S 63 AMG and CL 65 AMG fast approaching

One is a large luxury sedan with a finely tuned thoroughbred V8 and the other is an equally large, luxury coupe with an equally refined twin-turbo V12.

They are the S 63 AMG and the CL 65 AMG, respectively. The S 63 produces 386kW of power and 630Nm of torque. That's enough to shame most things on wheels -- if you exclude cars such as the CL 65, which produces 450kW of power and 1000Nm of torque.

The S 63 is arriving next month and the CL 65 is due the month after that (October). Benz claims that the 6.2-litre engine fitted to the S-Class model produces higher specific power and specific torque ratings than any other naturally aspirated production V8 in the world.

Top speed for the high performance sedan is electronically limited to 250km/h and the 0-100km/h sprint takes just 4.6 seconds.

Drive to the rear wheels is channelled through a seven-speed automatic transmission with three modes, 'Sport', 'Comfort' and 'Manual'.

The S 63 AMG is equipped with 19-inch alloy wheels, sports suspension with 'Active Body Control', a braking system and interior trim all supplied by tuner AMG. Standard safety and convenience features shared with other S-Class models include PRE-SAFE and DISTRONIC.

The price for the S 63 AMG is $349,974. For a measly $474,974, the Mercedes-Benz connoisseur can opt for the CL 65 AMG instead.

As for the S 63, the CL 65 is electronically limited to 250km/h, but will reach 100km/h from a standing start in just 4.4 seconds. The car will reach 200km/h in 13.3 seconds. Also in common with the S 63's V8, the twin-turbo V12 engine of the CL 65 is hand-built.

In keeping with other Benz V12 engines, the CL 65's torque peak is spread across a broad range of engine speeds, in this case, 2000 to 4000rpm.

We're expecting both cars will make their public debut at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney during October.

To comment on this article click