What is it?
The new Mercedes-Benz S560 Coupé is where the richer end of what could be considered the modern Mercedes-Benz S-Class sub-brand opens for business.
Because, these days, if you like the idea of owning and driving an S-Class but don’t like the idea of driving around in a stretched four-door limousine that looks as if it is on a permanent shuttle run between the airport and the nearest five-star hotel, you can have an S-Class Coupé or Cabriolet instead.
In previous years, Mercedes gave these high-end two-doors their own model nomenclature (remember the CL and the SEC before it?), but now it thinks the S-Class family "wants to be together".
And having just updated the S-Class Coupé range, Mercedes has neatly plonked this 560 model at its base. A direct replacement for the S500 turbo V8, the S560 produces marginally more power than its antecedent and the same 516lb ft of torque, despite only having 4.0 litres of displacement in place of the S500’s 4.7 litres.
That’s what you get when you replace a Mercedes engine with one made by AMG. The S560’s V8 is, after all, within a whisker of the same state of tune in which it powers a Mercedes-AMG C 63 super-saloon (making marginally less peak power but more torque), and it makes the rear-driven S560 good for 62mph from rest in just 4.6sec — with a brace of fully fledged, even-quicker AMG derivatives available farther up the range, should you want them.
The S560 comes with plenty of trimmings you’d have to pay extra for on lesser Mercedes models, such as Airmatic air suspension, a widescreen Comand infotainment system, Burmester surround-sound stereo, massage seats and wireless smartphone charging. And so while it comes in just above £100,000 at list price, you sense that Stuttgart is pitching the car as a more ‘reasonably priced’ alternative to a £150,000 Aston Martin or Bentley — and fairly convincingly so.
In addition to its standard equipment, our test car had 20in alloy wheels, a head-up display, a Burmester ‘high-end’ audio upgrade and Mercedes’ active hydraulic Magic Body Control suspension, the latter endowing the car with both ‘curve tilting’ active cornering and active ride functions.
Join the debate
Add your comment
Doesn't look great, too fussy
Doesn't look great, too fussy in the way that most cars are these days. I'm certain it will be excellent in both quality and capability but personally I'd far rather have a W126 560 SEC. Or a 560 SEL, 500 SE or whatever. I'd be forever glancing out the window to see it on my drive, which sure as hell wouldn't be the case with the new car. As I commented on another page recently, modern cars are making old cars look better and better.
Why not use the '53' powertrain instead?
I assume the only reason the 3.0 turbo mild hybrid set-up from the E53 AMG hasn't been used in this the new S560 is because Mercedes didn't want anything less than a 6 cylinder engine to feature in the S Class Coupe. Otherwise the combined outputs of the '53' set up is similar to the S560 4.0 V8 twin turbo engine but is far cleaner and more economical.
Saucerer wrote:
Meant to say anything less than a 6 cylinder engine! Why no edit facility Autocar? And why does your page keep developing errors recently, regardless of which internet browser I use?
Another overpriced tacky and tasteless Mercedes
The interior really is awful, being made of cheap materials while also looking tacky and chintzy. Classy, attractive and expensive looking and feeling it is not! And with the simply stunning looking and sublime quality interior of the new Bentley Continental GT, the S Class Coupe's really does look second best by miles and is a disgrace, especially at £100k, but then all Mercedes have an interior that falls well short of the standards set by their inflated price tags. Even the exterior styling of this S Class Coupe looks bling and tasteless, even more so compared to the Bentley. One day the Mercedes S Class family will catch up and be deserving of their price tag.