Mercedes-AMG Used F1 and Hybrid Tech to Turn the New S 63 Into a Full-Size Luxury Rocket

Chris Teague
by Chris Teague

Nobody looked at the current S-Class and thought it needed more power. Nobody. “Need” has never been part of AMG’s vocabulary, however, unless it was something like, “this car needs to tear through the fabric of time and space.” That’s likely how we ended up here, with the 2023 Mercedes-AMG S 63.


As it did with the new C 63, AMG reached into the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 team’s toolbox for powertrain and electrification inspiration. Under the hood, a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 comes paired with an electric motor and an in-house developed battery. The system produces a staggering 791 horsepower and 1,055 pound-feet of torque and sends it to all four wheels through a nine-speed automatic transmission. Acceleration to 60 mph only takes 3.2 seconds, and the car tops out at 180 mph. 


The S 63’s batteries offer fast energy draw and a high power density, so they can be lighter while providing the same juice. Direct cooling draws liquid around all of the battery’s 1,200 cells to cool them individually, and Mercedes says the system helps maintain consistent battery temperature for better performance and service life. The automaker developed a new cooling system for the car and said it uses 3.7 gallons of coolant for the battery alone. 


AMG used a wet starting clutch in the nine-speed multi-clutch transmission. It’s lighter and more responsive than before and offers what Mercedes calls “emotive” shifts when the car is in Sport or Sport + mode. 


[Image: Mercedes-Benz]

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Chris Teague
Chris Teague

Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.

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  • Jeff S Jeff S on Dec 06, 2022

    I am going to assume the hybrid power train was more for boosting power than for mpgs.

    • Stuki Moi Stuki Moi on Dec 07, 2022

      It's far and away the simplest and cheapest way of adding specsheet "power". All the specsheet gladiators are doing it these days. Never mind it is all of the useless kind, for any car with ICE power much beyond that of a Prius. Big diesel sixes, is what makes sense for these big Autobahn sleds. For cars like these, it's range, and composure, and reserve power; at 130mph, which matters. Not 0-60 specsheet frivolities.



  • ToolGuy ToolGuy on Dec 07, 2022

    Nice torque figure.

  • Redapple2 Redapple2 on Dec 07, 2022

    1 Not an attractive car.

    2 0-60 in 3 seconds. Top speed 165mph. ( could not care less. I live in the real world. Suburbs. Where 80 % of my driving is lucky to allow speed limit drives now that pre covid traffic is back)

    3 Price will be silly

    4 Depreciation will be silly


    I know i m the odd ball so love it and enjoy it. I ll keep driving Toyotas ICE.

    • SPPPP SPPPP on Dec 07, 2022

      Looks way better than their "pure EV" EQE pseudo-AMG jelly-blob.


  • Analoggrotto Analoggrotto on Dec 07, 2022

    It's getting awful hard to tell these Mercedes apart from one another.

    • Corey Lewis Corey Lewis on Dec 07, 2022

      Thought this was a C-Class. The angle of the photo causes it to look too short to be an S.


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