Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG - for when power doesn't corrupt absolutely

The British historian and moralist, Lord Acton, once famously said “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”, so one wonders what he’d make of Mercedes twin-turbocharged 12-cylinder S65 AMG, now with 621bhp (up from 603bhp).

This is the third-generation model based on the new S-Class, which will go on sale from April 2014, priced from around £160,000. The S65 has been with us since 2003, with the second generation (V 221) being produced between 2006 and 2013.

It continues to be the world’s most powerful series-production saloon – it’s also conspicuously self-indulgent in a world where cars (although not super-quick limousines) achieve more than 50mpg and emit less than 100 g/km of CO2.

If you must ask, the S65 AMG achieves 23.7 mpg and 279 g/km, although you’d have to be driving like a saint to regularly achieve this… and what would be the fun in that? Mercedes say it’s “the world’s most fuel-efficient V12 high-performance saloon”, which is a bit like saying Ivan the Terrible was a nicer bloke than Genghis Khan.

If you’d like to own an S-Class, while maintaining good social conscience, there’s always the S 350 Blue TEC which delivers 0 to 62mph performance in 6.8 seconds, will reach 155mph and yet still manages 51.4mpg and 146 g/km of CO2.

The S65 AMG is the very antithesis of the Blue TEC Mercedes, it’s also a very different kind of car to drive.

For a start there’s 1000Nm (737lb-ft) at the driver’s disposal, which makes it a wonderful tool on our increasingly crowded roads – acceleration is delivered in a singular seamless rush, making it a wonderfully relaxing vehicle to drive.

Of course there’s also the S63 AMG, powered by a 5.5-litre V8 and producing 577bhp and 900Nm of torque. It’s a little slower to 62mph (4.4 seconds versus 4.3 seconds) and a little more frugal (28.0 mpg and 237 g/km), but Mercedes are confident the S65 is worth the additional £40,000 over its AMG sibling.

As in the SL65 AMG, the engine is mated to AMG’s Speedshift Plus 7G-Tronic seven-speed automatic gearbox, replacing the five-speed fitted in the previous S65 AMG. The new box features three driving modes including Sport (S) and Manual (M) and Controlled Efficiency (C), while an ECO start/stop function is activated in transmission mode “C”.

Like the S63 AMG, the S65 AMG features a lithium-ion battery which saves 20kg over a conventional battery, it still tips the scales at over 2.1 tonnes, but as a famous supermarket slogan says ‘every little helps’.

As you’d expect of the range-topping version of Mercedes’ most expensive model, it’s packed to the gunwales with every conceivable technology, but there are a few which Mercedes seem most proud of; the AMG sports suspension based on magic body control comes as standard with ‘road surface scan’, the world’s first suspension with eyes – this uses twin cameras to scan the road surface and adjust the suspension in advance while ‘Comfort’ and ‘Sport’ modes are selected.

Mercedes also use a new touchpad system to operate the radio, telephone and navigation system, which adopts the same gesture-based controls as a smartphone or tablet while providing access to all the car’s infotainment functions. The control surface is integrated into the hand-rest of the central control unit, allowing for safe and comfortable use with an intuitive user interface.

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As befits a top AMG model, the S65 AMG features several unique styling features including 20-inch forged light-alloy wheels and huge 420 millimetre high-performance ceramic brakes topped off with optional red brake calipers. Body styling includes a twin louvres V12 radiator grille, front apron with three large cooling air intakes and quad AMG sports exhaust with chrome-plated tailpipes.

To further distinguish itself from the S63, AMG’s range-topper wears ‘V12 BITURBO’ lettering on the wings and a ‘S 65 AMG’ model badge on the boot lid – both in a new typography.

The S65 AMG will be revealed simultaneously at the Tokyo and Los Angeles motor shows next week, before going on sale in April 2014.