2012 Infiniti QX56

I did something terrible the other day. I drove to the hardware store and bought incandescent light bulbs. I stood there in the aisle for a few extra minutes, staring at the compact fluorescents mocking me in their "be green" packaging, thinking about the several burned out incandescent bulbs in my basement and wondering how long the new ones I held in my hand might last. Better grab another box, just to be sure – government mandate has incandescents being phased out starting in January. I kept from making eye contact with the cashier while I paid and slunk out to my car.

So I'm a hypocrite, a self-professed environmentalist who can't even do this one simple thing to save the planet. But I am just not interested in spending a weekend replacing all the dimmer switches throughout the lower level of my house, and compact fluorescents don't work in those fixtures.

Which brings us to the 2012 Infiniti QX56. From a certain perspective, this 16-mile-per-gallon, V8-powered, body-on-frame SUV is an incandescent light bulb – a holdover from last decade, before the enactment of necessarily draconian fuel economy standards. But as my esteemed colleague Zach Bowman wrote in his First Drive of the QX, "you can't tow 8,500 pounds with a Toyota Prius." Neither can you fit a driver and up to seven passengers into one, not even the new Prius V.

I'd like to point to the technological marvel that solves the fuel-efficient family tow rig conundrum, but the solutions available right now are limited. We'll get to those alternatives presently, but for now, let's agree that new technology has a way of only solving part of the problem. So in this case, if you want to tow big stuff and you've got a big enough brood that you need three rows of seats – and you're ready and willing to spend big cash – the QX is as good as it's going to get.

Based on the Nissan Patrol, a full-size SUV not sold in North America, the Japanese-built Infiniti QX56 was completely redesigned for 2011. Updates for 2012 were negligible, and basically amounted to shuffling some different options around to different packages. Our test vehicle was a four-wheel-drive model (with a standard locking center differential and low-range transfer case; a rear-wheel-drive version is also available) that carries a starting MSRP of $61,800. But in this case – loaded up with every available package – the sticker was $75,340, including the $990 destination charge. That makes the QX one seriously expensive machine and the priciest in the Infiniti lineup by a goodly amount. Of course, your sixty-to-seventy large buys a lot of vehicle.

Make no mistake, the QX is a big boy truck, the sort that makes you think twice about tossing the keyfob to your buddy who's never owned anything larger than a Honda Civic. While Infiniti's optional suite of safety equipment (Lane Departure Warning, Lane Departure Prevention, Blind Spot Warning, Blind Spot Intervention, Intelligent Cruise Control, Distance Control Assist, – breath – Intelligent Brake Assist and Forward Collision Warning) is neat stuff and will help insure he comes back in one piece, those $2,300 22-inch wheels are not going to look as pretty with curb rash. They do an excellent job of filling out the wheel wells, however, and they don't get in the way of the illusion the rest of the styling creates.



The QX rides on a 121-inch wheelbase, some five inches longer than the Cadillac Escalade. At over 208 inches in total length and nearly 80 inches wide, the QX is six inches longer and an inch wider than the Cadillac. Yet it just doesn't look it. Indeed, its curvy bodywork ties the monstrous QX to the rest of the Infiniti lineup, but the styling also makes the big 'ute seem smaller than it is, at least from a distance. Once you find yourself up close, however, you realize quickly that this is the sort of vehicle you climb up into – and if you have little kids, you give them a boost.

It's been a solid year and a half since I first laid eyes on the QX, and I'm still not finding anything interesting about the way it looks, nor have I warmed up to the gaudy portholes that adorn the front fenders. Aside from those misguided pieces of trim, the QX is about as discreet as a 5,850-pound vehicle can be – and entirely disappointing when parked next to an Escalade. Even if its Art and Science styling is long-in-the tooth, the Caddy has an undeniably arresting presence that I don't see in the QX.



Inside, however, there's no comparison. This is as first-rate an interior as you'll find on any vehicle, thanks to an optional semi-aniline leather that makes the Escalade feel like the Chevrolet Tahoe lurking underneath. Even the Mercedes-Benz GL-Class doesn't have as many soft-touch surfaces and stitched leather upholstery as the QX, which not only looks and feels nicer, but has a better layout to its dashboard and instrument panel.

Honestly, there's not a luxury brand on earth that couldn't stand to eliminate a good 10 percent of the buttons and dials and other various interface controls in its vehicles across the board, but at least Infiniti has a pretty logical scheme, placing the climate control buttons and knobs low on the center stack, with the stereo in the middle and then the rest of its navigation and telematics interface at the top, just under the LCD screen where it belongs. Infiniti's approach to the dash is simple and intuitive and doesn't require cracking the instruction manual.


I wish I could say the same thing about the controls for the myriad of safety systems bundled together in the optional Technology Package, but that's just not the case. Infiniti has added a few extra buttons to control these features – and some rather cryptic icons that appear on the small display located between the tachometer and speedometer.

Given that the Intelligent Cruise Control and Lane Departure Warning and Prevention system use lasers and cameras to not only brake the car, but often do so in a fashion that steers the vehicle (by applying the brakes to just one side), it's best to understand exactly how this safety tech works so you can take best advantage of it or turn it off if it gets annoying. Since it's optional equipment, there's a good reason it feels tacked on with a few extra buttons, but it would be nice if all this were better integrated into the vehicle and controlled through the nav system interface. On the positive side, the Lane Departure system works well, intervening only when it should, without as many false alarms as I've experienced in other vehicles with similar systems.



As trick and cutting edge as these safety systems are, they're still just the wasabi on the sushi that is the QX powertrain. This 400-horsepower, 5.6-liter, direct-injected V8 is nothing short of great. Making 413 lb-ft of torque and mated to a seven-speed automatic transmission that seems to always know exactly which gear to be in, the QX's big aluminum V8 delivers acceleration seemingly beyond its admittedly well-endowed means. At full throttle the QX just plain hauls, emitting a nice bit of macho exhaust noise in the process – a stark contrast to the pervasive quiet that otherwise coddles its occupants.

The only thing that spoils the spoiling is a ride that can tend to the harsh side on the worst pavement, something to blame, at least initially, on those 22-inch wheels. With a nice smooth stretch of road, however, the big 275mm-wide tires merely provide extra grip, which surprisingly enough turns out to be an attribute you could actually exercise. The QX has a fairly buttoned up chassis, with an optional Hydraulic Body Motion Control system that keeps the big boat from listing in the turns. It does wonders for keeping the big truck riding flat, but it seems like cheating physics in this way contributes to the QX's dislike for the rough stuff. A little more body movement might be nice if that could help soak up some of the jarring you experience on washboard or deeply pot-holed roads. The QX's engine-speed sensitive steering tends to feel light and lacks a solid on-center feel, which isn't out of the ordinary for a big truck, but seems like something Infiniti could address. The QX is really not a bad handling vehicle, especially considering its size, but it doesn't hurt to ask for more.



Speaking of which, even the most demanding among us isn't going to find much else to, well, demand of a full size luxury SUV. With more legroom in both the second and third rows than the Escalade, and equivalent cargo volume, there's comfort in abundance. At the risk of having my tree-hugging rights entirely revoked, I'll say that spending a week behind the wheel of the QX was not unlike a resort vacation – you get used to being pampered real quick.

But there is that fuel economy issue I said we'd get back to. Now those who spend this kind of money on an SUV to tow a boat or a horse trailer or a race car are not the type to be overly concerned with fuel economy, as they are clearly not worrying about where their gas money is coming from. Nor will I notice the effect of continuing to use those incandescent light bulbs on my family budget. However, that doesn't mean there aren't other motivations – guilt, shame, an honest desire to reduce your carbon footprint, etc. While there's no silver bullet here, both GM and Mercedes-Benz offer versions of their big luxury trucks that trump the QX's 16 mpg combined EPA number. The Cadillac Escalade Hybrid offers 21 mpg, while the GL350 Bluetec diesel is rated at 19 mpg combined. The Cadillac can tow up to 5,600 pounds in four-wheel-drive spec (or 5,800 pounds for the rear-drive version) while the Mercedes tops out at 7,500 pounds, which while less than the QX's top tow rating of 8,500 pounds, is still enough to do some serious hauling.



So that's the alternative, the peek into the future. No doubt the full-size luxury SUV is going to further evolve, with technological advances that will make this iteration of the QX56 seem anachronistic. But that hasn't happened yet, and there's nothing else on the market so compelling that the QX's comfort, amenities and powertrain can be easily forgotten.

2013 Porsche Panamera GTS

The roads winding from the southernmost coast of Spain up to Ascari Race Resort near the town of Ronda are enough to bring telling tales out of any car that professes to have high performance intentions. What talented few acquit themselves well on these roads are then exposed to the 3.4-mile Ascari circuit, and that's usually enough to send most of them home in a huff of brake dust and blow-by.

This time in the crucible, it's the 2012 Porsche Panamera GTS, a car first shown under the hard lights of November's Los Angeles Auto Show. Despite not being the most powerful in the range, this naturally aspirated GTS is tipped to offer the most race-like dynamics of the entire Panamera portfolio. And after 100 or so miles on public amusement park roads and 20 or so on the track, this plus-size GT showed us it's capable of dicing it up like a 911 or Cayman while delivering an understandably different experience from behind the wheel.

Horsepower for the GTS' naturally aspirated dry-sump 4.8-liter V8 stands at 424 at 6,700 revs, and its redline now rests at 7,100 revs – 400 rpm beyond the Panamera 4S. Torque plateaus at 383 pound-feet at 3,500 rpm, with the lion's share available between 3,000 and 5,500 rpm. Curb weight, as given by Porsche, is 4,232 pounds, or just under 10 pounds per horse to haul around. The GTS can scoot, too. Acceleration to 60 miles per hour is declared in 4.3 seconds, though our experience suggests real-world times will be quicker, and top speed is 178 mph.

Are the GTS' trappings enough to let the Panamera boast of being almost a clubsport car? Let's give it an 8.5 on a scale of 10 in that category, which is frankly a chunk better than any 16.3-foot long Porsche should be capable of – especially on a track. We've driven all manner of Panameras before this, and they always surprise us with how sporting they truly are. Even so, the capabilities of this GTS genuinely astonished us. The night prior our drive, we assembled journalists admitted to one another that we didn't expect anything extraordinary, but we knew that Ascari would quickly lay any flaws bare. And we couldn't help but remark on how brave it was of Porsche to bring this very non-Ascari car to the circuit.

To get every performance point as advertised out of the Panamera GTS, you need to peruse the phalanx of buttons on the console and light up Sport Plus which, among other things, sets the adaptive air suspension 1.4 inches lower down than on a cruising Panamera 4S. Then, search for the button with the twin-exhaust graphic on it and light up that one, too, because every good track day deserves theme music. Thanks to a dry day with nearly no traffic and time on a smooth closed circuit, the Porsche Stability Management on our GTS was frequently switched off.



The drive section up the so-called "Ronda road" and then afterward back down to the tourist-happy coast revealed its fair share of revelations. First, it's difficult in public surroundings to get the Panamera GTS to feel like anything more than a fully optioned Panamera 4S. This is clearly not a bad thing anyway, and its base price with delivery of $110,875 is well below that of any heavily optioned 4S.

Versus the $136,700 Panamera Turbo or the barking mad $173,200 Turbo S, the GTS understandably requires more revs from its standard-fit seven-speed PDK gearbox, but the paddles on the standard sport steering wheel make this a welcome doddle. The fantastic noise from the matte black quad-barrel sport exhaust is best enjoyed from the outside while trackside, since Porsche engineers have done such an excellent job excising the cabin's noise, vibration and harshness for improved day-to-day manners. In Sport Plus mode with bigger revs, the cabin does come to life, however, and the percolating burble on downshifts is a nice touch for both performance and acoustics.



Our pre-drive thoughts ranged from how unwieldy this Stuttgart giant might be on those nasty Ascari curve sequences to wondering if we'd have to wrestle with the sort of understeer we've experienced on this circuit with performance cars like the BMW M5 and Audi RS5. Fortunately, reality – and Porsche's engineers – had a different agenda. Simply put, it's wonderful to be surprised and proven wrong about a car's key characteristics, and the Panamera GTS hoons around like a damned M3 GTS.

Granted, every test car among our bunch was optioned out to around $150,000, but then, the driving was so good that we stopped thinking about these less-than-fun financial facts. You should get the $8,840 Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake discs and you should add on the $5,000 Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control with Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus. And so on and so forth. It all adds up, but at this level of weight and this level of pure zing, anyone not getting such optional helpers would be doing themselves a disservice, at least if they plan any serious track work. As fitted to the much smaller 2012 911 Carrera, PDCC w/PTV+ is not really necessary and can feel like too much help, but here it's definitely needed if you're at all tempted to push things to certain limits at a track.


The GTS drives much lighter than its fighting weight. A frequent word wafting through our thoughts was "balance" while tearing up the track. Given that we had perfect conditions for turning off PSM all the way, this innate sense of equilibrium magnified the car's appeal by a power of ten. Could we see a Panamera GTS in a drift competition sometime soon? Don't doubt it; after our initial "discovery" laps, we found that with PSM off, the weight transfers and the rate of hook-up from the Michelin Pilot Sport tires (255/40 ZR20 front and 295/35 ZR20 rear) means that true, ballet-like movements are possible if one just plays nice with the throttle and steering. The PCCB discs, which can be accommodated only with optional 20-inch wheels, practically goad you to brake as late and hard as possible prior to hitting every inside apex.

Under these extreme conditions of sustained higher revs in Sport Plus mode, the sound and fury of the Panamera GTS' intakes finally come into the cabin via the front pillars' "sound symposer" tubes – a bit of sonic trickery similar to what has just been introduced on the new 911.

Dialing up 3,500 rpm on the clock is something of a sweet spot, since the larger cooling elements of the GTS' front intakes start taking in more air in "Ram" mode. It's no coincidence that the 383 lb-ft of torque peaks at 3,500 revs as the horsepower starts its sweetest upward spiral right there, too. It's close to a form of turbocharging, you could say, in a naturally aspirated car.



Our test car was furnished with the GTS' standard leather and Alcantara mix, a combination we'd stick with. The benefit of the faux suede's gripping properties cannot be overstated in a hurtling performance car that puts up humungous lateral-g numbers. To be honest, all that we missed was the chance to drive a manual-six equipped car. Oh, it'll never happen, we know, but the three-pedal setup we tried at the initial launch of the Panamera in a 3.6-liter V6 model was our favorite then, and in the GTS, it would be a terrific and gifted de-contenting option. Besides, the seven-speed PDK dual-clutch unit, for all its goodness, can be frustrating when trying to downshift into truly high revs. The transmission electronics waiting for revs to ebb to an acceptable level (around 3,500 rpm) prior to allowing a downshift can be a real buzz-kill. Whereas we wouldn't grumble much if we had the low torque of the Turbo model for powering out of the corners, here we had a few spirited conversations with that left paddle.

If it can be taken as any indicator, after those first couple of learning laps, we set the multi-adjustable driver's seat down to its lowest point, squeezed in the bolsters and girded our Porsche's various electronic wizards and nannies to their most extreme settings. It only took a couple of sorties around Ascari to know that the Panamera GTS is not just a legit four-door sports car, it has the goods to deliver where all other big sport sedans fear to tread.

Новый автомобиль Volkswagen Tiguan – обзор кроссовера 2012 года

Сочетая мощь тигра и изящество игуаны, немецкий автоконцерн предложил покупателям компактный внедорожник, который быстро стал хитом. Компания лихо обновляет модель, дорабатывает, чтобы предложить еще более (куда уж?) заманчивый продукт. Вот и новый Volkswagen Tiguan не остается без внимания.
По возможности обзор Volkswagen Tiguan даст представление об обновленном кроссовере. Сразу о характеристиках двигателя. По предварительным данным, машина стала экономичнее на 15-20 процентов. Двухлитровый мотор с турбонаддувом будет развивать мощность в 200 сил. Правда, расход топлива все равно великоват: от 7,35 литров (на трассе) до 10,3 (по городу) на сотню км. Доступен и мотор в 1,4 литра мощностью 160 сил. Коробка передач – на выбор: механика, автомат.
Внешний вид Volkswagen Tiguan 2012 сильно не поменялся: новые более агрессивные фары, модификация задних огней, ряд хромированных вставок, подчеркнутые линии решетки. В остальном внедорожник  прежний. К слову, будут доступны две версии дизайна – классический вариант и спортивный (с более острым углом ветрового стекла). Ряд изменений в интерьере, касаются функционала: руль, коробка, панель.
Среди систем безопасности и других функций кроссовер Volkswagen Tiguan предложит пакет «Off road», ABS, предыдущие поколение на краш-тесте получило максимальное количество звезд, новинка вряд ли уступит. Цена автомобиля Volkswagen Tiguan будет стартовать с суммы 24 тысячи евро.

2012 Audi A1 Sportback

It is perhaps with all the speed of a mighty iceberg, but increasingly, more and more North American buyers appear willing to think smaller when pondering their next auto purchase. The other shoe, which still has largely yet to drop, is for automakers to convince consumers of the merits of a luxury subcompact, paying a price premium for a longer list of creature comforts, options and badge appeal. However small, this trend in the States is best represented by BMW and its Mini range, followed (with a few stumbles out of the gate) by the Fiat 500.

In Europe, however, there is already a well-defined tradition of premium minicars on which buyers happily lavish extra dollars, and there is no model quite so indulgent for the masses as the Audi A1. Through its first complete year of sales in 2011, the Bavarians built at their factory in Brussels, Belgium – and sold – nearly 120,000 A1 three-doors.


Now we've finally gotten the chance to drive an Audi A1 Sportback with five doors, a model first shown publicly at last October's Tokyo Motor Show. The five-door model carries on with the basic A1 recipe of offering big things in small packages, and rather unusually, we think the model with more doors might actually look better this time. That may not seem altogether based on reason at first glance, since both the three- and five-door A1 designs have a length of 155.7 inches and a wheelbase of 97.2 inches. (Only the Fiat 500, Jeep Wrangler, Scion iQ, Smart ForTwo and various two-door Mini models take up less parking space.)

The A1 Sportback does have a few key alterations that please our eye more than the somewhat busy details of the original three-door design. First, the front door length has been lessened by one inch in order to ensure the newly sprouted rear doors are actually useful. Then, by increasing both overall height and width by two-tenths of an inch and extending the roof rearward a bit (imparting a steeper angle on the rear window in profile), the design takes on a maturity and completeness that we've been waiting for, not to mention improving visibility in all directions.

Our tester had the setup for four passengers – you can get the three-across rear seat at no cost – and the room for all four sitters is definitely adequate, even if not abundant. The A1 Sportback brings levels of comfort and interior quality to a tick better than what is customary even in bigger cars like Volkswagen Golf or Volvo C30, so its smaller atmosphere is made all the more tolerable. Versus the Polo (with which the A1 shares the PQ25 configuration of VW Group's MQB architecture), things have been improved upon quite nicely. Besides, VW Group has chosen the A1 Sportback to launch its first four-cylinder engine with the company's new Cylinder On Demand technology.



When your author tested the A1 three-door in 2010, it was powered by the then top powerplant, a turbocharged and direct-injected 1.4-liter TFSI with 121 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque. These days, this engine goes as far as 182 hp and 184 lb-ft in fullest twin-charger tune (as seen in the Polo GTI). But there is also now the more important 138-hp 1.4 TFSI (still at 184 lb-ft, though) with Cylinder On Demand technology that results in about ten percent greater efficiency versus the same engine without COD or standard start/stop function. Projected average miles per U.S. gallon for this engine calibration with these technologies is 50.5 mpg.

Temporarily deactivating the stability control and slotting the optional seven-speed S-tronic dual-clutch transmission alternatively into its Sport and Manual detents on a sunny Spanish day, we indulged in the forced oversteer shenanigans of this sprightly front-wheel-drive and found it to be good entertainment. The 182 hp of the top engine would have been nice to have, but our engine's 138 horses worked up good steam and we didn't notice that much of a power deficit because the torque loses nothing between 1,500 and 4,000 rpm. At 2,844 pounds with driver aboard, this trim A1 Sportback remained solid all day over the many hills and through the region's copious curves.


This engine with COD and start/stop represents the VW Group's first such execution within the new EA211 family of more efficient and powerful three- and four-cylinder engines. Our first encounter with VWAG's cylinder-deactivation technology was with the recently launched big Audi S cars, the S6, S7, and S8. In the context of these larger sedans, the technology was much more complex simply because there was more cylinders and more power and torque to wrangle. In the EA211 four-cylinder, at lower cruising revs or throttle inputs, the middle two cylinders stop their combustion processes via grooves machined into the camshafts that keep the valves from initiating their lift sequences that would otherwise cue the injectors and spark plugs to fire away. This bit of engine trickery was very well disguised, though there were times where the transition between two-cylinder and four-cylinder modes wasn't quite as seamless as on bigger and beefier V8s. In Sport or Manual mode, the two-cylinder mode is locked out, so any real benefits of the COD technology is realized only by leaving everything in Drive.

Throughout our curvy day of driving, the A1's electronic stability program worked well with the electronic brake differential software (XDS) to keep hotter entries into bends as free from understeer as possible. The electronic limited-slip technology let the rear end swing around just so in a good, neutral balancing act that practically made us forget we were piloting a front-drive chassis. It's precisely this sense of infinite balance that we enjoy so much on the A1 Sportback S-line.



As we've said a few times previously, this evolution of S-tronic seven-speed dual-clutch is VW Group's best two-pedal setup ever. Upshifts and downshifts are timed just right whether at slower speeds while switching between two and four cylinders in town, or while piling into corners near the edge of the A1's dynamic envelope with the tachometer in its upper reaches. The automated S program on the console lever is very sweet in its sense of timing, but the manual paddle shifts in sequential mode prove even better.

This Samoa Orange car – a color specific to the A1 Sportback – arrived bedecked with the mostly cosmetic S-Line trim for the A1. Cosmetic, since the suspension height and steering weight remain the same, though there is at least added firmness in the ride. Standard A1 S-Line wheels are 16-inchers, though buyers can opt for 17- or 18-inch wheels. The setup here – optional 17x7.5-inch alloys with Goodyear Efficient Grip 215/40 R17 (87W) tires – were steady soldiers all day long, even when the driving got pretty hot and heavy. The larger 18x7.5-inch optional wheels and tires were, indeed, too aggressive for this application and actually looked too big just eyeing them.



Given the A1's titchy footprint, we had our concerns about how easy it might be to get in and out of the rear doors. The short answer is that it's all good enough – just as when we drove the five-door VW Polo. You can watch us perform the feat in the Short Cut video above. Granted, you cannot put four or five full-sized people in the cabin all day and hope to come away fresh as a daisy, but a couple of amicable extra larges and one or two medium sizers or kids will do just fine even for longer trips. And cargo space can flex between a paltry 9.5 cubic feet to a quite useful 32.5 cu ft.

The A1 Sportback goes on sale in Europe with five engine choices next month, while the 1.4 TFSI with COD arrives later in the year along with a 141-hp/236 lb-ft 2.0-liter TDI version. If it were to go on sale in the U.S., the A1 Sportback 1.4 TFSI with COD would likely cost somewhere around $21,500 for starters, or $22,300 with the S-line trimmings. And then you'd start adding more goodies to make it all yours, just like those spend-happy Europeans.

За сколько можно купить Peugeot 4008: цена и характеристики нового авто 2012 года

Французская компания подписала соглашение с концерном Mitsubishi: в итоге видоизмененный и переоснащенный внедорожник Outlander XL получил значки льва и елочек французских брендов. Citroen C4 Aircross и новый Peugeot 4008 – кроссоверы, которые можно будет увидеть на дорогах в ближайшее время.
Европейские машины сделаны на платформе модели Mitsubishi, внешне сходны. Рассмотрим характеристики Peugeot 4008. Внедорожник пришел на смену устаревшей модели 4007. Комплектоваться авто будет тремя бензиновыми моторами: от 1,6 до 2 литров объема, от 117 до 150 сил. Турбодизельный двигатель будет иметь объем 1,6 литров, а мощность 116 сил.
Внешность француза агрессивна, заметны характерные львиные черты. Габариты авто: длина – 4,34 м, высота – 1,63, ширина – 1,8. Дорожный просвет – 20 см. О том, что предлагают в салоне, пока неизвестно. Купить Peugeot 4008 в России можно будет с весны. Все поставляемые модели будут комплектоваться полным приводом.
Ожидается, что Peugeot 4008 2012 года будет в меру проходимым, управляемость не будет отличаться от легкового автомобиля. Правда, бездорожье кроссоверу будет противопоказано. Цена Peugeot 4008 составит от 1 миллиона 90 тысяч рублей. Максимальная сумма – около 1 миллиона 200 тысяч.

2012 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG

Sometime before the end of this century, humans will travel to Mars. The longest manned journey ever attempted will take the explorers at least 34 million miles over the course of many months, at best. The vehicle necessary to support such an odyssey will need to be spacious, comfortable, technically advanced, incredibly safe and very powerful.

Before plotting the future spacecraft's design, we suggest the engineers take a close look at the 2012 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG for ideas.


Of course, we don't think the S63 is fit for interplanetary travel – micrometeorites and ultraviolet radiation would likely wreak havoc on its expensive and vogue matte finish Magno Platinum paint – but we do feel it is one of the most spacious and luxurious rocket ships that someone outside of a space agency can put in their personal hangar.

During our week with the AMG-tuned S-Class, its four wheels never left the surface of planet Earth, but we did load it up and make a long weekend trek to Palm Springs. How did this twin-turbocharged sedan handle the long outing and subsequent run into the mountains? Does it drive ponderously, or is the big Benz agile and athletic? Most importantly, what's not to like with this two-and-one-half ton almighty giant?

Before rocketing off in an S63 AMG, it's essential to put the four-door sedan in perspective. Mercedes-Benz sells seven different variants of S-Class. First launched in 1973, the current version (internally called the W221 platform) was introduced in 2006. The automaker's 2012 S-Class lineup starts with the diesel-powered six-cylinder S350 BlueTEC (base price $93,425) and tops out with the extremely rare, twin-turbocharged twelve-cylinder S65 AMG (base price $211,775). The S63 AMG is the most powerful eight-cylinder model in the range, impeccably tuned for a discerning performance-oriented enthusiast customer by its AMG division.

The base price of a 2012 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG is $140,175. Yet consider that a starting point, as our test vehicle was loaded with nearly $30,000 worth of options. These included the aforementioned matte finish Magno Platinum paint ($3,950), 20-inch forged AMG wheels ($1,700), Splitview display ($710), Driver Assist Package with Distronic Plus cruise control ($2,950) and the Designo Auburn Edition Interior with a slew of creature comforts ($11,900). Lastly, and most importantly, it was fitted with the AMG Performance Package delivering a power increase and a raised top speed ($7,300). The bottom line on our big Benz was $169,560 – premium pricing delivers premium machinery.



Mercedes-Benz has fitted this luxury ship with one of the most powerful engines that you will ever find under the hood of a five-place sedan. Despite the misleading "63" nomenclature on the rear decklid (hinting at the beloved but nearly extinct 6.2-liter AMG V8), the automaker has dropped its newer and more fuel efficient 5.5-liter twin-turbocharged M157 into the engine bay. In standard trim, the direct-injected eight-cylinder is rated at 536 horsepower (at 5,250 rpm) and 590 pound-feet of torque (at 2,000 rpm). But our test car was fitted with the optional AMG Performance Package – in lieu of solid rocket boosters. Thanks to several tweaks, the engine is rated at an eye-opening 563 horsepower and a drivetrain-wrenching 664 pound-feet of torque. Mated to a high performance AMG Speedshift MCT seven-speed automatic transmission (with a wet start-up clutch), the S63 AMG with Performance Package will blast to 60 miles per hour in a conservative 4.3 seconds. Hold down the aluminum throttle pedal and it won't slow until it hits an electronically limited 186 mph.

The suspension is independent at all four corners. Up front is a four-link design, while the rear is fitted with a multilink setup. The automaker's Active Body Control (ABC) is also standard on the S63 AMG. In a nutshell, the system utilizes more than a dozen sensors to monitor vehicle chassis movement every ten milliseconds. Hydraulic servos mounted besides each wheel control active damping, level control and ride height. The steering is speed-sensitive, with hydraulic power assist.




Despite a curb weight of 4,916 pounds, stopping isn't an issue thanks to massive 15.4-inch ventilated and cross-drilled front rotors, assisted by 14.4-inch ventilated and cross-drilled rear rotors. The front calipers are of a dual-piston floating design, while the rear uses a single floating piston. Standard wheels are 20-inch cast aluminum alloy, wrapped in staggered Continental rubber (255/35ZR20 up front and 275/35ZR20 in the rear).

Like a spacecraft, the S63 AMG is not simply defined by its physical structures. Its steel unibody, aluminum hood and composite trunk hide an encyclopedic suite of electronic subsystems all designed to keep the vehicle on the road and the passengers safe and comfortable during a long journey.

Vehicle electronics on our test car included Distronic Plus adaptive cruise control (with a radar dish cleverly replacing the three-pointed star in the front grille), Active Blind Spot Assist, Active Lane Keep Assist, Keyless Go ignition, active engine start/stop, automatic trunk opening and closing and Parktronic sensors to keep all of the bumpers scuff free.



Some of the countless premium safety electronics included Attention Assist, AMG-tuned stability control, Pre-safe predictive protection system, torque vectoring brakes (to reduce understeer), active body control with crosswind compensation and adaptive xenon high beams.

The passenger cabin is very tastefully appointed, with nearly every square inch of exposed surface covered in premium leather (perforated on the seats), glossy hand-finished wood or soft Alcantara fabric. We'd argue that it isn't as warm or intimate as some of the others in this segment – the console doesn't wrap around and embrace front seat passengers – but it is unquestionably classy and very upscale. And, considering the sheer number of amenities and features, it isn't cluttered with distracting buttons or switchgear.

Primary instrumentation is a mixture of digital and analog displays, viewed directly through the four-spoke polished wood and leather steering wheel. While the analog water temperature, fuel level and tachometer are permanent physical fixtures, the analog speedometer is actually a digital graphic – much of its color screen may be swapped at the touch of a button to display other digital information. Of course, there is another eight-inch multifunction display at the top of the center cluster.



The driver's seat is the most commanding, but the pilot is not the only one pampered. All four outboard passengers have their own climate control zone, and relax with power-operated adjustable thrones that includes heating and cooling functions – there isn't a bad seat in the house. There are volumes of legroom, headroom is generous and illuminated vanity mirrors are supplied to all. If the sun (or paparazzi) becomes an annoyance, rear passengers may deploy power-operated window shades at the touch of a button.

With all of this talk about opulence, luxury and sheer mass, one would think the S63 AMG drives like a yacht, but it's just the opposite.

We pressed the substantial engine start/stop button to the right of the steering wheel and the engine kicked over with a throaty snarl. The transmission is controlled via a too-dainty stalk off the steering column (P-R-N-D), and a simple flick of the lever dropped the sedan into Drive. Around town, throttle response was quick and the big Mercedes moved without reservation. Although the S-Class is more than a foot longer than the E-Class, it never felt it. The AMG-tuned suspension nearly eliminated the wallowing and body roll more commonly associated with a full-size vehicle. There is unquestionably more substance being moved down the road, but it never felt ponderous or ungainly. Rather, it was surprisingly easy to maneuver.



We didn't cross the solar system in the S63, but we did load the family and take it on a long weekend trip to Palm Springs. As expected, the massive trunk swallowed our luggage like a black hole and the kids found that they were unable to even reach the seatbacks in front of them without unfastening their belts. Room to spare is an understatement.

On the open highway, the Mercedes devoured miles of pavement effortlessly. At 70 mph, the engine barely raised its pulse while effective noise insulation and thick laminated glass kept the outside world hushed. The Distronic cruise control was amazingly effective – it automatically monitors the other vehicle in the lane and controls throttle and brakes (both acceleration and deceleration) in heavy traffic without driver input. While steering is still required, Distronic makes it possible to cross the entire Los Angeles basin mid-day without ever lifting both feet flat off the plush carpet. This is the future.



To give the S63 AMG a bit of a challenge, we decided to climb from the Palm Springs desert basin at sea level up California State Route 74 (part of the Pines to Palms Scenic Byway) to Idyllwild. The route is tough, as it gains more than 5,000 feet of elevation passing through the San Jacinto Mountains. The scenery is breathtaking, and the first section has a nice selection of sweeping corners.

Once again, the big sedan brushed it off without breaking a sweat. The hand-built twin-turbocharged V8 threw gobs of torque down on the pavement without noticing the elevation gain, the exhaust growled and the tires held firm. With ABC in Sport mode, the S63 followed an aggressively driven jet black BMW 335i coupe (E92) up the curves as if it were a cat chasing a mouse – however, this rodent pulled over and let us pass after several miles of pursuit. Dare we say this big AMG sedan is actually fun to toss around a mountain?


During our week with the big Benz, we really appreciated its unflappable powertrain. Though it was a bit thirsty around town (EPA 15 mpg city / 22 mpg highway), its power-to-weight ratio made us completely forget that the vehicle weighs two-and-a-half tons. The suspension was magnificent, and the interior room welcomed. The Splitview DVD screen is a must-have option (watch our ShortCut video for a demonstration), and the temperature-controlled massaging seats were wondrous.

So what didn't we like about the $169,000 sedan? Nitpicking here, but we weren't really fond of the wood steering wheel. It gets very hot in the sun and slippery if you are the type that gets sweaty hands while driving. The paddle shifters are also a bit goofy on a vehicle of this size, even if it does wear AMG badging. Our GPS-equipped radar detector was frustrated attempting to capture a signal through the metallic laminate Mercedes uses to defrost the front glass and the aging COMAND infotainment/navigation joystick interface is still a bit cumbersome, despite a week's worth of familiarization.



The S63 AMG isn't atmospherically pressurized, but it does circle the globe in a very unique orbit – almost untouched by its competition. The Porsche Panamera Turbo S is quicker and more agile, but its four-place cabin is much smaller and focused on a different mission. The BMW Alpina B7 is performance-tuned but short on amenities, while the Jaguar XJ Supersport is big on luxury, but still short on power. The Bentley Continental Flying Spur is a worthy foil, but it's more expensive even before piling on the options. The competition should be pleased to know that Mercedes-Benz doesn't sell very many of these capable sedans. While the S550 is the volume model, the S63 AMG accounts for just over five percent of S-Class sales – it is every bit as rare as it is rapid.

Comparing the sporty Benz to a future spacecraft isn't as much of a stretch as you may think. The engineering team in Stuttgart developed the W221 platform to comfortably exceed human requirements for long-distance travel and AMG tuned it to get the job done with blazing speed. While the 2012 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG may not be properly configured for interplanetary transport, we can think of few vehicles that are as swift and luxurious for voyaging across the surface of our planet.