The best high-performance premium sedan we have driven; ‘Benz-AMG kit, performance and chassis techn
We had to reluctantly return it
Three cars have scored the maximum rating from CarShowroom – and two of them are Mercedes-Benz AMG models. Our five-star score for the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG Sedan comes on top of our recent identical score for the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Estate.
You should file the latest twin-turbocharged V8 ‘Benz E63 under ‘V’ for ‘Very Special’. Without doubt one of the world’s best high-performance sedans, the E63 AMG captures the automotive genius of Mercedes-Benz and its performance partner AMG in a mid-size sedan without compromise.
Stickered at $240,985, the latest Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG actually carries the same price as the superseded model making it good buying indeed.
Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG Overview
Car Showroom tested the regular Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG sedan. Pony-up an extra $17,900 and you secure the E63 AMG with the Performance Pack which brings extra goodies and – not insignificantly – an extra 24kW of power (410kW) and 100Nm of torque (800Nm!). Not that we were complaining about the 386kW/700Nm of twin-turbocharged V8 under the bonnet of our car.
AMG being AMG, the E63 comes loaded with high-tech inclusions such as the sporty exterior and interior and the stunning AMG Ride Control sports suspension.
With ‘Sport’ and ‘Sport+’ in the dynamic chassis settings and ‘Race Start’ included in the three-stage ESP settings, this German sedan is a projectile deservedly revered by performance car fans throughout the world.
Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG Engine
There’s no better example of the AMG magic than the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG’s 5.5-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine. With a full aluminium crankcase, piezo injectors delivering spray-guided direct fuel injection, four-valve technology with camshaft adjustment, generator management, auto start/stop and air/water intercooling for the turbochargers…well ‘state-of-the-art’ seems an understatement.
In standard form, as tested the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG delivers maximum power of 386kW between 520-5750rpm and peak torque of 700Nm between 1750 and 5000rpm. Opt for the Performance Package and those figures grow to 410kW at the same engine speeds and 800Nm of torque between 2000 and 4500rpm.
Drive is via the AMG Speedshift MCT seven-speed automatic transmission with superb automatic throttle blips on down-changes in ‘Sport’ mode and steering wheel paddle-shifters for manual changes. Another show-stopping piece of technology, this transmission replaces the conventional torque converter with a wet start-up clutch.
So all that means zero to 100km/h in 4.3 seconds (4.2 seconds with the Performance Package).
But Mercedes-Benz AMG technology isn’t just about performance and this new twin-turbocharged V8 delivers the E63 AMG 21 per cent better fuel consumption than the previous model – rated at 10l/100kms – very, very impressive.
Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG The Interior
Slide behind the wheel and you instantly know the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG is a drivers’ car – the thick sports steering wheel is flat top and bottom and behind are the beautifully crafted aluminium paddle shifters for the seven-speed automatic transmission. Like the leather sports seats, the steering wheel has electronic adjustment (rake and reach) – with the E63 you can even adjust the side bolsters of the seats for maximum, body-hugging support.
Instruments get an upgrade too – a three-dimensional colour TFT screen with AMG logo on start-up sits center speedometer and displays trip computer information. To the left sits the colour satellite navigation screen and audio system.
Rear seat accommodation is similarly up-scale with nice leather and side window sun-blinds.
Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG Exterior & Styling
Just looking at the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG sitting in the street gets your heart racing. In the AMG way, enhancements aren’t ‘in-your-face’ but the V8 Biturbo badges on front fenders leave no doubt about the E63’s abilities.
You’ll need to look closely to sport the gorgeously crafted wider fenders front and rear, but aero improvements are obvious in the front grille, side skirts and bootlid spoiler.
And the magnificent 19-inch AMG alloy wheels fill the wheel arches and allude to the purposefulness of the E63 AMG.
Mercedes-Benz E 63 AMG On The Road
AMG left nothing on the shelf when it specified the E63: 56mm wider front track, unique wheel carriers for extra negative camber, steel front struts and air rear struts, electronic dampers, AMG braking system and the new AMG speed-sensitive electromechanical steering with a more direct (14:1) ratio.
Combine that with the ‘hyper’ twin-turbo 5.5-litre V8 and you’ve arrived at ‘Supercar’ level when it comes to driving dynamics.
Hurtling over our high-speed mountain roads test loop, the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG got down to business with lightning-fast shifts from the seven-speeder accompanied by a reverberating roar from the twin tailpipes. Stamping on the brakes we couldn’t fool the AMG suspension which kept things ridiculously stable as the E63 abruptly slowed into corners.
Turn-in was so sharp you just didn’t feel like you were sitting in a 1730kgs mid-size sedan. And with all that technology working for you, mid-turn balance was just sublime. Swapping the suspension to ‘Sport’ and ‘Sport+’ modes brought a bit more firmness and even more sporty precision…but really, this is a good as it gets for performance sedans.
And here’s the clever bit: around town in the weekday commute, the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG burbled along fuss-free like a regular E Class (albeit with a touch more suspension firmness and exhaust noise). It’s this crossover which the Germans have so spot-on and which other performance brands can’t equal.
Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG Challenges
Remember your all-time greatest holiday and how down-in-the-dumps you felt when you returned to work? That’s how we felt when we returned the E63 AMG to Mercedes-Benz.
Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG Verdict
As we write, arrival of the latest BMW M5 into the Car Showroom garage is still a few weeks away and we haven’t as yet received a call from Porsche offering a Panamera. So at this stage we’ll go on-record as saying the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG rivals the Jaguar XFR as the best premium high performance sedan we have driven.
The kick-in-the-tail response from the bi-turbo V8 is stunning, the chassis balance is brilliant and everywhere you look the top-of-the-shelf AMG enhancements more than justify the price-tag of the E63 AMG.
To deliver all that and still wring 21 per cent – 21 per cent!!! – better fuel consumption than the predecessor shows why ‘Benz and AMG are at the top of the totem pole these days.
Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG The Competition
BMW has just launched the latest fifth generation BMW M5 sedan. This time, like the E63 AMG ‘Benz, the M5 is powered by a twin-turbocharged V8 (4.4-litres to 5.5-litres for the ‘Benz).
The BMW M5 out-muscles the E63 AMG with 412kW from 6,000rpm – 7,000rpm and 680Nm from 1,500rpm. In standard form the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG is good for 386kW/700Nm, but the AMG Performance Pack lifts those figures to 410kW/800Nm.
BMW lists the new M5 from $230,000.
And if these cars are on your list, do yourself a favour and test-drive the Jaguar XFR. The superbly-styled Brit goes brutal with its 375kW/625Nm supercharged V8 and is one of our favourites.
The ‘Benz E63 AMG is ‘$33-large’ more expensive than the XFR and that buys extra punch under the bonnet, but make no mistake, Jaguar is back to its very best in all departments and the XFR brings a smile to the face of enthusiast drivers. Beautifully made and superbly styled inside the Jaguar XFR is sharply priced in this league at $207,904.
A lot more coin but in the same league, the Porsche Panamera 4S looks tame with 294kW/500Nm from its atmo 4.8-litre V8 – its $297,100 makes the E63 AMG Mercedes and BMW M5 look like bargains.
