Read Marc Noordeloos's comments on driving the 2008 Mercedes Benz S63 AMG.
A weekend in the S63 and all I can say is what a wonderful, pointless car. I'll take the cash savings and enjoy the S550, thank you. As stated by others, I just don't get the AMG big car theory. The 6.2-liter V-8 transforms the C-class but feels like a waste of time in the S-Class. Sure, the powerplant still sounds amazing but do you need that in a huge car? Plus, when you start to hustle the S63, you feel the weight. Thank goodness for stability control as the ABC suspension system keeps the car so flat while cornering that you get zero sense to what the chassis is doing. And why oh why do the Germans insist on still giving some of their sporty cars such heavy steering. The S63 feels great on turn in but then it just gets far to hefty for my taste. The suspension tuning is quite good and I only really felt the ride deteriorate over the worst Michigan expansion joints. Not bad for 20 inch wheels. Also, I still catch the Mercedes 7-speed auto out at times. It clucks into gear when you add throttle just before an upshift and it really bothers me that the downshift paddle can't handle multiple inputs (7 to 4 downshift for instance). Plus, the thirst is just horrible of this powerful Benz. Despite my gripes, the beast sure is fast and, as Joe D mentions, surely helps bring in a load of extra cash into the company.