I'm looking into buying a w221 s-class amg soon and can't decide between a 2008/2009 S65 and a 2011/2012 S63. I have researched both in depth and have different reasons to buy either one.

The S65 obviously has the amazing and rare 6.0 turbo v12 that i think is probably one of the best sounding engines ever. Also, after reading reviews I've heard that since it's based off the S600 rather than the S550, it has higher quality interior compared to the S63 as well as the amazing diamond stitching (only after M.Y. 2007 and the biggest reason i would buy the 65). The downfall is that it has the slow 5 speed gearbox and the exterior styling is not updated like the 2010 and on's.

The S63 on the other hand has the fancy new and very fast 7 speed mct transmission that i would constantly be using in manual mode because of it's abilities (this is the main reason i would by the S63). The new 5.5 biturbo v8 can also be ecu flashed to be even more powerful than an s65. Also it has the updated exterior styling with the much cooler head and tail lights and the new more aggressive fog lights. The problem is that it doesn't have the diamond stitched and higher quality interior. I've also heard that the new mct transmission is not that smooth around town.

I've not driven either so I am really looking for some advice from people who have driven both the S65 and The 5.5l (not the 6.3l) S63. Is the slow transmission really a burden in the S65 if your driving hard? How do ecu flashes affect the new m157 engine long term? is the 7 speed mct gearbox actually really good or is it just not smooth? Finally, what would you choose?

I'm looking for each with around 30,000 to 40,000 miles and planing on spending around 70 to 80 grand.



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2003 w220 S430 4matic

 

Same dilemma I was facing a few months ago. i ended up with a 2010 S63 but I test drove all of them. Ended up choosing the 2010 because is was 20K less than the 2011 and I couldn't justify the extra cash for essentially the same car with a different engine and slightly less power/torque. All of the S class AMGs are superb cars. The S65 would always be my pick (rare as hell, amazing torque and virtually unchanged throughout the life of the W221). The 5 speed tranny isn't an issue at all and is the only one that could handle the torque. The 2011 S63 has an amazing motor with tuns of torque as well. You can't go wrong with either. For your budget you can get pretty much the nicest of them just make sure you get a warranty (I got a 3 year CPO), especially with the S65. Some say that the S65 isn't a good DD but I would disagree. Get the one carmax has in FL and throw in a 5 year warranty.

 

I'm a great fan of V12 engines myself, but don't forget that the 2010 cars had improved ABC suspension. Its usually advertised as crosswind stablization, but the real benefit IMHO is variable roll moment distribution. Either way, it gives the suspension system better control over yaw.

Nick

 

The 5 speed is infinitely more reliable than the 7G-tronic POS.

 

Love my 08 S65! Believe it or not, I had the same dilemma as OP, my 08 VS an 11' S63 with the M157 engine. Although the 11' has a more modern look compare to my 08, but the diamond stitching & the V12 engine won my heart at the end. I too have put 2 extra years of CPO onto the car on top of the 1 year, but later on I found out that these engines and cars are so reliable that they don't really need any, oh well......