Mercedes-Benz E 63 AMG 2013 Review - International

The dramatic backdrop was the perfect setting to put the new Mercedes-Benz E 63 AMG through its paces, which was why motoring.com.au was there – along with fellow journalists from Australia and other parts of the world. Very few were backwards about giving the E 63 some stick along the well maintained roads that wound their way through the park.

For this drive program Mercedes-AMG put the horsing around first; letting the media loose in the new model before revealing much about it. But we'll do the right thing by the reader, and deal with the nitty gritty first.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT

That complicates Benz's market positioning and pricing for the new car, since even the lower-powered car will replace a 386kW model with less kit – but the prestige importer won't want pricing to run away from its current level of $240,985.

Why not, you ask? Well it has quite a lot to do with BMW's M5, which develops 412kW and is already in the market, priced at $229,500.

Our guess is that Mercedes-Benz will do its absolute level best to hold the 410kW E 63 at the current price, or as near to it as possible. The importer will presumably promote the sophisticated new safety and convenience features in the car to justify any price increase, or to compound the car's value – in a marketing scenario – if the pricing remains where it is.

David McCarthy, spokesman for the importer, told motoring.com.au that the higher-performance version is likelier to be the volume seller once the new car goes on sale here in June. The Estate (wagon) version previously available may not carry over with the new model, since only five have been sold in Australia since introduction.

The S model gains a diff lock, 19-inch alloy wheels – up one inch from the 18-inch alloys of the standard car – and a lip spoiler on the sedan's boot lid. Features to distinguish the higher-performance model include gloss black finish for the front 'A wing', silver-chrome finish for the decorative inserts in the front splitter and side sill panels.

Red brake callipers, matt titanium grey finish for the 10-spoke alloy wheels and the AMG logo combined with a black 'S' badge on the boot lid are further touches to identify the E 63 S model.

Both grades come trimmed in nappa leather upholstery in black, with the S model set apart by contrasting grey stitching for the seats, door panels, door armrests and centre console.

MECHANICAL

Power remains supplied by the twin-turbo 5.5-litre V8, and is relayed to the rear wheels only (in Australia at least) by the seven-speed AMG Speedshift transmission that features a wet-plate clutch pack in lieu of a torque converter.

Output has been increased to 410kW and 720Nm for the standard car, or 430kW and 800Nm for the S model. In both cases peak torque occurs across a range of engine speeds starting from 1750rpm and topping out at 5250rpm (720Nm) or 5000rpm (800Nm). AMG engineers have increased turbo charge pressure from 0.9 to 1.0 bar to achieve the difference between the standard engine and the S model's.

Now Euro 6-compliant, the new engines are rated at 9.8L/100km and emissions of 230g/km. The fuel consumption figure is an improvement on the previous (386kW) engine's number, 10.0L/100km, and officially pulls the E 63 down into single-digit figures. Given the slight difference in testing parameters for the New European Drive Cycle and our own ADR fuel consumption standard, there's a chance that the Australian-delivered cars will be back to double digits again when they arrive, four months from now.

The S models, as already mentioned, ride on 19-inch alloy wheels and benefit from the differential lock. At the front, the standard cars are fitted with 255/40 R18 tyres on 9.0x18 rims, while the rear tyres measure 285/35 R18 and are wrapped around 9.5x18 rims. In contrast, the S models sit on 255/35 R19 tyres/9.0x19 wheels at the front, and 285/30 R19 tyres/9.5x19 wheels at the rear.

A MacPherson strut-type suspension set-up at the front features an electronic damper control system and steel springs, but the multi-link independent unit at the rear is an air suspension system. One of the significant changes to the E 63 for the new model is the adoption of an electro-mechanical steering system that saves fuel, as does the Eco-stop/start engine system.

Whereas the older car has three large dials in the binnacle with two smaller dials outboard for the fuel level and engine temperature, the new E 63's instrument cluster is simplified, with fuel and engine temperature integrated in the one dial, left of the large speedo in the centre and the smaller tacho on the right. The analogue clock previously located left of the speedo has been removed.

Otherwise, the interior design is very much as it was, with its distinctive ladle-like gear shifter and separate 'Park' button in the centre console, drilled alloy sports pedals (and footrest) ,with out-of-round steering wheel. Even the dash top shroud for the centre fascia display looks unchanged. The same is true of vents, glovebox, switchgear, et al.

Seats in the E 63 remain highly adjustable and very comfortable considering their innate ability to support and hold the occupants in place as the car is being thrown around at high speed. Our one gripe is the traditional Benz foot-operated parking brake and its hand-pull for release. Still, it does open up the real estate between the front seats.

And while it's unusual these days for a car going for around a quarter of a million bucks to come with a key – which has to be slotted into an ignition lock barrel, furthermore – it's not major cause for complaint from this writer. In fact, the tumbler in the dash is easy to find and use. And wouldn't you rather have a key locked in place somewhere during an accident, rather than floating free around the cabin – ready to poke an eye out or slice open the femoral artery?

A word about styling: the new E 63, like the rest of the E-Class range, represents a marked improvement over its predecessor, we submit. The headlight styling is dramatic and visually assertive, lending an important element to the car's aggressive and no-nonsense stance on the road. Yet the frontal treatment makes the car appear slightly smaller overall.

The whole effect is cohesive and well proportioned and it's a credit to Benz (and AMG) stylists that the new car will meet upcoming European pedestrian safety regs without looking like a Jimmy Durante homage.

SAFETY – see our review of the new E-Class for further information.

Another car to consider is the Porsche Panamera – in Turbo and Turbo S forms. The one issue with the Porsche is it's priced quite steep and is at least $100,000 more expensive than the anticipated price for even the 430kW E 63 S.

If money is an object, Jaguar offers the XFR, which develops similar (but inferior) levels of power and torque – for something like over $50,000 less. Bear in mind, however, that the Jaguar is only rated four stars for safety by Euro NCAP. That might – and should – colour your judgement.

Audi is due shortly to bring its RS6/RS7 models to market, and if all-wheel traction and good value drive your purchase decision, it might be worth waiting around a few months before settling on the Mercedes.

Having the benefits of forced induction means tonnes of torque on tap – from practically any engine speed. Mid-range, top-end, idle – the E 63 never feels underwhelming anywhere in the rev range. And practically no speed is too high for a lower gear from the AMG Speedshift transmission, which shifts smoothly and kicks down promptly.

Never mind the unseemly mountain of power and torque available from the engine, however, because the E 63 will trickle along in traffic quite comfortably and utterly without fuss. It's a relaxing daily driver as well as a weapons-grade gunship. Ride quality was impressive considering the E 63's potent engine output and the seats covered all bases, if you'll pardon that expression. They were comfortable for people of widely differing physiques, but also held us in check while driving the car harder on Spain's twistiest roads.

If there was one aspect of the drive through Montserrat that did highlight a weakness in the E 63, it was the cornering. For a car of this size – and with its new electrically assisted steering too – the E 63 provided good feedback through the wheel and responded quickly to driver input.

But the E 63 can be a great big lumbering thing if it's not handled right. Leave the braking a smidge too late and the car will push through the corner. To its credit, get the braking and approach right and the E 63 will reward you with handling traits on the oversteer side of neutral.

Just make sure you push hard on the brake pedal with plenty of time left for the big strong brakes to haul the car down from whatever speed, then enter the corner on a trailing throttle and wait for the gentle, predictable shift to oversteer.

We were driving the 410kW rear-drive version of the E 63 for the launch, but Aussie journalists who also sampled the all-wheel drive variant with the 430kW engine observed that it was the 4MATIC S model that we should be getting here in Australia.

Granted, the AMG engineers had to locate the driveshaft to the front wheels somewhere – and they chose what was for them the lesser of two evils. Granted too, E 63 owners in Australia are bound to enjoy more the occasional seat-of-the-pants driving experience rear-wheel drive can deliver.

The E 63's safety nannies can keep all but the most reckless of owners safe, in extremis. But E 63 without all-wheel drive still seems incomplete, somehow.

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