2019 Mercedes-AMG S65 Sedan Performance

The S65 Sedan defies the rules of physics. A circa 5,000-pound car shouldn't be able to move with such force, yet it does. How has Mercedes-AMG accomplished this? It's straightforward really; all they did was drop a hand-built V12 engine into the massive cavity that lies beneath the hood. With enough power, you can achieve anything. Set up the S65 for maximum attack, and it will deliver a zero to sixty time of only 4.1 seconds; that's as fast as a Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale, in a car that can host a small party, DJ included. In-town driving is a pleasure, as the S65 seems to deliver power anywhere in the rev range, and in any gear, and once on the highway, there's very little in its class that can match its in-gear acceleration. Put simply, the S65 is obviously a fast car, but it's in the way it delivers its power with such grace and tactfulness that truly astounds.

Mercedes-AMG doesn't cut corners, especially when it comes to the heart of their German muscle cars: The 6.0-liter twin-turbo V12 engine that lurks beneath the hood of every S65 Sedan is assembled by hand by an individual technician, who takes the utmost care in ensuring that the tightest tolerances are achieved. A total horsepower output of 621 hp might not sound that impressive considering the fact that $60,000 Hellcats make much more than that, but the secret to the S65's towering performance is the fact that it has 738 lb-ft of torque available from only 2,300 rpm. Power is channeled to the rear wheels exclusively (an all-wheel-drive system wouldn't be able to handle all the torque) via an AMG Speedshift seven-speed automatic transmission with steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters. The older generation seven-speed transmission was chosen for its ability to manage the mountains of torque on offer reliably and it does a convincing job. Power is seamlessly transferred from the engine to the wheels in one continuous rush of power, perfect for a luxury car whose main job is to keep any jarring sounds and movements out of the picture.

What do you get when you drop a twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter V12 into a 5,000-pound road yacht? Expensive bills. The 2019 Mercedes-AMG S65 Sedan doesn't have to pretend to be economical, and with a figure of 13/22/16 mpg city/highway/combined, you're sure to make good friends with your local gas station employees. BMW's V12 powered 760i xDrive with an even larger, but less powerful 6.6-liter twin-turbocharged V12 will suck down a matching 13/20/16 mpg, while the lighter and less powerful Mercedes-AMG E 63 S Sedan will get 15/23/18 mpg. With a 24.3-gallon gas tank accepting only premium unleaded, you can expect a mixed driving range of 388.8 miles.