Mercedes-AMG S63 E Performance

Is the most potent S-Class yet still recognisable as the luxury limousine of old? The straight-faced imbuing of its flagship limousine with comical gluts of propulsive force isn't an activity that Mercedes has ever shied from.Many times, AMG hasn’t even been needed to apply the finishing touches: the Mercedes mothership was already on the same wavelength. Take the W220-generation S600L, whose V12 engine made 590lb ft of torque, even in 2003.Nevertheless, one might look at the specification for the very latest in this lineage of extroverted S-Class models and wonder if Mercedes has started to lose its zeal for such projects. After all, the 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 in the S63 before you makes ‘only’ 664lb ft, which isn’t a vast uplift on the old S600L and certainly isn’t a headline-making figure.But hold on: there is the second half of the car’s name to consider. ‘E Performance’ alludes to the plug-in hybrid nature of the powertrain, and it's an electric motor working on the car’s rear axle that helps make this not just the most powerful S-Class to leave the factory but the most powerful Mercedes saloon full stop.Figures of 791bhp and 1055lb ft take digesting, and there’s no doubt that the near-£200k Mercedes-AMG S63 E Performance – now the sole way to have an S-Class mit V8 in the UK – will be fast. Yet the more interesting question relates to how comfortably such performance can sit within the broader S-Class remit. Is this still a world-class limousine or just a pricey freak show? Time to find out.