Merc's Biblically Fast S65 AMG V12 Is More Powerful Than God

Big, brawny and high-tech uber-saloons don't come any more uber than the new S65 AMG

18 May 2015

Details of the all-new V12-powered Mercedes S65 AMG have surfaced today. They make for incredibly exciting reading, we're sure you'll agree...

Expect earthquakes from a 6.0-litre V12 with 630bhp between 4800rpm and 5400rpm, and 1000Nm of torque from 2300rpm to 4300rpm. Yes, that’s 1000 of Clarkson’s torques, although in English it’s 738lb/ft.

That’s a lot of shove. About 10 times as much as you get in small petrol biffabouts. Two turbochargers bolted onto the big AMG vee boost performance to biblical levels for a car that weighs more than the moon.

Top speed is limited to 155mph, but get rid of the limiter (if you can get around the software) and theoretically it’ll blast well past 200mph. Although it won’t, because the 155mph-rated tyres would have exploded by then.

The benchmark 0-62mph sprint is knocked flat on its back in 4.3 seconds: just about long enough for your brain to process the monumental kick your kidneys have just taken. This is just about the most ‘express’ of all gentleman’s expresses.

Most of the rest of the car is on the familiar side, with tech like Magic Body Control suspension that scans the road ahead and adjusts the damping characteristics before you actually hit bumps. There are drive modes to select for varying degrees of aggression or laid-back comfort from the throttle and gearbox, and more or less the same deal for the steering.

Big ol’ tyres at both ends will try their best to manage cornering and acceleration grip, with 285-section fatties at the back dealing with putting the power down. We don’t envy them.

For us the real crowning glories are the quadruple exhausts at the back, finished in the same bright chrome as the alloy wheels for that first impression that says "look at how much money I have, peasant." Those looking for a bit more subtlety can get rid of the chrome finishes at no cost.

This is about as bloody lovely as big saloons get. Can we have one for a long-term test, Mercedes? About 10 years should do it. After all, we're in no position to cough up the £160,000 this thing will cost.