Me likey very very much the sound of this....

"AMG is writing another chapter in its "AMG Performance
2015" drive system strategy: a completely newly developed AMG 5.5-liter
V8 biturbo engine with a peak output of up to 420 kW (544 to 571 hp) and
maximum torque of up to 900 newton metres will enter the lineup in
summer 2010. The new eight-cylinder unit known internally as the M 157
impresses with a wealth of technological highlights such as direct petrol
injection with spray-guided combustion and twin turbochargers...."

http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsAr...llCars/247829/

http://www.mercedes-amg.com/privatel...ad.php?t=16172

 

We're not worthy! We're not worthy!

 

That is a very exciting news.
Too bad V12 TT will be gone, replaced by V8 TT.
I guess, I'll switch from very good cigars to very good cigarettes...

 

Not enough torque for 65 addicts; an MCT gearbox w/unknown reliability (esp vs 600+lb-ft) and a likely plastic interior...and a likely ~$175K price w/030 option

Been told '11 CL65 builds start in Sept, so 65 addicts will have V12s to enjoy for foreseeable future, esp given Fiat and VW keep upping the horsies on their tq-free 12s...

 

65 series with it's antique 5speed transmission belongs to a museum ,it is way past it's prime.
Should've been replaced already,the new S63 with torque and power very close but with much better engine refinement and significantly lower weight over front wheels will run circles around geriatric V12 TT.

 

Wow, dude pass over some of whatever you are smoking

Sounds like you've never been near a 65...

 

100%
Let's call absent comments...wishful thinking.

 

Pulling WSH's chain.
I've never been near 65 ??
Funny.....
On a serious note,I really would not be surprised if the new S63 outperformed S65 (with optional performance package) being lighter and having a much faster and more efficient transmission.

 

@absent: not to mention the added traction, if the rubber from the show car makes it into the Performance Package option list. 325/30-20 inch rears.

 

That's some pretty serious rubber but I doubt it will make it to production...

 

Other than in straight line on a really long track, this new S63 will be a vastly better car than the S65. Better handling, better consumption, light-years better gearbox, and cheaper. The 65 cars are on their way out. Sure they have more power and torque, but this new V8 is going to have tuner versions popping up all over the place with more power than the S65 and in a lighter package. I'd bet that the new S63 with the 571hp option will be faster than the S65 too. S65 has no advantage over this new turbo V8 S63 other than sheer (but empty) bragging rights about its cylinder count. Now why they aren't going to back to S55 AMG is beyond me. Maybe MBUSA will change this for our market.

M

 

I believe the S65 will still be around and I'm sure that MB has something in the works to make it more powerful and fuel efficient! We may end up seeing a S65 with a V10 that offers increased HP and refined fuel efficiency in a smaller package. Just a thought! But in any case I don't believe the S65 is going anywhere.

 

I do hope you are wrong. 12 cylinders is absolutely not bragging rights... the smoothness and mode of power delivery is a totally different feeling to a V8.. (And I came from an E55) I would not want to go back to a V8 which feels crude by comparison.

Being brand new this new V8TT should narrow the margin with the older V12 S65, but the better answer is hopefully a new generation V12.

Chris

 

I'm pretty sure absent has owned some 65 AMGs in the past.

 

Yeah I get that, a V12 is going to be smoother, its the smoothest configuration possible, along with a good I6, but Mercedes' V12s are just plain old, and the gearbox attached to them are beyond old. I would like to see a new V12 too, but the time may not be right for one. All the environmental nuts and Mercedes lack of funds for such things may prevent it, at least for now. That said I can't see Mercedes without a V12 of some sort considering all their competitors have 12-cylinder engine. BMW, Audi, Bentley, etc. all have V or W12 engines. Mercedes won't be absent from that field, but its time for something to be done with the current V12, both the regular and AMG versions. This new AMG V8 pretty much obsoletes it on, at least on paper.


M

 

Yes the M275 is 10 years or so now... but "old" does not mean it is uncompetitive or time-expired. Old can also mean well understood and well tested. I know the knowledge of having under your hood the highest tech engine conceivable is cool... but in the end all that matters is does it perform as expected... really the current unit pretty much does everything you can want. It is not as if steam is coming out of its "oldness"... It is still more powerful and torquey than pretty much anything else (or can be tuned to be so) and it is really a testimony to what an extraordinary job MB did with this engine. It was ahead of the curve in 2001 and still is competitive IMO. As for the 5 -speed gearbox, the V12's power margins, torque, and linear power delivery is such that you could probably get away with 3 gears... :-) And I can still get 21 mpg on the freeway!

Chris

 

The problem with any of that is that this is Mercedes-Benz and their top of the line car should have their latest and greatest or at least something close to it. No one is saying that the V12 is uncompetitive, only that it is time for an update. If the tech doesn't matter in a 100K+ Benz then there are much cheaper ways to get speed. Speed with a pedigree is the point of an AMG Benz. The V12 should be the grandest of them all, but it isn't. Both AMG V8s outclass it badly tech wise. Honestly there isn't anything extraordinary about the AMG V12 beyond its hp/tq figures. Tech wise, a SOHC, 3-valve design stands out like an old sore thumb next to the all DOHC, 4-valve designs of the rest of the MB lineup. Its the same old tech that Mercedes was promoting for the 1998 model year V6s and V8s.

Sure its tried and tested, both the engine and the gearbox, but now its just plain old as you'll see when the new S63 hits the ground this summer. A new V12 is in order.


M

 

No argument from me - I would love to see a new V12. Merely stating that old does not mean uncompetitive on the road in everyday driving.

Chris