Mercedes-Benz S Class Coupe

– Los Angeles, California

Gliding along the highway or carving through back roads, this car is relaxing me. The seat is massaging me, the climate control is ionizing and perfuming the air, and the supple air suspension is absorbing every bump and imperfection. This is a car that will chill you out and make driving pleasant, not stressful. It’s pretty enough to draw onlookers when we stop for lunch, too, and quick enough to skip past other traffic when a lane ends unexpectedly. With a fresh look on the outside for the 2018 model year, a beefier engine underhood, and new technologies sprinkled throughout, the S560 Coupe more than lives up to Mercedes’ billing of it as one of the brand’s “Dream Cars.”

Pros

Buttery powertrain. The best part about the biturbo 4.0-liter V8 engine is not its huge peak power figures, but the absolutely effortless way in which it serves up that power. Torque flows readily from all speeds, and the slick-shifting nine-speed automatic ensures there’s always plenty of it for every driving scenario. Swift, smooth progress is always but a toe-poke away.

Sportier than the sedan. Driving the Coupe only a few weeks after trying out the sedan, it’s clear to me that this car is sportier. For starters, it’s tuned to have a more aggressive engine note, with welcome rumbling and purring from the V8 where the S560 sedan hums. The Coupe’s shorter length and wheelbase (by 8.4 and 8.7 inches, respectively) make a huge difference, too, helping me swing through corners...