The aftermarket tuning world really is full of zany minds and over-the-top imaginations, isn’t it? When you’ve been covering this particular sub-industry of the automotive world, you get exposed to all sorts of tuning creations. Most of them are impressive in their own right while some aren’t as appealing as customers would like them to be. Then there’s Fostla’s new program for the Mercedes-AMG S 63 that can be described as polarizing at best. Good thing then that it has 730 horsepower on tap because if it didn’t, I’d have trouble looking at it.

For the record, orange is actually my favorite color. I appreciate all the unique shades it can come in, but I'm having trouble figuring out why Fostla thought a chrome orange wrap was a good idea for a car like the AMG S 63. Maybe it could’ve worked on the AMG C 63, but the AMG S 63? I’m not sold. In fact, it’s hard to look at it for an extended period of time without feeling a little sorry for the high-priced performance coupe. Fortunately, there are other aspects about the program that are worth mentioning, in part because they’re actually impressive additions to the whole makeup of the kit. PP Performance’s contribution is the unquestioned highlight as the tuner helped the AMG S 63’s 5.5-liter bi-turbo V-8 engine significantly increase its output by more than 150 horsepower to 730 ponies. That’s a solid number that would probably get more attention if that chrome orange wrap wasn’t there to steal the spotlight for the wrong reasons.

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I’ll take a pass on the wrap, Fostla

I’m fully aware that my opinions on Fostla’s chrome orange wrap for the Mercedes-AMG S 63 aren’t consistent with other people. A friend of mine – God bless his taste – actually loves the whole treatment, right down to the part where he says “I’d love to be seen in one.” I can see where he’s coming from because no matter my hesitancy in embracing it on the AMG S 63, a chrome orange car works under certain circumstances. This just isn’t one of them, at least in my eyes.

The good news is that the whole tuning kit isn’t dictated by Fostla’s wrap alone. PP Performance’s engine upgrade program is impressive in every sense of the word. That 730-horsepower output is actually higher than the figures that other tuners like Renntech (697 horsepower) and G-Power (705 horsepower) have developed. On top of that, the program also benefits from having Prior Design’s aerodynamic widebody kit. It makes the AMG S 63 look sportier and more aggressive while also providing the needed handling improvements to help keep the extra power in check. There’s a lot to like about the whole kit and I wouldn’t begrudge those customers who end up getting it.

I just can’t get past the chrome orange wrap and the way it somehow cheapens the AMG S 63’s status as one of Mercedes-AMG’s most expensive models. I don’t expect everybody to agree with me, but I won’t have any problems taking a pass on the cosmetic upgrades. Instead, I’ll turn my attention towards that Prior Design body kit and the PP Performance engine upgrade program. At least those aspects of the whole program can help the AMG S 63 unlock its true performance potential. That chrome orange wrap doesn’t do that and at least as far as I’m concerned, I don’t think I’ll be missing out on anything if I decide to skip that part of the kit and instead focus my attention on the parts that I do like.