I’m torn between these 2 models as both are around the same price. Can someone give me the pro and cons of these vehicles and things I need to look out for maintenance wise.

 

On any of the 4.0 liter hot-V engines (all S-class V-8s since 2018) look for oil leaks in the spark plug bores and at the rear main seal.

 

What he said.

The 580 also has much better technology, the old COMAND infotainment is laggy and MBUX isn't laggy at all, although its a little bit buggy at times.

Do you value the performance of the S63? Personally its not for me so I would choose the S580. If you do value that performance and the special nature of an AMG I would get the S63. The 222 and 223 generations are both great, the 223 is more youthful and tech forward the 223 is more old school feeling.

 

What is the difference with the S580 AMG since it’s not an AMG engine?

 

Do keep in mind the Achilles heel of the S63 - ride quality. Between the 20 inch wheels and AMG suspension changes, this is not a nice riding car. If your roads are not perfect, think long and hard before committing to the S63.

 

An AMG without the motor is just an AMG appearance package used to make the car look more sporty. There are not performance or durability upgrades, just cosmetic.

As for the differences, you really are talking about 2 different experiences. I went through the same thought process a few years ago, but I didn't like the look of the W223 exterior, regardless of the appearance package. However, I loved the tech in the W223! But my decision came down to driving expereince and looks, so I bought a 2018 S63 with all the options. And I agree 100% about ride quality. The S63 is nice, but you will feel the bumps, and the suspension can feel jarring over abrupt road imperfections. And you have to learn smooth throttle application because of the wet clutch. But once you figure that out it will be no big deal.

went with the older S63 even though I LOVE the interior of the W223; I had a 2021 S500 as a loaner for 2 months back in 2022. Some people complain about the big screen on the W223; it looks worse in pictures and video than in person. I found myself using "Hey Mercedes" a lot so I rarely used the screen. It was safer, more convenient, and much more fun! One thing to note is the center dashboard vents casts a strong reflection on the middle of the windshiled in pretty much all conditions, I absolutely hated that! The image was so strong that it was difficult so see things to the right of the car. Also, be careful on the earlier years when you shop 21-22; that was during the chip shortage, so some features might not be installed even though they're technically on the build sheet. The guys on the W223 forum can tell you about the other problems.

My advice w3ould be to drive both version as much as you can. If you find them at a dealer, try for an overnight test drive, or at least for a few hours. If that's not possible, see if you can find one on Turo to rent for a couple days. It might cost you a couple hundred dollars to rent, but you'll learn a lot more about the cars. Might be hard to find an S63, but plenty W223s on Turo.

 

Its basically the same engine. An S580 with the AMG appearance package (like mine) or an S560 with the same package (which I had) is just the S Class with different bumpers and trim and wheels. An S63 has the higher performance AMG tuned version of the same engine, and AMG tuned suspension.

 

You need to make sure you're okay with those screens and total lack of buttons. I sat in one at dealership when they came out and wasn't super happy to dig into menus to do basic stuff. I have a 2016 with AMG package, love the things it adds, not sure I would have spent the $6k on it new. The AMG cars have a different maintenance schedule and cost a bunch more when you do the regular maintenance. so keep that in mind as well.

While I am not a fan of the "glued" on screens I would probably go with the newer car

 

The screens aren't an issue. There are no more menus to dig into than there are in the old car, the only difference is the buttons for the HVAC are at the bottom of the screen (and always there, you don't have to access menus to get to the HVAC controls that are buttons in the 222) vs physical buttons.

I wasn't a fan of the tacked on screens either, and still like the style of the 222 but I gave come to like the tech forward interior. It does feel like a younger persons car. I also have noticed my wife who never wanted to drive the 222 does enjoy driving the 223 for that reason.

 

I always try to tell people who don't have a background with performance models to first drive one for a bit. The M176 engine in the S580 and the M177 in the S63 are of the same engine family, but the latter receives AMG specific tuning and components for higher performance and is hand-built for those who care about that. But that's just the engine on paper. A regular Mercedes and an AMG have very different driving experiences. The AMG version of a Mercedes has many components replaced from the tires up. It comes with noisier and stickier tires, larger wheels, fatter and grabbier brakes, firmer suspension, more aggressive throttle map and transmission tuning and a wet clutch in place of the torque converter etc. This all adds up to increased NVH (noise, vibration and harshness). An AMG in Comfort mode is jumpier and firmer than a non-AMG in Sport+. It's essentially two different worlds. Mercedes-Benz and AMGs in my experience are also wider apart than the regular models vs the performance models from the competitors. For example, BMWs are naturally more sporty even as a non-M version, so the M cars just take it further and Audis are on the softer side and so are their performance models. The Audi RS models are more daily driving friendly than AMGs for example. It's always a question of how far the pendulum swings to either side and which side is more appealing to you, and also what you intend to use the car for mostly. As much as I love AMGs, they are not really city and commuter cars. They can be daily driven, but there are better cars for that. If however you are the kind of person who might just get into the car to hit up some fun country or canyon road with no particular destination in mind, then an AMG might be just what the doctor ordered.

 

Totally agree with the above.

 

AMG suspension pretty stiff, not really comfortable

 

This is a really good review, thank you

Personally I’ve always wanted an AMG and considering the 2020 AMG is essentially the last one, the resale value on them will hold unlike the S580 has. I’m actually looking to sell my 2017 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid that gave me no issues. So the S63 maintenance issues is actually giving me pause so I’ve been paying attention to Carfax and maintenance history.

But that interior of the S580 is really nice to me. Personally I’m 60/40 AMG leaning. I really wanted to know if it’s worth sacrificing the performance of the S63 for the elegance of the S580

 

The 2020 S63 is not the last one. There is a W223 S63.

Understand that either car will be considerably more to maintain than your Lincoln.

 

OP drive an S-65 if you itch for an AMG. If you want quiet, smooth an S-600. Find one with Carbon Ceramic brakes. For the sake of comparison. Magic Body Control makes for a very nice ride. V-12 is smooth, powerful. Bent-12 powered cars get all the goodies.

 

I don’t want an RWD vehicle

 

I feel like I should offer up a counterpoint to my post above because there are CERTAINLY reasons to pick the S63 over the non-AMG. First and foremost if you want to own a near-supercar that masquerades as a run of the mill MB large sedan, this is a solid choice. From a numbers perspective, this is a ~5000lb sedan that can pull over .9g of lateral acceleration while delivering 427 Cobra levels of straight line acceleration. The M157 BiTurbo S63 that I have has an identical 0-60 and 1/4 mile time (and trap speed) as the original Car and Driver test of the big 427 AC Cobra. And the later models are even quicker (especially the newest hybrid). I have driven my car hard on occasion and it's shocking how well this big car gets down the road. And it doesn't have to be a straight road either - it will dance through the curves if you grab it by the scruff of the neck and really push it. When it comes time to slow it all down it's not lacking in the braking department either. Those giant anchors just STOP the car, and quickly.

So, if you wanted to have a top-tier performance car without the sacrifices that normally go along with one, the S63 makes a very compelling choice. It has all the power I think I will ever need and tossing it into off ramps at 2x the posted speed never gets old :-). Its more hardcore than the big M/S sedans from Audi or BMW and I think that's the point. It's an AMG.

 

Its a super compelling car. Its all what a buyer is looking for.

 

All excellent points. All we know for sure is that he cares about maintenance costs and that he wants AWD. His desire for and AMG was aspirational not experential, meaning he wanted what he perceived to be the best, but not neccesarily desiring or valuing the performance. If someone doesn't REALLY want the performance, and is wary of maintenance costs, I think the obvious choice would be non AMG. Since specific option packages aren't super important to him, he has time to consider his priorities and choices.

 

you hit it on the head here

I care more about maintenance cost, AWD, and depreciation. I don’t think the S63 will depreciate as fast as the S580 especially with the recall issues of the 2021 and 2022 S580. Like I’ve said I’m 60/40 S63 but I really wanted to get some compare and contrast opinions for this forum.

 

I would prefer the S580, I have a S500

 

If you care more about maintenance cost you should avoid the S63. What about a W222 S560?

If you care about depreciation you shouldn't buy any S Class. The values tank like a rock.

 

Yeah, if maintenance cost and depreciation is the main concern, then need to stay away from German luxury brands in general. They are notoriously expensive to maintain outside of the warranty and generally don't hold their values with few exceptions. AMGs depreciate even faster, except for the Black Series cars, those have collector status. With a used AMG there is also always the thought that the previous owner drove it hard or not hard enough. On one side you don't want one where the previous owner used launch control every day, and on the other hand you don't really want one that has been babied, either, because these things are meant to be driven. The engine should be regularly revv'd, and things like the brakes need to be properly bedded and regularly get heat in them, otherwise they may start squealing. Many of the components in an AMG aren't really made to doodle around in 25 mph city and stop&go traffic all the time.

The M177 LS2 engine which is in the S63 also has known oil separator clogging issues that will cause the rear main seal to leak and is expensive to repair. It requires the engine to come out. The M176 is not safe from this, either, though. It seems to largely only affect the LS2 engine as due to packaging it has a different oil separator design than the LS1. Cars like the E63, GT63 4-door, G63 and S63 all have the LS2 and especially E63 owners seem to encounter this issue multiple times. Repairing it doesn't keep it from happening again. One theory I have is that it could be tied to frequent short distance and low rev driving such as is the case while commuting, making quick grocery runs etc. I don't even take my AMG out unless I know I'll be driving far enough for the engine to fully warm up and I can drive it spirited. I don't do stop&go traffic nor commuting, but mine has the LS1.

 

If maintenance and repair cost are a high priority, then the non-AMG car is a no-brainer. But keep it in perspective. Oustisde of the OVS/RMS issue and tires/brakes, the cost for everything else is pretty much the same...EXPENSIVE because it's a Mercedes.

Since he's considering used cars, depreciation really isn't a factor. He's actually buying cars in the "depreciation sweet spot" in terms of age. My S63 was $185K new, and I got it for under $75K at 5 years and 4 months old and 37K miles. The original owner lost over $2K/month to depreciation. I've lost something around $590/month to depreciation, if I say the car is worth 13K less than it was in the 22 months since I bought it, and that depreciation number decreases every month - the longer you own a car, the lower it goes. The monthly, and final, depreciation difference between the cars he's considering is negligible. Don;t we love first world problems...LOL

 

You could compromise and get the best of both worlds. A W222 S560 4matic with the AMG body package, that comes with upgraded brakes, a very comfortable ride, and looks much nicer than the generic looking W223. Then slap a performance tune on it via OBD port for less than $2k that could give it better than S63 performance. If the car has a warranty on it, then you just put the stock tune back on for the service appointment so as to not void the warranty.