2008 Mercedes-Benz S-Class

Accelerated Indulgence

The Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG has more power than anyone will ever need and costs way more than its understated exterior would imply.

The S65 AMG is Mercedes-Benz's ultimate sedan, with a correspondingly ultimate price.

Your gut reaction to the huge price listed on the window sticker will instantly help you determine whether this flagship sedan is too much of a good thing.

The S-Class isn't cheap to begin with. Start with the S550, the “base model” that costs a minimum of $87,525. It’s strong and sumptuous enough for most tastes with a terrific 382-horsepower, 5.5-liter V8 engine.

If that's a bit wimpy for your taste, the $145,025 S600 adds a twin-turbocharged V12 packing 510 horsepower and a staggering 612 pound-feet of torque. Certainly this is more power than is usable in driving anywhere but on a race track.

Most movers and shakers would call it a day right there. But for a few hundred demanding buyers this year, the S65 — the latest wonder-sedan from Mercedes’ AMG performance division — incorporates a hand-built, 6.0-liter V12 engine with a titanic 604 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque, enough muscle to scare the competition at your local tractor pull.

And about that price: The S65 AMG starts at $194,825, enough to buy his-and-hers S550s with $20,000 left over for options. Or you could get a Bentley Continental Flying Spur.

But those S550 and Flying Spur owners, no matter how proud they are, can’t say they drive what Mercedes claims is the world’s fastest sedan.

However, while the power is fantastic and the car as a whole is highly competent in most respects, we feel compelled to raise at least a whimper of objection on several fronts.

Exterior

To the casual onlooker, the S65 AMG may not look all that different from your garden-variety S-Class. The car gets the usual tasteful AMG body kit, including a bolder front bumper, side skirts, "V12 Biturbo" logos, and door-sill plates.

Yet this is not unique to the S65 AMG. An AMG sport appearance package can be had on the lesser S550 model for $5,630.

Our test model also featured hefty 20-inch wheels that nicely fill up the wheel wells.

It might be argued that an S65 AMG buyer is the kind of person who wants to fly first class, but doesn't want to rub it in other people’s faces, particularly those stuck back in coach. We get the point, but many people we talked to were shocked to learn the S65 AMG was a nearly $200,000 car. Sure, it looks expensive, but it doesn't look like it should have an exotic-car price tag.

Drivers who prefer a higher profile will likely lean toward the Bentley Continental Flying Spur or Maserati Quattroporte. Both are less expensive, the Maserati by $80,000. Both of those sedans make stronger statements on the street.

As with other S-Class models, the S65’s deep, dark cavern of a trunk offers nearly 20 cubic feet of cargo space, enough to swallow luggage seemingly without limit.