Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe 2018 Review

This is the life, roaring around the countryside in a V8-powered Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe.

Trouble is, I’m getting a bit confused trying to figure out all the various functions this thing is capable of performing.

Oh well, just sit back and drive it … oh it can do that for me too.

Benz has launched this first update of the C217 S-Class Coupe and A217 Cabriolet since they went on sale here in 2015 and 2016 respectively, just months ahead of the local arrival of BMW’s new 7 Series-based 8 Series.

There are new engines in the S 560 (which replaces the S 500) and the Mercedes-AMG S 63, as well as new tech and some new gear.

Oh yeah, the price goes down as much as $44,000! Mind you, the pricing starting point is still over $300,000, so percentage-wise it’s a less dramatic cut than it sounds at first.

We’ve gone into the various changes here across the six-model range of S-Class V8 two-door four-seaters.

But in a nutshell, the S 560 swaps from the S 500’s 4.7-litre 335kW/700Nm turbocharged V8 to a 345kW/700Nm version of AMG’s ubiquitous 4.0-litre biturbo V8.

The S 63 swaps from the 5.5-litre V8 turbo to a more highly tuned 450kW/900Nm version of the 4.0-litre.

Meanwhile, grandly sitting above the hubbub is the V12 463kW/1000Nm S 65. Now an engine in its dotage, it powers the only model in the range to climb in price, the S 65 Coupe.

Beyond the price list and engine bay there’s some new safety tech and comfort features, the most interesting of which is route-based speed adaptation.

Built into the active cruise control, it uses GPS to adjust speed for curves and intersections without the driver operating the pedals.

It’s not online right now, but if you buy an S-Class Coupe or Cabrio it will be retro-activated by Benz when the times comes within the next few months.

We got a brief sample of the Mercedes-Benz S 560 and AMG S 63 Coupes, both of which demonstrated that traditional Benz big coupe ability to plough disdainfully forward with little regard for their surroundings.

When I say big, I mean heavy. These cars weigh in beyond two tonnes – and these are rear-wheel drive, not all-wheel drive. And when I say big, I also mean, erm, big. Like 5.0m long and 1.9m wide.

Despite that these are cars that still get up and get rolling. If the drop in engine displacement has you worried, then relax because excess is still the name of the game. The S 560 comes on strong and the S 63 fiercely, the latter enjoyably revving to its 7000rpm redline.

The S 63 isn’t as smooth as the S 560, primarily because the AMG Speedshift nine-speed auto is more about cut and thrust than the latter’s nine-speed auto. But it’s all in character.

The disappointment is the lack of virility to the soundtrack. You can tell these things sound great with the exhaust opened up – especially the S 63 – but it’s a noise coming from far-off. Like a drag race being conducted a couple of kilometres away.

Sadly, tyre noise from the low profile 20-inch rubber (Goodyear Eagles on the S 560 and Contis on the AMG) isn’t quite so well damped out on coarse bitumen surfaces.

Get on to some winding road and the S 560 doesn’t do an especially good job of disguising its bulk. Its focus is more on comfort than cornering edge. It comes standard with Benz’s modestly named Magic Body Control that uses a camera to read the road ahead and prep the adaptive suspension for the rough stuff.

That’s in combination with Curve Control that tilts the car in corners and under brakes to make passengers feel more comfortable.

The overall effect places this car in cruiser territory. For two people and their luggage it would be a cool place to be for the drive to the holiday mansion.

I wouldn’t put anyone in the back seat for any distance though. For all its size this is a 2+2 rather than a true four-seater.

Obviously, the same cabin restrictions apply to the S 63. But beyond that the character of the two cars diverge. Eschewing Magic Body Control and rolling on AMG-tuned air suspension, it has an altogether more connected road feel.

Even in comfort mode there’s more intrusion from the road surface and more effort required to turn the steering wheel (although it’s still pretty light). Ramp up into sport or even race mode and the contrast becomes crisper, sharper and more intrusive.

The differences in focus are obvious, something the AMG’s aggressive new Panamericana grille warns you before you even get into the car.

While route-based speed adaption isn’t yet active in the S Coupe and Cabrio, we did get the chance to sample it on-road in one of the test cars.

It is a remarkable sensation to come up to a reasonably tight corner and have the car slow for you, go round and then accelerate back up to the pre-set speed.

In some circumstances, you can do it hands-free as well as feet-free. Autonomy is coming folks. But Benz is quick to warn that you have to stay alert and prepared to take over at any time.

This feature is just one of so many that intrude on the purity of the driving experience. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, but I realised during my drive of the S 63 that I was halfway round a 30km loop and still pressing and swiping buttons on the steering wheel trying to figure out what they do.

I hadn’t even got to the centre stack, console or Comand dial yet. So much can be tuned, altered, rearranged, recoloured and, in the case of the excellent Multicontour front seats, inflated or deflated — it boggles the mind.

I am sure a dealer hand-over to a customer could take hours… if you were actually interested in each and every feature.

In the end I found my seat positon, steering wheel position, instrument panel graphic and dynamic select mode and just drove the cars. Turns out they’re good at doing their job.

It’s not often a car company launches a car and takes up to $44,000 off the price. But then again, there are not that many cars priced north of $300,000!

But price cuts, new engines and new tech can’t disguise the fact the S-Class Coupes (and their Cabrio siblings) are an aged concept in the current automotive world, where SUVs and utes reign supreme.

If you’re one of the 100 or so buyers that Benz finds for its S-Class two-doors each year in Australia then that probably doesn’t worry you in the slightest.

Nor should it. As far as expensive, impractical and luxurious — yet impressive — cruisers go, it’s hard to imagine anything doing the job much better.

How much does the Mercedes-Benz S 560 Coupe cost?
Price: $314,900 (plus ORCs)
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V8
Outputs: 345kW/700Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel: 8.5L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 193g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: TBC

How much does the Mercedes-AMG S 63 Coupe cost?
Price: $370,500 (plus ORCs)
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V8
Outputs: 450kW/900Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel: 9.0L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 205g CO2/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: TBC