2019 Mercedes-AMG S65 Sedan Safety and Reliability

The 2019 Mercedes-AMG S65 Sedan has not been tested by the NHTSA or IIHS. As a low-volume car costing well over $200k, safety rating agencies tend to avoid smashing them up. What we can say is that with the massive amount of safety tech on board, the S65 should prove to be a seriously safe car to drive, and its smaller sibling, the E-Class, recently scored a Top Safety Pick Plus award from the IIHS, so there's that too.

Being the top of the range model in the S-Class range, the S65 comes with more active and passive safety features than anyone would care to know about. The list that Mercedes-AMG provides is a long one, starting with active brake assist, driver attention assists, and electronic stability control with crosswind assist. Predictive braking with brake priming ensures that the S-Class is prepared for impact before the driver even has a chance to react. Nine airbags keep the occupants relatively comfy during a serious crash. Active driver assistance tech includes lane keep assist, semi-autonomous parking assist with cross-traffic alert, as well as dynamic steering and distance control, evasive steering assist, and rear collision detection and prevention. Route-based speed adaptation and a surround-view camera are a few others mentionable. The headlight system on the S65 Sedan is a whole story in itself: The LED headlights feature ultra-wide beams with adaptive beam assist and include LED daytime running lamps and auto on/off functionality.

Mercedes-Benz's most powerful S-Class model is a reliable beast according to the NHTSA, which claims that over the past two years, the S65 range of cars has only been recalled twice, once due to an issue with the lane keep/lane-departure system and the other for active brake assist potentially not engaging. A J.D. Power score of 87 out of 100 backs up the sentiment of reliability. Mercedes-Benz backs the S65 Sedan with a four-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which includes corrosion, drivetrain, and roadside assistance for the same time/distance. BMW offers a better warranty by backing the 7 Series with a 12-year/unlimited-mile corrosion warranty, as well as a three-year/36,000-mile maintenance plan.