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Given the crazy year, working from home and diving the other vehicles, my S63 coupe has sat quietly waiting for use.
I realized i hadn't driven it in the last 3 or 4 months.
Good God it is such a spectacular vehicle. such quiet competence in every regard.
Reviving this old thread as I'm going back and forth between 63 and 65 and you've had extended experience with both. I've driven the S63 but not yet the 65 as they're so rare.
Use case for the car will just to have a 4 seater convertible for the Northeast for Spring/Summer/Autumn - no 4WD needed. Other cars I have are for sporty driving so don't need this to be sporty.
I'm leaning to the S65, as it's a bucket list car.
The experience difference is 50 +/- horsepower and 100 +/- torque (my opinion) and like yourself I wondered the same, so soon after getting the S63 I found the S65 and have them both.
You know the 63, so let’s chat about the 65 – this motorcar puts down the torque effortlessly and when you want to pass and or drive with spirit, step on the accelerator and you will accelerate quickly.
Technology and suspension systems differ with air for 63 and hydraulic for 65, the 65’s ride is more refined as it is aided by technology to ensure your pleasure while driving. At idle after reaching temp the 65 is just as throaty as the 63 with a heavier base tone.
Having driven both to/from the Carolinas and California the 63 would be preferred due to 4Matic to better deal with random weather events – the 65 gets a little tail happy when in heavy rain whereas; the 63 didn’t mind so much.
I hope this helps.
Keep driving what you like and enjoy them all when you can.
Last edited by Big City NC; Apr 29, 2024 at 10:31 PM.
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughtful feedback. I loved the pictures - both great colors.
I've got my mind set on the 65 and can always switch to a 63 if needed. I think I'll regret not trying the V12 for a while.
Jeez Big City, you own both a 63 and 65 coupe, wow.
While I haven't driven the S63, but have on the SL63, my suggestion on the 65 is that you buy the 65 because you want the 65. Overall, the 63 might possibly be the "better balanced" car. The engine and transmission work pretty well together, whereas (in my opinion) the V12 engine and transmission still has a few gaps where it's just not a perfectly smooth match in all of the different map scenarios. It is pretty sweet though when you're in the V12 and you're idling and you feel ZERO vibrations.
The V12 is definitely very loose in the rear end, all the time. (perhaps I need new tires). The hydraulic suspension is also incredibly nice, all the time. The 65 also has all of the extra little features, including small items like the swarovski headlights.
In the end, you buy the V12 because you want the V12. If you just want a beautiful, luxurious, fast, and wonderful car, go 63. If you want the V12, you go V12.
We need to make sure you have the correct facts for what you are buying. The pre-facelift S65 coupe has the MBC suspension, the pre-facelift convertible has the AMG Adaptive Sport Suspension based on AirMatic. We own a 2017 S65 Convertible. The suspension is far better than the version of AirMatic on our E63S, but a little short of the MBC on our W222 S65 sedan. We have no objections to the ride or handling. The S65 convertible got MBC with Curve function, post facelift in 2018 and 2019. Good luck finding a post facelift A217 S65, I spent 6 months looking and gave up and bought the 2017.
The catalogs are all online at www.auto-brochures.com/mercedes-benz.html.
One major difference between the S63 and S65 is the transmission. The S65 uses a torque converter rather than the SMT design. It is far smoother, except under hard throttle the shifts are not noticeable. The transmission has the Speed Shift technology so it shifts as quick as the SMT but there is a little more loss in the torque converter.
The best tires for the S65 are the Michelin PS4s tires. On my SL65 I upsized the rear tires to 295/30-20's from 285-30's, it was a good traction improvement. The SL65 has a locking differential (the A217 S65 does not) so it can jump sideways quickly with both tires breaking loose and no traction control interference. The 295's helped reduce this as well as better launch traction.
After 2018 facelift the S63 increase in power was substantial. Thus in 2018 and 2019 fewer s65s were sold. I have A 2019 S65 coupe and was told only about 42-45 of them were sold in 2019. Not sure how many in 2018 but probably not that many either. I concur tha the s65 coupes are fantastic. If you can find a clean, well maintained specimen grab it. While the post facelift version has many improvements, the pre facelift versions are amazing to drive as well.
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