This is the all-new Mercedes-Benz E 63 AMG - the car that makes the E 200 CDI sexy by association. Aimed at rich executive types (nee fat cats - though now looking a bit malnourished after the credit crunch) who like their bottoms pampered on the way to work, but enjoy a good 'dab of oppo' at the weekends.
So, the E 63 is Merc's crack at five-seat driving divinity, marrying practicality and comfort with the ability to coax god-like power-sliding out of regular Joes like you and me. Well, those with about 70 grand to spend, that is.
Let's start with the engine: a naturally aspirated 6.2-litre V8 with 518bhp and 465lb.ft of torque sends madness to the rear wheels through a seven-speed wet clutch automatic gearbox, complete with paddle shifters and three shift modes: 'controlled efficiency', 'sport' and 'sport plus'. The first of those, if you're wondering, is Mercedes management speak for 'comfort'. Like the adjustable air suspension, which we'll get to, it's controllable through the 'AMG drive unit', which by the look of things comprises a set of buttons and a rotary dial adjacent to the shift stick. Very neat. The seven-speed AMG SPEEDSHIFT MCT-7 'box switches gears in one tenth of a second, will blip the throttle on downshifts in sport mode and has a 'race start' option: be afraid
M5 owners at the traffic lights.
Air springs are featured at the rear with a traditional springs and dampers setup at the front, which Mercedes reckons means more steering responsiveness, but greater control at the back. The damping is three-way switchable between sporty and comfort too and the entire front axle is new: wider and comprehensively re-engineered for greater cornering speeds, similar to the overhaul Mercedes bestowed on the
C-Class for the
C 63 AMG. There's a rear mechanical limited slip differential too, so power-sliding is as easy as firing an incompetent secretary. In addition, the steering rack is 22 percent sharper and speed sensitive, though it's not adjustable, for shame. The ESP, on the other hand, is adjustable between on, off and something in-between for those who, perhaps sensibly, wish to hedge their bets on a windy road, lest they wind up in an actual hedge.
The E 63 is limited to a mere 155mph top speed, but will sprint to 62mph in 4.5 seconds (0.2 seconds quicker than the new
Brabus E Class can muster). But unlike some AMG cars of yore, this one is developed primarily with dynamics in mind, hence the myriad of available chassis setting combinations. Adequate stopping power comes from 360mm drilled discs on all four wheels with big callipers, housed inside 18-inch AMG alloys with tyres 30mm wider at the back.
Then there are the looks, which as you can see are discreet rather than ostentatious, in keeping with the theme of the new E-Class in general. The AMG fettling is particularly obvious at the back, where quad pipes dominate proceedings, but that's about as shouty as it gets. The cabin is similarly themed, with a nice set of sports bucket seats trimmed in leather and a few AMG badges giving the game away - though there's a list of lavish exterior and interior AMG furnishings almost big enough to blow an entire politician's second home allowance on.
Mark Nichol - 1 Apr 2009
