Mercedes-AMG S63 E-Performance First Look: Sharpest S-Class Gains Hybrid Tech

This is the Mercedes-AMG S63 E-Performance. It’s the most powerful S-Class ever and it has landed in India. Now if you are an AMG fanatic, you might remember the 63 AMG badge meant a full-fat 6.3-litre V8 under the bulging hood. But with changing times, 63 meant a downsized 4.0-litre V8. Now it's 2024, and the S63 badge is accompanied by a new suffix – E-Performance. This marks the era of hybridised AMG engines. This S63 is the second offering from Mercedes-Benz in India after the flagship GT 63 S E Performance 4-door Coupé and here’s everything you need to know about it.

Also Read: 2024 Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 First Look: More Loaded Than Ever

Mercedes-AMG S63 E-Performance: Exterior

What we have here is the Edition 1. While it will be available in limited numbers, it is the absolute apex of what AMG is capable of with all the optional extras. But before that, the newest thing about this S63 AMG is the face, because no S63 before this wore a proper AMG face. And by that, I mean for the first time, an S63 comes fitted with this AMG-specific Panamericana grille. Moreover, it doesn’t have a three-pointed star logo sticking out and leading the way. Instead, what you have here is an Affalterbach logo, which is a neat touch.

If you move lower down, you can see an aggressive AMG bumper but here it’s done in real carbon fibre as this one has the Night Package. Moving to the side you know this is not a run-of-the-mill S-class by seeing this V8 E-Performance logo. There are 21-inch wheels that look proper gangsta. More carbon fibre is seen lower down the side skirt.

At the back, the tell-tale sign of this S-Class’ sporty intentions is seen by those decorative quad-exhaust tips. Because, if you look closely, the real quad-exhausts are hidden inside but these look way cooler. And of late manufacturers are adding blue or green hue to their logo to indicate how eco-friendly their cars are, but not AMG. Because This S63 logo has sinister red accents in it.

Now this Edition 1 which is available in limited numbers is finished in Merc’s MANUFAKTUR Alpine grey paint, but there are eight other colour options available to choose from.

Mercedes-AMG S63 E-Performance: Interior

On the inside, it’s a proper S-Class affair here with all the goodies an AMG badge brings with it. So you have the S-Class steering wheel, but AMG brings in those two circular dial for drive modes which looks as if you are driving a proper race car. You also get carbon fibre finishers on the dashboard and Nappa leather all around. Of course, there’s the massive MBUX screen dominating the dashboard with more AMG elements thrown inside.

It’s the newest MBUX operating system with some additional features enhanced by AMG. Even the driver’s display has a special interface to integrate the AMG-specific settings. As for the two dials, one on the right controls the drive modes while the other is for suspension setup and exhaust tips – the former opening and closing the exhaust flap for a sonorous V8 rumble. A bit ostentatious, but cool, nonetheless.

And at the back seat, it’s a proper S-Class suite with ultra-luxurious seats, rear seat entertainment, this removable tablet, a separate zone for air conditioning, and the Nappa leather upholstery. On the flip side, although a standard S-Class has over 500 litres of boot space, this one has just 310 litres of boot space here. As the battery from its hybrid system sits underneath, the tradeoff is a limited boot space.

Mercedes-AMG S63 E-Performance: Powertrain

As mentioned earlier, its 63 AMG badge means there’s a thundering 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 underneath, but the E-Performance badge means there’s also an electric motor which produces close to 200 bhp and 320 Nm. The combined output then is over 800 bhp and more than 1430 Nm of twisting force. To give you a perspective, the Lamborghini Huracan makes 600 Nm and the Ferrari SF90 makes almost 800 Nm. If you combine those, this S63 is still 30 Nm higher. As a result, despite weighing around 2.6 tonnes, the S63 E-Performance can do 0-100kmph in just 3.3 seconds. And the top speed is electronically limited to just shy of 300kmph.

Mercedes has taken expertise from their Formula 1 outing to develop this V8 hybrid powertrain. Not just that, you can drive the S63 E-Performance in pure EV mode as well with an electric range of 33 km. This battery has an AC charging capacity of 3.7 kW. With so much power on tap, there’s also all the necessary hardware to keep those horses under control. So you have an active roll bar, active rear limited slip differentials, rear-wheel steering, carbon ceramic brakes, and also ADAS.

Mercedes-AMG S63 E-Performance: India Launch

The Mercedes-AMG S63 E-Performance will be launched in India on May 22, and we expect it to carry a price tag of around Rs 3-3.5 crore (ex-showroom). It will be launched alongside the newest iteration of the Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 flagship luxury SUV, which is part of Mercedes-Benz India’s model offensive for 2024. But coming back to the super sedan, to sum up, the S63 AMG E-Performance is a unique breed of car that can give supercars a run for their money, while at the same time chauffering you in utmost luxury. It is a mix that is rare to find and hard to resist.