General question to owners of the new S63 AMG. How is the ride quality and noise levels on highways? I have read mixed reviews about the new S63 amg regarding ride quality. Also how usable is the trunk (10 cubic feet)? I have a 22 EQS 580 and will take a blood bath on the trade-in but wanted to see if I should keep it for two more years till it becomes fully depreciated for uncle sam.

 

I love my 24 S63. I traded a 18 S63 so the ride quality was not a surprise. IMO the ride quality of 24 is better than 18. The trunk space is an issue considering I have 4D audio and a refrigerator. My only complaint is the lack of exhaust noise compared to the 2018 but replacing downpipes fixed that issue.

 

I have had several S-Class AMGs. I think the ride is fair at best, but probably what an AMG is supposed to have. If you are expecting "cushy" forget it. It feels a little rougher than past models to me. As for the trunk, yes, it's small. Getting two sets of golf clubs in there will be a challenge. One with all the longer clubs taken out works, but that's about it. Other than that, it's fun to drive.

 

Curious--Did you use a particular company to get your downpipes from? My '25 S63 should be built in March and the only concern I have with switching from my '19 S63 is the sound.

 

The is correct, AMGs even in S-Class form usually rides more stiff than competitors like bmw even, that is the characteristic of AMG.

 

Tire, tire pressure and wheel size obviously also plays a role.

 

I got downpipes from Redstar Exhaust. They have a short video on their YouTube channel which will give you an idea on the sound. I got the HJS200 with heat shield. One main advantage of these downpipes is that there is no Check Engine Light after install.

It made world of a difference in sound - the car is alive again. I ordered one for my 2024 GLS63.

 

While I have not driven the new W223 AMG’s I have driven all the previous ones and one thing I do know is that the AMG Model of a S Class will ride more firm compared to the non AMG Models. Not a bad thing. Just an observation.

 

Ya a characteristic for sure.

 

I’ve always wanted to buy an AMG, just for completeness, but couldn’t stand the firm ride. I’d be okay in any BMW M vehicle, but not an AMG. To me, it’s too firm that I can’t even stand it. Of course, that’s just my personal opinion…

 

BMW's M cars are not known for their cushy ride. I'd say a potential buyer would be sniffing at the wrong tree either way, if ride quality was near the top of their criteria. With both brands you see some who are happy to have bought into that kind of car, you also see those that can't wait to go back to something more softly sprung. In both cases you see those that liked the cars, but are still one and done.

IMO AMG and M are both examples of taking something that one step too far. Most buyers have no track days in front of them, and many will do little more than press the accelerator slightly further, on an on-ramp. In my mind, these cars would be better if they were slightly more forgiving. You then offer an S (AMG) and a comp (BMW) that go full tilt, for those people that are into that. No animals would be killed in the making of that movie, there would be happier overall buyers as a group, and they make more money because you'd move more of those higher margin cars.

But, auto manufacturers keep making the mistake of not checking with me during the design process, to their loss.

 

I guess in the GLS' case, getting the GLS 580, you get most of the experience : ) ?

 

Sorry am not sure I get what you mean. In all cases, my GLS is a GLS450 not 580. I bet the 580 would me more fun in Sport mode than the 450, but in my case It's a family road-trip cruiser, and for in-town, it's mostly our winter car and the spouse car otherwise most of the time when extra space is needed or when the X5 isn't available; the 450 was the right choice especially given some issues I disliked in the recent V8 (vibration idle, shifting, etc, nothing major but I don't want to deal with anything; wanted a perfect drivetrain especially when am coming from an X7) - hence was the reason to go with the GLS 450 instead of 580. As for my personal daily vehicle, it is still (and has always been) a sedan car, and right now this year it's the Alpina B8. Am happy with this Alpina B8, and speaking of the "experience", I feel am getting all the experiences in one (luxury, comfort, space, and ultimate performance). But, I also drove the GLS just last night with family (my first ride in it in a few weeks honestly) in the mid of snow visiting with friends 30 miles away. While driving, even coming from continuous BMW B8 driving, the GLS is actually very dynamic and responsive - it truly pulls very very well. Am impressed each time I get to drive it. Love the GLS, truly love it more than I thought I would. The touch screen, the well designed touchpad, the physical buttons, the dashboard design everything is just within a few inches from me, and the driver seat height and positioning is just perfect.

 

You said you want an AMG experience but don't want the stiff ride, the GLS 580 is a good balance of both is what I am trying to say in general although not true for everyone. Sorry for the confusion. Thanks for explaining your decision process with the 450 and 580.

 

I haven't driven an AMG GLS 63 before, but I'd expect it to be softer and much more pleasant to drive than an AMG S63 "sedan" though. As for the GLS 80, I am not quite sure that the GLS 580 is quite close to the AMG experience though; certainly fun to drive but not an AMG experience (just like the S580 vs S63; though I'd rather get the S580, it doesn't offer the AMG experience). This reminds me of the discussion of the X7 M50 and X6 M60; as someone who owned both, seeing owners in the BMW forum often claiming that this is a true M car experience (well, no that's not true)... you'll quickly realize that's not true the minute you test a proper M SUV like the X5M or X6M. Unfortunately there is no proper M variant of the X7; despite being equipped now with a real but detuned M-engine for the LCI. The same goes for the GLS; the GLS-63 is what you'd want for a proper AMG experience, not the 580 but I could be wrong. In all cases, I tend to value comfort much more than sportiness, which is another reason I've always been excited (and said that several times here) for an Alpina instead of proper M car, and been searching non-stop for a BMW M760 or B7, and recently got myself the Alpina B8. Comfort-Plus is my default driving mode in that car (probably am not the right driver for a car like that with 605 hp, but I appreciate it's ultimate comfort and suspension tuning that works both on the track and as a daily for in-town roads). In my GLS, our default drive mode is eco-mode, lol. So yes, I am a comfort oriented type of person but most cars am interested in are heavy and on the larger/longer side of things than smaller vehicles. I think the smallest vehicle I owned in the past 10 years was the 5-series followed by the Lexus LS. Everything else was larger/longer/wider..etc, so maintaining comfort limited be to a few options. Worst in comfort was our Lincoln Navigator (basically an F150 comfort level in a Lincoln dress!!)

 

Fair fair, the V8 in the GLS 580 is not meant to be sporty it is meant to be smooth and comfortable, low vibration and effortless acceleration. Different personality : )