The 621bhp V12 Mercedes S65 AMG Is The Classiest Way To Experience Face Contorting Acceleration

Imagine for one moment you want a stupidly quick Mercedes S-Class coupe. You could splash out on the ballistic S63 AMG, but perhaps the idea of that burbly 577bhp 5.5-litre V8 under the bonnet just seems a little uncouth. Happily, Merc has given us an answer to this decidedly first world problem with this: the V12-powered S65 AMG.

It’s a car we’ve been expecting; the AMG’d up S-Class saloons are already offered in V8 and V12 flavour, and the CL-Class that came before the S coupe came with the same choice. It’s a beast of a V12, too. With a twin-turbocharger arrangement, it belts out 621bhp and 738lb ft of torque, with power going to the rear wheels via AMG’s seven-speed ‘Speedshift Plus’ automatic gearbox. 0-62mph takes 4.1 seconds, a tenth quicker than the S63, while the top speed is the usual electronically-limited 155mph affair.

Like the S63, it gets the latest very clever suspension technology from Merc, which includes Magic Body Control and Active Body Control. The package includes a ‘curve tilting’ function, which actually leans the car into corners, ‘heightening motoring enjoyment and comfort.’ Clever, no?

The interior, meanwhile, is awash with lashings of leather and tech, and looks like somewhere you’d happily spend a very long time in.

As you’d expect, this doesn’t really come cheap. The S65 costs a rather substantial £183,065, before you start speccing pricey options like carbon ceramic brakes - a big increase over the £120k V8-powered S63. Still, by the looks of it, those who drop the best part of £200k on one of these won’t feel short changed with the sort of machine they’ll be getting the keys to.