The Mercedes-Benz S-Class resides in a segment for fat old men. The S-class coupe resides in a segment for fat old men that don't like others. And this, the 2015 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG Coupe, is the car that fat old men like you who don't like others, but who can move unusually fast, want right now.
All kidding aside, the S-Class Coupe's been giving the stonking great V8 motor that resides in most other AMG vehicles, except this time it puts out 585 horses and its mated to a 7-speed transmission. That's just the tiniest bit more than you'll find in this car's four-door fraternal twin, the 2014 Mercedes S63 AMG.
It's 65 kilograms (or 143 pounds to us Yanks) lighter than the outgoing Mercedes CL63 AMG, thanks mostly to a lighter battery and the skin and front-end of the car being made entirely out of aluminum. But most importantly the brakes and wheels are lighter as well, which reduces unsprung weight, which is the worst kind of weight.
Every high-end Mercedes comes with all sorts of whiz-bang technology, but the S63 AMG Coupe comes with a tilting function, which enables the whole car to lean into a turn. It's all very reminiscent of the old Mercedes F400 Carving concept.
Weirdly, that tilting function, which should remind you of those two-wheeled playthings sometimes called "motorcycles," isn't actually there to help you go faster. No, that would be too obvious. Because this is a bachelor's sports-mobile for fat old men, the name of the game here is to enhance "motoring enjoyment and comfort," and "to produce an even more pleasant motoring experience." Basically, it's to stop you from ever having to feel those horrid things known as "side bolsters."
And it only works up to 112 MPH.
But how does the system work?
It's MAGIC.
Seriously, it's called MAGIC BODY CONTROL. Here's the Mercedes explanation for it:
With Active Body Control the suspension struts are equipped with hydraulic cylinders (so-called plungers), in order to adjust the force in each strut individually. Depending on the curve driven, the curve tilting function shifts the base point of each individual strut. This allows the vehicle to incline automatically and continuously in fractions of a second and to angles of up to 2.5 degrees in curves – depending on the road angle and vehicle speed. The innovative suspension system detects curves using both a stereo camera behind the windscreen, registering the curvature of the road up to 15 metres ahead, and an additional lateral acceleration sensor.
ROAD SURFACE SCAN is a technology that can detect surface undulations in advance with the help of a stereo camera. MAGIC BODY CONTROL then adjusts the suspension in advance to suit the situation. Both suspension modes – "Comfort" and "Sport" – are also available here. The AMG-specific elastokinematics also ensure more directness when adopting a dynamic driving style.
See, it's got big-sounding words like "elastokinematics" in it. Beat that, BMW.
The new Merc debuts next month at the New York International Auto Show. We'll be there to bring you even more goodness.
Photos credit: Mercedes-Benz