SPY PICS: Mercedes-Benz S 63 AMG coupe and sedan

Mercedes-Benz is plotting changes for its range-topping AMG S 63 sedan and coupe variants and these Automedia spy photos give some clue as to what the refresh will comprise.

Essentially, and especially where the sedan is concerned, the visual changes will be relatively restrained.
The coupe, however, looks to be getting a much wilder AMG design.

Reading beneath the shape-disguising trickery applied to the front of the coupe, it appears that –while the basic elements will remain the same – there will be a new, bolder front apron, and maybe some changes to the grille.

The grille looks as if it might be pushed forward at the top into a more aggressive orientation and there's talk that the Mercedes-AMG GT R sports car has influenced the design.

As for the sedan, it's difficult to garner any details in the lower fascia area, although it appears the S 63 will be given a light brush-over with three, rather than four grille slats.

And while the rear end of the sedan test mule is free of disguise and looks to be identical to the current model, the coupe's taped-over rear end may indicate some minor changes are in store – even though the quad rectangular tailpipes appear to be intact.

Under the bonnet, it's expected a powered-up version of the 5.5-litre V8 will lift output from 435kW to 447kW, while all drivelines will likely be AWD, with rear-drive variants no longer offered. The 6.0-litre V12 S 65 AMG is in line for a power jump as well: it's expected the output will rise from the current 463kW to 485kW.

It's unlikely we'll see the new hybrid V12 accompanying these models but expect the new 12-cylinder donk to be a little friendlier to the environment with lower CO2 emissions.

Both sedan and coupe S 63 models will go on sale in Europe at the tail end of 2016. Australia could be expected to follow early in 2017.