Mercedes S-Class Coupe Review and Prices

The Mercedes S-Class Coupe is based on the S-Class saloon but it has two doors, quite a lot less rear legroom and offers a slightly more energetic drive.

It’s been on sale since 2014 and was facelifted in 2018. Changes included a new Panamerica-style grille – with vertical rungs instead of horizontal ones – revised infotainment screens, a sporty steering wheel and new self-drive tech.

The bigger screens are the most obvious change when you first get sat behind the wheel, they sit proud of the dashboard and blend seamlessly together rather than being separated as they were before. Their graphics are beautifully detailed and make following the sat-nav easy.

The screens can be controlled via touch-sensitive buttons on the steering wheel or via voice commands. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are also fitted as standard.

The only conventional buttons you’ll see are metal and sit in a row under the air vents – pretty much everything else is covered in leather and your choice of wood, metal or carbon fibre trims. But, while it definitely feels special, the Mercedes’ interior is still some way off the opulent cabin you’ll find in the Bentley Continental GT.

You won’t be complaining about comfort though, because the Mercedes’ heavily padded front seats feel more like lounge chairs – but only if your lounge chairs have heating, cooling and massage functions.

Unfortunately, your back seat passengers will feel a little more ‘cosy’. Just getting in means squeezing them behind the huge front seats and, once in, they’ll feel tight for head and legroom. At least the boot has space for everyone’s luggage for a week away and is noticeably bigger than you get in the Continental GT.

An expensive trip to the options list isn’t even an essential because the S-Class Coupe comes with a panoramic glass roof, air suspension, keyless entry, a Burmester stereo, ambient lighting and wireless phone charging as standard.

In its softest suspension setting the S-Class Coupe feels a bit like driving down the motorway on a bouncy castle

The engine range kicks off with the S560 with a 469hp 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8, which can sweep the big coupe from 0-62mph in 4.6 seconds – likely to be more than adequate for your needs – and easily return 30mpg cruising on the motorway.

If you’re looking for something with a little more punch choose the thundering Mercedes-AMG S63. Its 4.0-litre V8 is tuned to produce a staggering 612hp, getting the Coupe from 0-62mph in just 4.2 seconds producing a cacophony of pops and bangs from the exhaust as it does it. It is most definitely the enthusiast’s choice and looks like a bargain next to the significantly more expensive, 630hp S65 V12.

Whichever model you choose, the Mercedes is most at home on fast A-roads and the motorway. Its colossal power makes overtaking easy and even in its stiffest setting, the air suspension is comfortable at speed. Things unravel a little on tighter roads where the Coupe feels like a big car and isn’t particularly easy to place on the road. That said, considering its 2.2 tonnes it suffers from very little body lean and it’s powerful brakes always feel up to the job of stopping it.

If you’re in the market for a fast and comfortable GT car then the Mercedes S-Class Coupe makes a lot of sense – it’s more engaging than a Bentley Continental GT and makes the fit and finish in the Aston Martin DB11 look decidedly average. It’s most obvious selling point is, however, that it’s much cheaper than both.