ABDC 2018: Mercedes-AMG E63 S 4MATIC+

4th place

Why is it here?

What is the ultimate definition of a driver’s car?

Mercedes-Benz’s storied hot-rod division, AMG, has always had a reputation for putting together fast, sledgehammer-like luxury cars with a knack for reeling in the horizon. Though historically, corners have challenged AMG’s credentials for producing genuine driving machines.

Not anymore: The latest generation of AMG-fettled Benzes share equal appeal through the corners and, size withstanding, the mighty E63 S 4MATIC+ is a gleaming demonstration.

For the first time at ABDC, the E63 S 4MATIC+ shares the stage with 13 others, including its arch nemesis, BMW’s new M5.

Tipping the scales at a not-insignificant 2031kg, the E-Class flagship doesn’t strike you as an instant driver’s car, but a bulging engine and clever underbody wizardry combine to make it one of the real standouts at ABDC.

On the challenging roads dissecting Victoria’s high country, the E63 S 4MATIC+ belied its huge footprint and kerb mass to barely put a wheel wrong in testing. But the big car-big engine ethos wasn’t infallible.

“Too much car, not enough road,” remarked ABDC judge Nadine Armstrong. The panel agreed.

Not surprisingly, the Benz made its biggest impact on circuit with a blistering lap time at the hands of our own Bathurst 1000 winner, Luke Youlden.

Had our testing also included sprawling autobahns with unlimited speed limits – the E63’s natural habitat – no doubt the Benz would have fared better again.

<a href="https://motoring.pxcrush.net/motoring/general/editorial/abdc_mercedes-amg_e63s_28.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-csn-inline-image wp-image-243868" src="https://motoring.pxcrush.net/motoring/general/editorial/abdc_mercedes-amg_e63s_28.jpg?height=427&width=640&aspect=fitWithin" alt="" width="640" height="427"></a>

What’s under the bonnet?

At the top end of town, there’s still no replacement for cubic displacement.

The $239,610 (plus on-road costs) E63 S 4MATIC+, which hit the scene last year, adheres to this theory using a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine. The caveat is this engine is smaller in displacement than its 6.2-litre predecessor and now employs two turbochargers.

In all, the bent-eight makes a earth-churning 450kW/850Nm, using all-wheel drive to get power to the ground. That’s 600 horsepower in the old money, nearly as much go as Craig Lowndes’ Supercar.

>>Get all the 2018 Australia's Best Driver's Car results here

“Yeah, but I reckon it’s got bucket loads more torque,” offers one of our resident racers and all-round nice guy, Greg Crick.

Tellingly, the Benz has a claimed 0-100km/h time of 3.4sec, employing a nine-speed automatic transmission to quickly explore the upper limits of its speed range.

The AWD system (or 4MATIC in Mercedes-Benz phraseology) is fully variable yet rear-biased and can even be tuned to drive the rear wheels only via Drift Mode.

An electronically controlled limited-slip diff helps turn-in, while the chassis package is completed by active engine mounts, three-stage air-sprung suspension, a widened track, big 390mm/360mm brakes with six and four-piston callipers (ceramics are optional on the front for $9900), matt-black cross-spoke forged wheels 20-inch rims and staggered Pirelli P Zero rubber.

<a href="https://motoring.pxcrush.net/motoring/general/editorial/abdc_mercedes-amg_e63s_30.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-csn-inline-image wp-image-243870" src="https://motoring.pxcrush.net/motoring/general/editorial/abdc_mercedes-amg_e63s_30.jpg?height=427&width=640&aspect=fitWithin" alt="" width="640" height="427"></a>

How does it perform?

Remarkably well. We’ll get the important stuff out of the way: the Mercedes-AMG E63 S 4MATIC+ was the fastest vehicle around Winton Motor Raceway.

With V8 Supercar ace and Bathurst reigning champ Luke Youlden at the wheel, the Benz brained its 13 competitors by at least two full seconds, posting a respectable 1:33.122sec lap. For the record, that puts it about 12 seconds a lap slower than Lowndesy’s Supercar – on ordinary road-going tyres. Quite incredible.

On the road, the car’s biggest hindrances from a performance standpoint were its size and, in some respects, its excess power.

But for the most part, the E63 S 4MATIC+ enamoured drivers with a rock-solid connection to the road and sharp steering that wasn’t immune to headshake.

“The E63 S 4MATIC+defies big car/straight-line rules,” remarked judge Matt Brogan. “It has far better mid-corner bite than a car its size should have any right to possess.”

Others found limitations with the car’s two-tonne-plus kerb weight and sheer size when the roads became tighter. Then there were familiar complaints around the E63 S 4MATIC+ firm seats and stiff, unforgiving ride on 20-inch wheels.

Fuel use was unsurprisingly bad, the Benz averaging a fleet-worst 24.9L/100km across all duties.

“I love the car but it’s just not compliant enough for Aussie roads,” said seasoned tester Bruce Newton.

<a href="https://motoring.pxcrush.net/motoring/general/editorial/abdc_mercedes-amg_e63s_35.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-csn-inline-image wp-image-243874" src="https://motoring.pxcrush.net/motoring/general/editorial/abdc_mercedes-amg_e63s_35.jpg?height=427&width=640&aspect=fitWithin" alt="" width="640" height="427"></a>

Is it worth the asking price?

That question is purely subjective and in this instance, it was one to plenty of healthy debate at ABDC.

“Who buys a $250k luxury sedan this hard core?” questioned judge Marton Pettendy.

“Is it a limousine or a sports car?” retorted Greg Crick.

With an ability to keep with the best (or beat them, in this instance) on track and cosset executive passengers in arguable comfort, the conversation around the E63 S 4MATIC+ soon turned to what its actual identity is.

“It doesn’t know what it wants to be, in honesty. That’s the problem,” said another judge.

Most agreed that the E63 S 4MATIC+ did a better job of balancing its duties than the smaller C63 previously entered at ABDC, while also acknowledging this car is $10,000 less than its predecessor. Overall, though, the general consensus was that the asking price was difficult to justify for a strict driver’s car.

<a href="https://motoring.pxcrush.net/motoring/general/editorial/abdc_mercedes-amg_e63s_37.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-csn-inline-image wp-image-243875" src="https://motoring.pxcrush.net/motoring/general/editorial/abdc_mercedes-amg_e63s_37.jpg?height=427&width=640&aspect=fitWithin" alt="" width="640" height="427"></a>

What do the judges think?

The AMG’s combination of brains and brawn was enough to win over a large portion of judges, earning it a credible fourth place at this year’s ABDC testing.

What held the E63 S 4MATIC+ back most was simply a virtue of its executive sedan design, namely, its responsibility to both cosset and coerce the driver all at once.

“The E63 S 4MATIC+ is proof that bigger is not always better,” reported Nadine Armstrong.

But as big cars go, this one is pretty hard to top.

<a href="https://motoring.pxcrush.net/motoring/general/editorial/abdc_mercedes-amg_e63s_04.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-csn-inline-image wp-image-243860" src="https://motoring.pxcrush.net/motoring/general/editorial/abdc_mercedes-amg_e63s_04.jpg?height=427&width=640&aspect=fitWithin" alt="" width="640" height="427"></a>

How much is a 2018 Mercedes-AMG E63 S 4MATIC+?

Price: $239,610 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 4.0-litre eight-cylinder twin-turbo-petrol
Output: 450kW/850Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel: 9.3L/100km (ADR Combined), 24.9L/100km (as tested)
CO2: 212g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP

2018 Mercedes-AMG E63 4MATIC+ performance figures (as tested):

0-100km/h: 4.5sec
0-400m: 12.036sec @ 199.6km/h
Lap time: 1:33.122sec

Related reading:

>> Mercedes-AMG E63 4MATIC+ Review