MT Tries Out All-Wheel Drive Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG S

Mercedes’ CLS63 is basically an E-Class with a far more tapered, sportier body but with less room inside, and in AMG trim, it ends up costing almost $7,000 more. MotorTrend’s latest review of it tries to find reason behind its purchase over that of the regular sedan, weighing in its pros and cons.

Handling is said to be pretty much identical between the two, and reviewer Carlos Lago is keen to point out that the steering feels very particularly nice and allows for good placement on the road. However, he reports that the car doesn’t really feel that sporty on anything other than a straight road, where in S guise (with 577 hp on tap), it screams to sixty in 3.4 seconds.

Its figure eight and braking performance are also very impressive for a barge of its size and weight, though you can’t get away from physics and the car leans heavily in corners or squats onto its rear tires under really hard launches (the kind you need to achieve the aforementioned acceleration time…).

Not the sportiest of choices, then, but it has head-turning design and a surprisingly bubbly exhaust note for a turbocharged car; if you owned one you’d defend it to the death!

By Andrei Nedelea

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Place Your Bets: Mercedes C63 AMG Black Series vs Jaguar XKR-S GT vs Aston V12 Vantage S

The following video comparison reunites some of the most hardcore coupes one can think of: the 542hp Jaguar XKR-S GT, the 565hp Aston Martin V12 Vantage S and the 510hp Mercedes C63 AMG Coupe Black Series.

Autocar reviewer Steve Sutcliffe makes no secret of the fact that the Mercedes is one of his all-time favorite cars, so the comparison is all about finding which of the two British cars comes close to the AMG-flavored C-Class Coupe.

On paper, the Aston Martin V12 Vantage S is the fastest, hitting 60 mph (96 km/h) from a standing start in just 3.7 seconds – 0.2 seconds faster than the Jag and 0.5 seconds faster than the Merc. But what happens on the track? You’ll have to hit play on the video posted below to find out.

By Dan Mihalascu

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Spied: New Mercedes-Benz S-Class with XL Wheelbase to Carry the Maybach Moniker

Maybach, as a stand-alone brand, ceased to exist in 2013 after an 11-year long run during which it sold a mere 3,000 vehicles, failing to fulfill owner Daimler's dream of creating a true rival for BMW Group's Rolls-Royce and VW Group's Bentley marques.

However, the name might not be dead after all, as according to a report from Germany's AutoMotorundSport magazine, Mercedes-Benz plans to use the Maybach moniker on a more luxurious version of the new S-Class with an extra-long wheelbase.

In total, Benz will introduce six different body styles for the new S-Class, including the regular sedan, a long-wheelbase sedan, a Coupe (previewed by this concept in Frankfurt this past September), a Convertible, plus the aforementioned Maybach X-LWB and an even longer and more prestigious state limousine inheriting the Pullman nameplate.

The S600 Maybach model that was scooped here on film by Carscoops reader Toldi, is said to be 400mm or about 15 inches longer than the conventional S-Class sedan with power sourced from a 5.5-liter turbocharged V12. It will come with bespoke materials and colors along with more comfort and technology features than the regular S-Class models. The magazine report said that Mercedes will showcase the car at China's Guangzhou Auto Show this upcoming fall.

Thanks to Toldi for the video !

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Watch Two Inattentive Russian Drivers Get Themselves in a Mess

No matter how many times you view the two following incidents recorded on dash-cams in Russia, you won't be able to justify the actions of the two drivers, who simply put, weren't paying any attention on the road and ended up crashing their rides.

In the first clip, a distracted young lady in a pre-facelift Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe veered to the right side of the road and smashed her car into...a pole, fortunately, without sustaining any injuries.

The Honda driver in the second video suffered from the same state of mind, but his inattentiveness also caused damage to another car waiting in traffic.

See both incidents in the videos below.

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Spied: New Mercedes-Benz C-Class Filmed in Estate Form

We’ve had the opportunity to see what the rear end of the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class. Wagon/Estate/T-Model will look like without any camouflage thanks to some crafty spy work (if you missed out, see them here), but German magazine Autobild has secured rolling footage of prototypes testing in their home country.

Just like its four-door brethren that has already been revealed online, the station wagon edition of the next C-Class comes with a better looking, bigger and roomier body and interior, while dropping up to 100kg (220 pounds) in weight over its predecessor.

If not all, most of the diesel and gasoline engines will be common between the two body styles, ranging from a turbocharged 154hp (156PS) 1.6-liter petrol and possibly topping out with the C63 AMG-badged performance version that will use a new 4.0-liter bi-turbocharged V8 winking at the 500hp mark.

German media have also mentioned a frugal Bluetec Hybrid variant combining a 2.1-liter turbo-diesel with an electric motor and a nine-speed automatic transmission.

Video via Autobild

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