Skip advert
Advertisement

Mercedes S65 AMG Coupe review

Range-topping S65 AMG Coupe costs £183,000 – but is it nearly £60,000 better than its S63 AMG Coupe baby brother?

Overall Auto Express rating

3.0

How we review cars
Find your Mercedes S-Class
Compare deals from trusted partners on this car and previous models.
Or are you looking to sell your car?
Value my car
Fast, no-nonsense car selling
Value my car

Ridiculous pace and effortless cruising ability thanks to the Mercedes S65 Coupe’s imperious refinement mean this sleek two-door serves up plenty of style and speed. You’ll be guaranteed exclusivity too, but at £57,470 more than the V8 turbo S63 Coupe – which offers 95 per cent of this car’s performance and status – it seems incredibly pricey. For those that can afford it, however, it likely won’t matter.

Advertisement - Article continues below

At the sharp end of the luxury car market exclusivity is important. Price isn’t as big a concern as image to super wealthy individuals, so if you’ve got money (and tyres) to burn and want a big two-door coupe with seemingly limitless power and plenty of prestige, the £183,075 Mercedes-AMG S65 Coupe hits the nail square on the head.

Mercedes S-Class Coupe review

Under the long, sleek bonnet is Mercedes-AMG’s hand-built twin-turbo 6.0-litre V12. It pumps out a healthy 621bhp with a deep, muted rumble – but what’s even more jaw dropping is the 1,000Nm of torque. It’ll officially sprint from 0-62mph in 4.1 seconds and hit an electronically limited top speed of 186mph - a dazzling turn of speed for a four-seat coupe weighing in at 2,185kg, but what’s even more impressive is its in-gear acceleration.

All that torque washes over you in a smooth wave, delivering an effortless surge even from as low as 1,200rpm. But in anything other than bone dry conditions the Merc struggles to put its considerable output down cleanly, with the ESP cutting in effectively to stop wheelspin.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement - Article continues below

Used - available now

A1 Sportback

2026 Audi

A1 Sportback

7,788 milesManualPetrol1.0L

Cash £17,300
View A1 Sportback
Sportage

2021 Kia

Sportage

34,282 milesManualPetrol1.6L

Cash £14,800
View Sportage
Juke

2023 Nissan

Juke

14,691 milesManualPetrol1.0L

Cash £15,200
View Juke
A-Class

2021 Mercedes

A-Class

61,763 milesAutomaticPetrol2.0L

Cash £14,800
View A-Class

Driving the rear wheels through a seven-speed automatic gearbox, in Comfort and Sport modes it slurs shifts nicely, but you can also choose the manual setting and flick up and down the box using the steering wheel-mounted paddles. It’s less responsive here, with a bit of a pause between paddle pull and gear change. But as the transmission is dealing with huge forces, it’s still nicely refined.

On the whole, the ride is the same. As you’d expect from a top of the range Mercedes, it’s packed full of tech with features such as Magic Body Control and a curve tilting function. The former uses a camera to scan the road ahead for bumps, picking up any road imperfections and tuning the adaptive air suspension ahead of impact. It means the S-Class Coupe’s body floats over ground where other big coupes might struggle to control their weight.

Advertisement - Article continues below

The active tilt function helps here, too, and makes the S65 feel surprisingly agile at moderate speeds given its physical size. Enter a bend and the car’s electronic brain will pump up the suspension on the outside wheels to ‘lean’ the car into a corner and help reduce roll. It’s difficult to sense it working underneath you it’s so smooth, but it means you can push the vast S65 through corners at speeds that would keep some sports cars honest.

But this isn’t a sports car, so keep this up and you’ll eventually find that the Mercedes runs out of composure and wallows around unnervingly. In the sportier suspension setting the 20-inch chromed AMG alloys can thump over expansion strips, while the ride can feel brittle if you work the car hard so it’s best to back things off and relax.

This is a luxury two-door, and with that huge price tag it comes loaded with premium equipment. Highlights include heated, ventilated and massaging seats, a digital TV, in-car internet access, a 24-speaker Burmester stereo, LED headlights set with Swarovski crystals, Merc’s dynamic cruise control with Stop&Go Pilot system – which will follow the car in front in stop-start traffic – and other luxury features such as double glazing.

Features like sat-nav, climate control and a 360-degree camera are neatly integrated into the sumptuously trimmed interior. The S-Class Coupe boasts a 12.3-inch widescreen colour display in the dash that controls the car’s core functions, while there’s another digital screen in front of the driver that’s configurable to show performance data on a special AMG-specific screen.

This hi-tech cruiser is great on long journeys, then, and is an able partner on a more spirited drive. But push even harder and it reveals its flaws – even as an AMG, this isn’t an agile coupe. If you’re after this blend of ability, you’ll be better off with the S63 Coupe.

Skip advert
Advertisement

Sean’s been writing about cars since 2010, having worked for outlets as diverse as PistonHeads, MSN Cars, Which? Cars, Race Tech – a specialist motorsport publication – and most recently Auto Express and sister titles Carbuyer and DrivingElectric. 

New & used car deals

Audi A3

Audi A3

RRP £26,295Avg. savings £2,499 off RRP*Used from £10,695
Vauxhall Corsa

Vauxhall Corsa

RRP £19,200Avg. savings £4,685 off RRP*Used from £14,998
Volkswagen Golf

Volkswagen Golf

RRP £24,625Avg. savings £2,763 off RRP*Used from £11,595
Hyundai Tucson

Hyundai Tucson

RRP £29,820Avg. savings £5,038 off RRP*Used from £13,266
* Average savings are calculated daily based on the best dealer prices on Auto Express vs manufacturer RRP
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Range Rover Sport SV gets massive £35k price drop as it enters series-production
Range Rover Sport SV Black - front

Range Rover Sport SV gets massive £35k price drop as it enters series-production

There’s also a new SV Black trim, and a Range Rover Sport Stealth Package for non SVs
News
1 Jul 2025
Arrivederci Roma: new Ferrari Amalfi slots in as brand’s latest entry-level model
Ferrari Amalfi - front static

Arrivederci Roma: new Ferrari Amalfi slots in as brand’s latest entry-level model

A slick new look and more power are the headlines for Ferrari’s new baby, but it’s probably some simple new buttons that will get customers’ attention
News
1 Jul 2025
Geely is coming to the UK, and its assault will start with EX5 SUV
Geely EX5 - front

Geely is coming to the UK, and its assault will start with EX5 SUV

Geely has looked to Lotus to ensure it's new electric SUV lives up to our driving expectations
News
2 Jul 2025