Increased fuel economy and more horsepower from smaller displacement – sound like a good deal? It does to us. Mercedes-Benz recently revealed refreshed iterations of it’s 2011 CL63 AMG coupe and S63 AMG sedan.
While they got the usual mid-cycle tweaks to styling and options, the big news is under the hood. Mercedes, which is locked in a race with Lexus for the top selling luxury brand in the United States, has just announced pricing for these new models.
In typical Mercedes fashion, they don’t come cheap. The S63 AMG goes for $138,875 while the coupe model gets a hefty premium, checking in at $151,125.
Last year, a 6.3-liter unit was standard in those two models. This year, it’s a twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter V-8 making 536 horsepower and a whopping 590 pound feet of torque.
Interestingly, Mercedes hasn’t updated naming to reflect the decrease in displacement – otherwise it would be S55 and CL55. That was the displacement of last year’s standard models, which this year have also seen their displacement reduced as well - to 4.6-liters.
That engine is standard in the CL55 4-Matic, which is priced at $114,025. The engine is 20 percent smaller in displacement than its predecessor but generates 429 horsepower and 516 lb.-ft. of torque – 12 percent more horsepower and 32 percent more torque than the engine, all while improving fuel economy by 20 percent.
That is a lot of figures thrown around, but one thing is clear – engines in performance vehicles are advancing for the better.
