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Thursday, August 17, 2006
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2007 Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG Review
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Here is a great review from Edmunds Insider Line about the all new 2007 Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG.
During the Mercedes press conference, company officials talked up the new GL-Class SUV and extolled the virtues of the new E320 Bluetec, the cleanest-ever diesel sedan. But no one said a word about the 2007 Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG, even though it was the first time anyone outside Stuttgart had laid eyes on it.
Maybe it's because the S65's engine is a carryover. A 604-horsepower, 6.0-liter, twin-turbocharged, hand-built V12 carryover. It teams up with a sport-calibrated five-speed automatic transmission to deliver a crushing 738 pound-feet of torque to the sedan's 20-inch rear meats, the largest factory tire size ever offered on a Mercedes-Benz.
Or maybe it had to do with the fact that even with the aerodynamic improvements on the redesigned 2007 S-Class, there's no way the S65 will escape a gas-guzzler tax, hardly something to bring up during a press conference that focused on lowering emissions and raising fuel economy.
Of course there's a payoff for the S65's thirst. Mercedes estimates it will take the sedan just 4.2 seconds to reach 60 mph, making it almost a second faster than the '07 S600 and the quickest luxury sedan on the planet.
We've been impressed by the handling of the new S550, but we expect the AMG version to take this large sedan's dynamics to a higher level. Mercedes' Active Body Control (ABC) active suspension is standard, and Mercedes reports that the AMG engineers have modified it to reduce body roll by 68 percent over the standard, non-ABC S550. Hit a button on the dash and you get an additional 95-percent reduction in roll.
Take a walk around the S65 and you'll appreciate the greatness of its braking hardware. The perforated discs are huge, measuring 15.4 inches in front and 14.4 inches in rear. Eight-piston calipers clamp down on the front discs, four-piston calipers on the rears.
Look for the S65 AMG to show up in late June or early July, says Rob Moran, manager of product and technology public relations for MBUSA, with a price tag of about $190,000. That's about $20,000 more than the 2006 S65 cost, but as on the 2007 S600, every major bit of equipment should come standard.
What's Edmunds' Take?
Without an M version of the BMW 7 Series to battle, this car's only real competition is the 552-hp Bentley Continental Flying Spur, and even it falls short of the S65's performance. Mercedes remains the undisputed king of ultraluxury, ultrapowerful sport sedans.
These are the first ever factory 20-inch wheels on a Mercedes-Benz. The show car wore 20-inch Pirelli P Zeros measuring 255/35ZR20 in front, 275/35ZR20 in rear.
Rich walnut lines this cockpit, while S65s with lighter interiors get chestnut. Sport seats are standard and Mercedes says they're an all-new design with firmer contours and higher bolsters.
A lower-clearance front fascia with honeycomb mesh inserts and reshaped foglamp units immediately distinguishes the 2007 Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG from the regular S-Class sedan.
That's a carbon-fiber cover over Mercedes' biturbo V12, an engine capable of 604 hp and 738 lb-ft of torque.
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posted by Muamer Hodzic @
8/17/2006 01:50:00 PM
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