What's the news?

Mercedes-Benz has released details of the new 585hp S 63 AMG that will debut at the Frankfurt International Motor Show in September. The 'iron fist in a velvet glove' will go on sale in the UK late in 2013 with prices and specification to be announced closer to that.

Exterior

Distinguished, but with discrete indicators to the S 63's potential appear to be the look the Mercedes-Benz designers were going for and it has worked. While a traditional upright grille remains it is joined by a front apron with three large air dams all of which are painted in in high-gloss black and display the stylised 'A' that is a characteristic of AMG cars. Motorsport inspired 'flics' around the air intakes optimise the flow of air while a silver chrome painted front splitter is claimed to reduce lift.

Beefy side sills give the appearance of making the S 63 AMG sitting closer to the road and they are framed by unique AMG forged light alloy wheels (optional). These wheels are lighter than traditional items therefore they reduce unsprung mass. As standard the S 63 will be fitted with 19-inch rims though 20-inch wheels are available from the options list.

A new version of typography has been used for both the 'V8 BITURBO' badges on the front wings and the S 63 AMG model designation on the boot. The new design is used to identify the S 63 as the top-of-the-range eight-cylinder model.

At the rear there's a black diffuser insert with trim in silver chrome and the two chromed twin tailpipes of the AMG sports exhaust system with exhaust flaps.

Interior

The newly developed AMG sports seats offer greater lateral support than before in addition to electrical adjustment, a memory function and seat heating for both driver and front passenger. The seats themselves are finished in perforated Nappa leather in AMG V8 design and with AMG badges in the front and rear seat backrests. Special touches include the embossed emblem on the armrest of the front centre console and an analogue clock, which features three-dimensional, milled metal hands and metal appliqués on the dial.

The AMG sports steering wheel features perforated leather in the grip area and aluminium shift paddles behind. The wheel sits in front of an AMG specific TFT display that shows two animated round dials with bespoke lettering and the needles in red/silver. The dials also feature the AMG logo in the speedometer with "V8 BITURBO" lettering in the rev counter.

Mechanicals

Like its rival in Bavaria, Mercedes-Benz has long dispensed with the notion of a badge being directly related to what is under the bonnet. Those expecting to find a 6.3-litre V8 will be disappointed, but the rest of us will not as with a power output of 585hp and 900Nm of torque the AMG 5.5-litre V8 biturbo engine is the most powerful member of the BlueDirect engine family.

Thanks to weight saving of 100kg (achieved by the use of forged alloy wheels, a lithium-ion battery - more about that later - and lightweight composite brake system) the new S 63 AMG has lower fuel consumption than its predecessor despite offering 41hp more. Depending on model - regular, long wheelbase or 4Matic long wheelbase - fuel consumption varies between 27.4- and 27.9mpg with emissions between 237- and 242g/km.

In addition to the AMG specific weight savings the S-Class also makes full use of aluminium with the entire outer skin, including the roof and the front end of the body, made from the material, while the spare wheel recess is constructed from carbon fibre. It should come as no surprise then that the 0-62mph sprint can be completed in as little as 4.0 seconds (4Matic model - short and conventional long wheelbase takes 4.4 seconds). As with most fast Germans the S 63 AMG is electronically limited to 155mph.

The AMG sports exhaust in the S 63 AMG has automatic 'logic-controlled' exhaust flaps in both rear silencers. When driving in "C" (Controlled Efficiency) mode, the flaps remain closed in most situations, leaving a more understated sound from the eight-cylinder biturbo engine. Engage either "S" (Sport) or "M" (Manual) modes however and the exhaust flaps open earlier. The result is claimed to be an even fuller, emotional engine sound.

Anything else?

Following the SLS AMG Coupé Black Series, the S 63 AMG is the second AMG high-performance model to replace the conventional starter battery with a lithium-ion item. With a capacity of 78Ah, the lithium-ion battery replaces both the starter battery and the backup battery - resulting in a weight saving of over 20 kilograms. The S 63 AMG is the world's first volume produced vehicle (if you can call an S 63 AMG a volume car) with this type of battery set up.