Mercedes CLS63 AMG Shooting Brake S-Model 4Matic is a Lot of Words for a Lot of Car

One of the stars of the Mercedes press conference at this year’s Geneva Motor show is a station wagon. Oh, but not any wagon; this is the CLS63 AMG S-Model 4Matic. It’s a lot of words, but this is a lot of car.

Under the hood is a 5.5-liter twin-turbo V8 that has been tweaked to turn out 585 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque versus 557 hp and over 530 lb-ft of torque in the standard rear-wheel drive model. That’s enough to push the 4Matic model from 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) in 3.6 seconds.

Just like its other AMG siblings, shifting happens through an AMG seven-speed automatic transmission that offers four driving modes: C, S, S+ and M that are increasingly performance-oriented from C, which stands for “controlled efficiency” to manual mode.

Power distribution is still biased to the rear wheels with 33 to 67 percent distributed between the front and rear axles respectively. AMG also fitted a differential lock to the rear axle to improve traction during during track driving.

There’s also an optional ceramic high-performance compound brake system available exclusively on the S-Model cars.

Of course, style changes to the car help set it apart including the AMG logo on the trunk lid with an “S” in contrasting black. There’s a flat-bottom steering wheel wrapped in Alcantara and black nappa leather, silver seat belts to contrast the mostly black interior including AMG sport seats.

Of course, this is a shooting brake model, or a station wagon as it’s called in North America. In keeping with the large luggage compartment-having car’s spirit, the rear cargo area is finished in American cherry wood.