The 2015 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe is a great car to look at and be coddled by, but performance isn’t really its thing. Enter AMG.
Completing the Mercedes big coupe line’s transition from CL-Class to S-Class, the S63 AMG 4Matic Coupe will be unveiled at the 2014 New York Auto Show next month.
At the heart of this luxury ballistic missile is a 5.5-liter, twin-turbocharged V8 similar to the one used in the S63 AMG sedan. It produces 577 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque – the same as the sedan, and 41 hp and 74 lb-ft more than the CL63 AMG this car replaces.
The engine is coupled to an AMG Speedshift MCT seven-speed automatic transmission, and a performance-tuned version of Mercedes’ 4Matic all-wheel drive system, with a standard torque split of 33/67 percent front/rear. Amusingly, the S63 also features an “Eco” driving mode and standard engine start-stop.
Another way to save fuel (and increase performance) is to make a car lighter, and that’s exactly what AMG’s engineers did. While it’s not a Lotus Elise, Mercedes says the S63 is up to 140 pounds lighter than the CL63, depending on equipment.
That still makes for a car that weighs around 4,400 pounds, but that fire-breathing V8 will accelerate it to 60 mph from a standstill in just 3.9 seconds. Top speed is electronically limited to 186 mph.
The S63 AMG Coupe also features Airmatic adaptive air suspension, so it should still have the cushy ride of its siblings should the drive desire it. With the pedal to the metal, though, Mercedes says the car will still be entertaining, thanks to model-specific tuning that includes a larger front anti-roll bar and stiffer subframe carrier for the rear axle.
Optional carbon-ceramic brakes will reign in the big coupe if things get too entertaining. They’re surrounded by lightweight 20-inch AMG alloy wheels.
Other than the sporty wheels, bystander will be able to tell an AMG from a normal S-Class by its more aggressive front fascia with AMG-specific grille and front-splitter. New side skirts, rear diffuser, and twin chrome tailpipes complete the look.
AMG has done a great job of integrating these elements into the S-Class Coupe’s sensuous design. The overall effect is that of a complete car rather than a hot rod or tuner version of the base model.
On the inside, the S63 AMG Coupe gets sport seats and an AMG steering wheel – in addition to all of the luxuries of a “base” S-Class Coupe.
The 2015 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG 4Matic Coupe will be unveiled at the 2014 New York Auto Show, which opens April 16, and will go on sale this fall.
It will launch with a special Edition 1 model, which features Magno Alanite Grey matte paint and LED performance headlights with embedded Swarovski crystals, among other things. Pricing will be announced closer to the on-sale date.
BYD has launched the third-generation Qin Plus DM-i in China, and the first thing that caught my eye is its price. According to CarNewsChina, the plug-in hybrid sedan starts at 79,900 yuan, which is about $11,980. That’s an incredibly low price for a brand-new car, especially by US standards.
What’s even more impressive is the range. The Qin Plus DM-i can drive up to 137 miles on electricity alone, which should cover most people’s daily commutes without using a drop of gas. Once the battery runs out, the 1.5-liter engine takes over. Thanks to its 17-gallon tank and roughly 91 mpg with a drained battery, the combined range reaches up to 1,423 miles.
Apple won the PC market’s worst quarter, but that’s not the entire story. It won the race by stumbling less than everyone else.
PC makers shipped just 57 million computers worldwide in Q3, which might look good, but it’s a 21% year-over-year plunge (via Counterpoint Research). And despite Apple’s Mac shipments falling by 11%, to 5.6 million, its market share rose from 8.7% to 9.8%. How did that happen?
Update (October 22 23:54 PT): In response to our query, GM clarified that offline recording support is already available on eligible vehicles. Like Tesla's Sentry Mode, it requires owners to connect a USB drive to save incident recordings, which can be viewed on the vehicle's infotainment screen. The upcoming Connected Cameras feature will build on this by giving owners remote access to these recordings via the revamped OnStar app, allowing them to check footage without walking out to their car.
General Motors has announced plans to add a new Connected Cameras feature to its OnStar service starting next year, giving drivers a way to monitor parked vehicles remotely and capture footage of certain incidents.