S63/S65 AMG Coupes; anyone driven & actually COMPARED them?

[D15]

Help! I'm looking for a big, quiet, comfortable, powerful km-destroyer, but don't need 4 seats for grown-ups. The S63 (65?) Coupe seems it may well fit the bill - trouble is, I'm in a small (but affluent) European country, where nevertheless fewer MBs are sold annually than by the biggest MB dealer in Berlin.... The dealers here are also impressively unhelpful when it comes to test drives; I could apparently be permitted a half hour in an S63 Coupe (they don't have ANY demonstrators here....) - I'd actually, er, prefer a slightly more thorough test when considering blowing that much dough, either new or second hand (yes, trip to a German dealer, eventually). Another thing, there don't seem to be ANY 65AMGs in the country - seem too brash and 'de trop' for the modest but moneyed burghers here.... Anyway, I'd love to find out if there are truly significant ride (and other) differences between the 2wd S63 Coupe, 4wd S63 and (obviously) 2wd only S65. The reviews seem to suggest the S65 is more sensitive to road surfaces, etc, with its enormous tyres and rims, even with 'Magic Body Control' and 'Curve Tilt'(?) (Apart from the fact that just about every review seems to think the S63 4matic holds most of the aces over the S65.) To stir the pot even more, (1) seems EVERY S63 sold/available on the continent is the 4matic (so I'd be looking for a 2wd S63 Cpe in vain - and be considered INSANE to order a new 2wd S63) and (2) I do realise that all UK cars are 2wd, so, yes, I'm trying to find someone who has an unusually wide experience of AMG S Coupes....

I have managed a brief drive in an S500 - quite nice, but tried an M6 Gran Coupe later that day, which was a far more exciting and fun drive. However, I have enough self-knowledge to realise that I now need something with more emphasis on quiet, comfort and ease (and ok, all the toys are quite attractive, too).

Mercedes/AMG, btw, don't seem interested in giving me any sort of comprehensible feedback on the matter - or perhaps they just don't want to risk taking sales from one model at the expense of another, if they provide anything beyond 'objectivity'.

(Have also tried a RR Wraith, which seemed pretty lovely on admittedly brief acquaintance, but not sure I'm ready for RR-ness/auto-only experience. The wife gets motion sick and so doesn't like a lot of lean in bends, etc - which did make Curve Tilt look pretty interesting....)

Any meaningful feedback greatly appreciated!

[Charliesum]

Not sure where you are based, I would get myself in touch with a uk or German dealer with cars available and get a cheap flight over and have an extended drive in them.
I had a promo video sent by poole Mercedes in Dorset offering 48 hr test drives of new coupe.
Stupidly I didn't take them up on it but I'm sure they have both 63 and 65 varieties in stock

[D15]

Thanks for that, Charliesum.

I guess the answer to my question, though, is that NOBODY has meaningfully compared them....

[FalconWood]

I drive a S65. Admittedly 7 years now and 70,000 miles. I thought of replacing it two years ago and drove a S63 for an hour from my main dealer. The S63 confirmed that I would find it very very hard to leave my S65. I personally think the S63 engine was awful in the S class. It felt rough it sounded loud (most of the time) and the car was clearly nowhere near the luxury level of the S65 - but then it is a great deal cheaper. I didn't find the riffe much different to my S65 but when I got out of the car I thought it felt I might seriously be trading down if I bought a S63. I think the S65 is brilliant. It is quieter and drives more assuredly than the S63 and I would tire of th 63's constant noise. Not a detailed comparison I know, but if you bought a 65 I think you would feel you had the ultimate car. If you bought a 63 you wold love it fir a few months than probably tire of the noise and roughness and wish you bought a 65. Good luck

[Armen]

My answer :

[D15]

I'm just wondering if Armen's comments refer to the S saloon and not coupe, and to the generation prior to the current one (W221, not W222)? Just that none of the road tests call the 5.5 litre twin turbo V8 in the S63 Coupe (or saloon) 'rough' or 'loud'.... In fact, most regard the 12 cylinder as something of a waste of money - the S65 coupe seeming to have a worse ride than the 63 (more weight and bigger rims more affected by bad surfaces), and actually slower to 60 than the 4wd S63 (which is admittedly not available in the UK - and the S65 putting in slightly better intermediate acceleration times at substantially higher speeds). OK, if you REALLY spec an S63 Coupe, you're getting closer to S65 money - but almost all reviews seem to come down on the S63 Coupe's side.

[D15]

Sorry, I mean FalconWood's comments, of course.

[iluvmercs]

Depending on where you are based, it might be worth popping to over to these guys in Rutland. They currently have both models for sale, so you can do a back to back comparison.

Darren

[Lagerlout]

The V12 is the one you want in these cars. The immense torque and the characterful engine make it the choice. Try one and you'll get it. There is no point in my opinion going for the V8 that engine suits the sporting saloons not the large cruisers.

[television]

After reading all this it looks that it may have to be a 65 when I change.

[02joe]

Having spent many hours behind the wheel of a S63 coupe, I would suggest that is all the performance you need until 4Matic comes to the UK....Not had experience of a S65 coupe, but a SL600 and 2006 S65... not really a fair comparison though as the gearbox transforms the car.