2015 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG Coupe C217

Rare is the vehicle that can deliver crushing speed, luxurious comfort and technological wizardry in equal measure, but the S63 AMG Coupe has that specialised brief nailed

It’s what’s hiding under the flowing bonnet that remains the S-Class’ piece de resistance. The 5.5-litre V8 engine is a powerhouse and reminds the greedy among us that we can have our cake and eat it too. Utilising bi-turbo technology, it cranks out a whopping 430kW and 900Nm

The engine is backed by the AMG multi-clutch seven-speed transmission, and there’s a subtle improvement in fuel economy with the ADR combined figure down to 10.2L/100km. The heavyweight coupe gets from 0-100km/h in 4.2 seconds.

The cabin is stunning. It’s both beautifully designed and executed. Sumptuous leather, polished alloy, subtle gloss poplar wood trim, every element is finished to perfection. The front seats somehow manage to feel both comfortable and sporty.

From inside the cabin, the coupe’s second unique feature is immediately visible. The panoramic glass roof — with what Mercedes Benz calls ‘magic sky control’ — lets a great deal of light in with the curtain retracted, delivering an air of space to the otherwise compact cabin.

Press the start button and the AMG fettled V8 barks to life and settles into a menacing idle. It’s quiet on the move though, never outlandish at city speeds either, with little hint to the nastiness of the power that lurks with every prod of the right foot. This duality of character remains central to the appeal of any AMG model.