Mercedes S63 AMG (2009) CAR review

Merc’s sportiest engine gets stuffed into more than two tonnes’ worth of Merc’s biggest, fattest, most luxurious saloon. Madness? Or pure indulgence? The facelifted version – which promises a 3% improvement in fuel consumption and emissions over the outgoing car – arrives here in November, but CAR scored an early drive in a German-plated left-hander.

A left-handed, 518bhp, two-tonne limo. Bet that Merc S63 AMG was a handful on British roads…

Yes… and no. Obviously, this is a monumental car – park it up next to mortal wheels and its gargantuan scale is immediately obvious – so there are some narrow lanes you just won’t feel confident to thread along. But this big, big Merc is by no means an unholy mess on a winding road.

Set the Active Body Control switch to Sport and it quells the slight heave and wallow you’ll experience if you press on in Comfort mode. The steering is keen, if light and numb, roll is limited and there’s great poise to enjoy. The S63L genuinely shrinks around you to a surprising extent.

Sport mode? I thought this was a limo?

Time to explore the S63’s character. Obviously, there’s a clue in the name. Merc labels it ‘Limousine’ because it’s the long-wheelbase S-class. Appropriately, it’s massive inside (you can stretch out on reclining rear seats) and it’s beautifully trimmed with leather on pretty much every surface. That big V8 only becomes strident when you want it to, otherwise you shift along almost in silence, with effortless shove and imperceptible gearchanges.

The ride is actually at its best in Sport mode: the air springs and low-profiles can never quite absorb the shock of smaller pock-marks even in Comfort mode, and Sport’s tauter damping keeps disquieting body movements well in check. In either mode, it’s never uncomfortable, bar the occasional check over a particularly brutal transverse ridge or expansion joint. So it’s best to think of this Merc as a cosseting luxury limo with a sporting edge that can be called upon when you need to hustle for an appointment. Or for the sake of it. It will genuinely satisfy driver or passenger: you just need to decide which you want to be.

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