A lady ran a red light and t-boned / totaled my 2009 S550 recently. I know the new S comes out in few months but I can't wait that long and I don't like the round A/C vents in the spy photos.

Anyways, I plan to buy a car now but the price on a used 2010 S63 is same as a new 2012 S550. But the engines on S550 and S63 have changed from 2011 onwards.

2010 S63 = 518HP & 465 lb-ft
2012 S550 = 429HP & 516 lb-ft
2012 S63 = 536HP & 590 lb-ft

The torque on 2012 S550 is higher than 2010 S63. I look forward to your opinion about which car would be a better choice. I don't care about mpg.

Also, the S550 is sold as twin-turbo while the S63 is sold as Biturbo - any inputs on this would be helpful as well. Thanks.

twin turbo and biturbo, it's the same thing, just names. you said you don't care about gas mileage, and i assume you care more about performance? the 2012 s550 will still be a bit slower than the 2010 s63 i think, but overall it might be a smoother / quieter car because of the torque and the exhaust. if you get the s63, you have abc so that's better handling (unless you get the same option for 2012 s550 as well).

me personally i would probably go with s63. a bit more different, faster, more sporty, exhaust sounds good. but you will just need to make sure you are ok with that sporty aspect in a flagship sedan

btw, sorry to hear about the accident, i hope everyone is ok

I walked out with no injury and that's the reason I will only buy a S now. The dealer had loaned me E63 for couple of days and I got hooked so I will probably end up with S63. Thanks for the info on turbo.

you should look into tuning of the new S550's, with a simple tune you may be able to get over 500hp and over 600ft/lb or torque

personally i would go with the S63 i just got my cl65 i was choosing between a cl550 2012 or my cl65 nothing beats the 63 and 65 they are just amazing cars

What should someone expect to pay for a clean 2010 s63 at the moment? By the end of the year?

Really! Who does that tune? Dyno results... Sounds crazy. Link!

here you go
530 HP / 606 TQ for M278 Biturbo
http://www.renntechmercedes.com/www/node/699

So we are saying a 2010 s63 will be only a click faster than a 2012 s550?

if you just look at the numbers, it seems that a tuned 2012 S550 will be faster than a stock 2010 S63

Yes it is faster down low but not on the top end. I once owned the 2010 s63 and despised every mile I drove it. It always felt under powered and sluggish especially in the city. Not to mention the horrible gas mileage.

2012 s550 hands down!

I know you said you cant wait.... buttt.... just wait... seriously, IMO the new one is going to look amazing, judging from all the other new AMG's out now, the styling is just AHHHH

I'll throw my 2 cents in...

2012 S550 for sure. It's underrated by Mercedes, with dyno's showing the engine putting out significantly more than advertised.

If it's not fast enough, get a Renntech tune from a participating MB dealer and call it a day. Factory warranty with true sleeper status.

550!! then tune it