Overview

As extravagances go, the striking Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe is right up there with mansions, tennis courts and private aviation.

What we have here is a two-door luxury car based on the same underpinnings as the plush, tech-laden S-Class Saloon. That means it’s massive inside, with more than enough room for four adults. But since it hasn’t got that number of doors, it’s better-suited to just two occupants.

There’s a very smart interior and lots of tech to keep you entertained, along with genuine driving talent despite the car’s huge proportions.

Trio of models

Even the entry-level S 500 Coupe offers plenty of poke – the 4.6-litre V8 engine helps the car cover 0-62mph in 4.6 seconds – but the real performance versions of this car are badged Mercedes-AMG S 63 and S 65 Coupe, hitting 62mph in 4.2 and 4.1 seconds, respectively, thanks to twin-turbocharged AMG V8 and V12 power.

The cost of the S 65 is huge relative to the other cars in the range. But while that makes it impossible for us to recommend as a shrewd buy, there’s clearly a market for this sort of lavishness or Mercedes wouldn’t build it. Why stick with eight cylinders when 12 is available?

With this breadth of performance in mind, the S-Class Coupe’s rivals are many and varied. We’d suggest the Porsche 911, Aston Martin DB11 and the Bentley Continental GT are worthwhile alternatives, but you could also factor in the Maserati Granturismo, BMW 6 Series Coupe, Ferrari FF (now called the GTC4lusso) or even the F12berlinetta.

This is a rarefied by rich sector of the car market – in several senses.

Bursting with kit

There is a titanic amount of equipment on the S-Class Coupe, and rightly so since the S is the flagship of the Mercedes line-up. Standard fare here is luxurious, with usually extra-cost items such as a powered tailgate and a panoramic glass sunroof thrown in for the list price.

Of course, you’re also welcome to add more from the extensive list of personalisation options available, offering tech like night vision alongside headlights with crystals and tuition at a special AMG driving school.

There are drawbacks

Of course, no S-Class Coupe will be cheap to run. You can expect sky-high bills from the insurance company, for car tax and at local petrol station. But if you’ve got enough to buy the car in the first place then this probably isn’t a concern.

Facelift in 2017

At the Frankfurt motor show in 2017 a refreshed S-Class Coupe broke cover alongside its Cabriolet sibling.

The big news here is the dismissal of the S 500 engine in favour of an all-new twin-turbo V8. This 4.0-litre motor has 469hp and 700Nm of torque, and boasts claimed fuel economy of 35.3mpg. The S 63 also gained the 4.0-litre V8 from the AMG GT supercar in place of its previous 5.5-litre motor.

At the same time there were also minor styling updates, along with more driver assistance technology, including cruise control that can automatically adjust its speed for bends, junctions and roundabouts.

Like the latest version of the S-Class saloon, a new dashboard arrangement uses two 12.3-inch screens under a single glass cover, and the navigation system was upgraded for better voice recognition and mapping services.