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2015 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG Coupe

Conventional wisdom would dictate that adding more power and several key performance enhancements to an already very good car, like the 2015 Mercedes-Benz S550 Coupe, will end up equaling an even better car. In the case of the 2015 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG Coupe, conventional wisdom sort of applies, but perhaps not as much as we'd have initially guessed. We'll get into the nitty gritty details in just a moment, but here's the most immediate takeaway we had in our minds as we walked away from this super coupe: The S63 AMG is excellent, but so is the slightly more mundane S550 Coupe on which it is based, and which is priced some $41,000 less expensive than its more powerful sibling. Chew on those figures while we examine what differentiates the two S-Class Coupes. Drive Notes As expected, the single greatest highlight of the 2015 S63 Coupe is its engine. As a powerplant, it's a gem. As a hand-built engineering exercise, its 577 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque are just as impressive in real life as they sound when recited from stat sheets. Not that the old CL63 AMG was lacking in power, but the new S63 AMG Coupe boasts 41 more horses and 74 more lb-ft than the outgoing engine. The run to 60 miles per hour takes a scant 3.9 seconds, according to M-B, aided in no small part by the car's 4Matic all-wheel-drive system and other assorted electronic brains deciding where, exactly, all those ponies should be sent. The rear-biased system is tuned to send two-thirds of the engine's power to the rear wheels in a bid to make the car feel more like what performance-minded drivers expect. Top speed is electronically limited to 186 miles per hour, which is plenty fast enough, even in the days of 200-plus-mph sedans from M-B's former corporate cousin Dodge. We didn't get anywhere near the car's maximum velocity, but our brief trips into triple-digit territory were quiet, comfortable and completely free of drama. The seven-speed automatic gearbox responds quickly to requests of your right foot, but the steering wheel-mounted paddles don't change gears as quickly as we'd like when in Manual mode. Controlled Efficiency (which we'd call Comfort) maximizes efficiency, keeping the transmission in higher gears and shifting earlier than when in Sport mode, and we didn't find much fault with the computer's shifting algorithms in either setting.

Mercedes S-Class Magic Body Control ad is clucking awesome

This is a new ad from Mercedes-Benz. At no point does it show an automobile. Instead, it stars animals, but not the sort you might normally see in car commercial. This ad is all about chickens. It is bizarre, to say the least, with Diana Ross and the Supremes belting it out in the background, but it all kind of comes together when you realize just what Mercedes is hawking (yeah, pun intended).
It's for the manufacturer's Magic Body Control, found on the new S-Class. The system basically analyzes the road and prepares the suspension accordingly, leading to a ride that is, in the words of our own Chris Paukert "nothing short of spooky." You can read about it in our full review of the 2014 S550. Take a look below for the 53-second spot.

Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG coming to the New York Auto Show

Mercedes-Benz showed off the CLA45 AMG at a private event on the eve of the Geneva Motor Show, but was determined not to let it be photographed. We can talk about it, though - after all, a teaser image was released to promote the new Sony game Drive Club. The CLA45 AMG will use the same powertrain as the A45 AMG, which means a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with 360 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque. And that means a small four-door coupe sedan with the highest horsepower-per-liter in the segment. It will shift through the same seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, should also run out of speed at 155 miles per hour and have that three-stage stability control system.
As with its hatch sibling, the CLA is already so aggressive on the outside - and the parent company so anxious not to demolish the sedan's 0.22 coefficient of drag - that not much has been done to the cranked-up CLA. Even the rather thin tires on the standard only get a little less thin on the hotter variant. Inside will be the telltale AMG signs, with lots of red detailing and that flat-bottomed wheel among the giveaways. We'll know more later this month when the wraps come off at the New York International Auto Show.