Mercedes S63 AMG: Frankfurt motor show 2013

The all-new Mercedes S63 AMG has had its full unveil at the 2013 Frankfurt motor show. The sports saloon is the latest in a minor product onslaught from AMG, with four more models due in the near future.

The latest S63 gets Merc's now well-established ‘M157’ 5.5-litre twin-turbo V8 engine. In this guise, it pushes out 577bhp and 664lb ft of torque, monstrous figures delivering near-supercar performance, with a 4.4sec 0-60 time and the usual electronically limited 155mph top speed, this rises to 186mph with an optional AMG Drivers Package. Though it is £2760 - you have to be a committed autobahn user to justify the cost...

The engine is coupled to a seven-speed MCT transmission, and ESP is fitted as standard with ‘Curve Dynamic Assist’ – which effectively acts like a limited slip differential by braking the inside wheel during cornering. Official CO2 figures stand at 237g/km, meaning a combined fuel consumption figure of 27mpg.

There’s a new suspension system called Magic Body Control, which reads bumps and undulations in the road ahead, and adjusts the suspension to smother them with perfectly calculated damping.

Mercedes says that the latest generation S63 saves more than 100kg of weight over the previous model, thanks to lightweight forged AMG alloy wheels, lightweight lithium-ion battery (following on from the SLS Black series) as well as the £7090 optional carbon-ceramic brake package.

The S63 AMG will be available in both long and short-wheelbase guises, with an option of four-wheel drive in left-hand drive markets. The UK will be limited to the rear-drive long-wheelbase version. Mercedes has also hinted at an even higher tech future for the S63, with future models likely to benefit from hybrid technology, while a workaround to get four-wheel drive for right-hand drive S63s is also expected to lie in the future.

First deliveries will start in November 2013, with UK prices starting at £119,565.