Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG 2009 Review

Mercedes-Benz E 63 AMG

What we liked
>> Composure and dynamic competence
>> Comfort and daily-driving practicality
>> Flat grey paint option

Not so much
>> Flies under the radar?
>> Overkill in the Australian market?
>> Frontal styling treatment

Overall rating: 3.0/5.0
Engine and Drivetrain: 3.0/5.0
Price, Packaging and Practicality: 3.5/5.0
Safety: 3.0/5.0
Behind the wheel: 3.0/5.0
X-factor: 3.0/5.0

About our ratings

OVERVIEW

The Carsales Network drove the E 63 AMG during the car's international launch, so we'll skip over the dry, hoary bits covered in the pricing news or the original drive review.
 

PACKAGING
-- Mustard mit all the other condiments
In our review of the W212 E-Class, we handed down our opinion of the new car's accommodation. Those comments also apply to the E 63, with a few additional remarks, as noted below:

Dynamic seat side bolstering was handy, albeit a little disconcerting at first. The side cushions in the seats inflate and deflate as the car turns, providing the seat occupant with more lateral support while cornering.

For all the flexible seat, steering wheel and mirror adjustment in the E 63, it's a car that you can just get in and drive without endless readjustment. Instruments are easily read and controls are ergonomically simple to operate, but for this reviewer, it's going to take a long while becoming accustomed to the placement of the cruise control stalk, which is where most other car companies would place the indicator stalk. The E-Class version is in keeping with other models in the Benz range, but for first-time drivers, it will catch you out.

ON THE ROAD
-- Day trip in a big banger
The Big E is a whole lot more subdued than its wilder, 'younger' sibling, the C 63. Where the C 63 sounds like a large ferocious animal in lower gears -- and with barely a gentle prod of the throttle -- the E 63 is quite domesticated until the driver whips it up with lead-footed lairiness. Full throttle in the E 63 leaves you in no doubt that the 6.2-litre DOHC V8 is all business, but some elements of the car lack the uninhibited appeal of the smaller car.

It seems a surprising thing to say, but racestart in the E 63 proved to be a little disappointing on the one occasion we tried it out. Acceleration was certainly fast and traction kept the car on the straight and narrow at all times, but it just wasn't as rapid as we expected.

And here's why: While the roads in Germany are as smooth as. The slightest moisture turns them into a skidpan-substitute. That's overstating it slightly, but the bitumen lacked the grip afforded by some of our coarse-surfaced rural roads in Australia. On a few occasions, we turned the car into a corner applying moderate power and the tail stepped out unexpectedly -- and it's not like the engine's power delivery is precipitous or anything like that.

Without racestart -- just planting the foot in a straight line -- the E 63 would break traction and crab sideways. In short, it has the performance, but racestart was actually pulling back the available power because the road's grip wasn't up to par. That's what it's supposed to do of course. The system is to be commended for providing optimal, controlled acceleration.

In reality, it's more than quick enough. Certainly, on the autobahns between Stuttgart and Frankfurt we didn't come across a car that could keep up with the E 63 when it was accelerating at full tilt.

There was little opportunity for this reviewer to try out the car's handling and steering, but the power oversteer on hand fits in with AMG's work on the suspension of the car. They've widened the track at the front and fitted steel coil springs for a better dynamic response, but air springs at the rear are there to provide a self-levelling facility and maintain ride composure. The upshot is that the car is bound to be more 'dynamic' at the front than at the rear.

Stability control tamed the oversteer faster than the driver could, so the active safety of the car is consonant with its performance. At higher speeds on the autobahns, the E 63 was very stable and surefooted.

Even in the firmest suspension setting, the E 63 is a comfortable-riding car, although there's the qualification that the roads weren't what you'd call back-breakers. Whether the E 63's ride remains as comfortable on Australian roads is a still question unanswered.

AMG has done an excellent job with the brakes on the car. Mercedes-Benz Australia is aiming for ceramic brakes to form part of an optional performance pack for Australian-spec car -- price N/A at this stage. These ceramic brakes fitted to the car we drove were cross-drilled and ventilated. They could not only haul the car down from what some will argue were obscenely high speeds, they did so softly; with no fuss and without the noisiness often associated with high-performance braking systems.

Ultimately, the E 63 AMG isn't -- to us at least -- as in your face as the Audi RS6 driven on home turf a few months ago. Nor the M5 for that matter.

For all the big wheels (the Aussie-spec cars are fitted as standard with 19-inch alloys) and the aggressive stance, the E 63 remains a very refined car in most respects, including its outward presentation. We harbour very little doubt that Benz will sell every example it imports.
 

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