferers.

For people who like numbers, it has 430kW and an incredible 900Nm, delivering a 0-100km/h sprint of 4.2 secs. That's true supercar pace from a luxury loungeroom.

The S63 Coupe is a rare beast, as Benz has sold fewer than 500 - in all three versions - over the past seven years. Only three CLs were sold last year.

But about 50 cars will be delivered in Australia this year, mostly S63s and, if you're finding that tough to take, remember the luxury car tax alone on each car will add between $60,000 and $80,000 to the federal coffers.

Owners will get everything from nappa leather trim and giant alloys to a standard panoramic sunroof - it doesn't actually open but there's an optional electronic dimmer - and LED headlamps. With optional Swarovski crystals.