German Car Zone

I took the liberty of merging the E63 first drives threads so that we can keep track of all discussions around this very impressive car. Looks like it's a two horse race between the E63 and the XFR in the muscle saloon car battle.

What is it?

We've been impressed by the subtlety and solidity of the latest Mercedes-Benz E-class, but this, in its E63 AMG form, is a different proposition for the car. High-powered sports saloons like BMW's M series and Jaguar's XFR offer some instant gratification, and the latest E-Class isn't typically about instant thrills.

This variant might be different, though. Like most new AMGs it gets the 6.2-litre (dubbed 6.3) naturally aspirated V8 engine in full fat 518bhp form, mated to a seven-speed automatic transmission that has a wet clutch rather than a torque converter, for better control and less power wastage.

Not that depriving the motor (which also has 456lb ft of torque) of a few nags would make a massive difference. As it is, Mercedes says it'll go from 0-62mph in 4.5sec and onto a limited 155mph top speed, which can be raised to 186mph by ticking the right options. Other Performance Pack upgrades include an electronically controlled limited-slip rear differential, and stiffer spring rates. Unusually, the E63 AMG is suspended by steel springs at the front, with air springs at the rear.

There are three stages of damping control, and four gearbox modes with differing severity of shifts and willingness to rev the engine. The traction and stability programmes also have three stages, so it seems the E63 AMG is one of those cars that needs telling what mood you're in.

What's it like?

The E63 is at least instantly impressive, if not wowing. Its interior feels solidly constructed and ergonomically it's competent. It doesn't have the tactile quality of a Jaguar XF but it gives a fine impression that it will withstand the rigours of time.

The gearlever makes what's (for me) a welcome reappearance on the centre console, rather than up by the steering wheel. It's still an electronic control rather than a mechanical one, but is neatly shaped and features next to it the dynamic-personalisation controls for gearbox, dampers et al.

So it's subtle inside, but the motor certainly isn't when you give the key a twist. Over six litres is a big engine in anybody's book and because it's naturally aspirated it can blow and bellow without any muffled, whined or whistled backing tracks. So there's a pleasing woofle as it fires and it settles to a muted, powerful idle.

In fact, wherever you go the engine is one of the highlights of this car. It's terrifically responsive and makes a strong, pure noise on heavy throttle. When it comes to feeling good about engines, there's little substitute for a large-capacity, naturally aspirated motor.

The German roads on which we've so far tried the E63 AMG were largely, as most German roads are - race-track smooth - but when we searched out broken surfaces the E63 seemed to hold up quite well. At least, it did with the suspension on its standard setting. For each additional red LED on the damper switch, the ride firms up to the extent that I suspect it'll be largely useless on B-roads, but AMG would argue that's part of the character; leave it in normal or sport most of the time, with the most extreme setting for race tracks or smooth-road thrashing.

It's not an unfair attitude, but a Jaguar XFR, say, doesn't ask you to make so many decisions about the kind of road you're about to assault.

If you do ask a lot of the E63's chassis, it shows a strong hand. There is ample grip, body control (in tighter suspension modes) is good and it turns precisely, if less manically than some rivals. Because its steering isn't fleetingly fast and is relatively heavy, the E63 doesn't feel quite as agile as rivals from BMW and Jaguar, and requires bigger inputs.

But don't be fooled into thinking it's just a muscle car; there's a broad depth to its dynamic repertoire and strong adjustability. Any initial understeer can be zapped by a trailing brake and/or early throttle application. That the engine will meter out just as much power as you ask, due to its excellent flexibility and response, is a real bonus.

And at high-speed cruising, which is what the E63 will most likely be asked to do? It's fine, too. I'd want to spend a bit more time on poor roads but its seats are excellent and noise levels are low. The gearbox shifts with nous, too.

A larger fuel tank than the E's 66 litres wouldn't hurt, but a 22.4mpg official average and 250g/km are, at the time of writing, class-leading. Some of its safety features are a bit over the top for us, mind; the lane departure and imminent collision warnings are a drag if they go off when they shouldn't, which happens often enough for them to be ignorable. Otherwise equipment levels are strong.

Should I buy one?

You could do a lot worse. I'd have an E63 over the V10 BMW M5 and any large Audi saloon. Jaguar's XFR is dynamically more compelling but I could understand someone who opted for the AMG instead.

The E63 is one of the more expensive super-saloons, at around £70,000. But given all it has going for it - one of the best engines in the business, fine dynamics, solid perceived feel and, not incidentally, fine capaciousness - it can hold its own at even that price.


Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG - Road Test First Drive - Autocar.co.uk


M

That AMG interior is flawless!

^

Car reviews | Mercedes-Benz E 63 AMG | Gentle sledgehammer | by Car Enthusiast

| First Drive | Stuttgart, Germany | Mercedes-Benz E 63 AMG saloon |

Only four months has passed between the launch of the new E-Class and this, the flagship AMG version; it usually takes a year. The reason for that is, like the C-Class before it, the E was developed with AMG actively involved in the process from the offset. Usually, AMG is handed a finished model and told to get on with it.

The result in the C-Class was tangible. In fact, we liked the C 63 AMG so much at its launch that we called the estate version "one of the most rounded and enjoyable performance cars available today." So, it bodes well for big brother, which takes the same hand built 6.2-litre V8 and guides it into the space where there's usually a turbodiesel chattering away. Mercedes claims that this AMG is better than the C 63.

In the Metal

The visual result of the E-Class's AMG overhaul is more discrete than the C-Class's; there's little to distinguish the E 63 from a sport-pack equipped E 250 CDI. However, park the two side-by-side and you'll see that the real-deal gets slightly flared wheel arches (by 17mm if you must know), a pair of brake cooling vents on the front wings, redesigned LED daytime running lights, the full skirt treatment all round and - our particular highlight - quad AMG-branded tailpipe finishers that sit flush with the rear valance. Misleading '6.3 AMG' badges (it's a 6.2-litre engine, which Mercedes insists on calling a 6.3) on the flanks are the other obvious performance giveaways.

The cabin is a similarly appointed feast of executive substance and discretion over boy-racer style. In a world in which diesel hatchbacks can leave the factory with a set of track-spec bucket seats, the E 63's chairs are flatter than an X-Factor reject. They are, however, sumptuously comfortable - a massive giveaway as to the car's setup bias, as it happens. The test cars available at the launch were all equipped with optional nappa leather dash tops, which significantly improves the cabin ambience, but it's not as though the E-Class is lacking in that sense in any event. The quality of Merc's executive, as we've already attested to, is an absolute return to form for the maker.

The big difference between this and mere mortal Mercs is nestled in the centre console. The new AMG Drive Unit sits beside the stubby gear selector and comprises of three buttons and a rotary dial, laid out in a neat line. The dial is mated to the AMG Speedshift MCT seven-speed gearbox and can alter its shift pattern between three automatic modes and one manual one. It also accesses launch control - known as 'race start' in this application. Two of the buttons are linked to the electronic stability programme and active damping, and the remaining one - marked 'AMG' - is essentially a 'favourite' button used to store your preferred combination of damping and gearbox settings and access them with one prod. Bizarrely, but probably for good safety reasons, the ESP must always be switched on, off or halfway (sport mode) manually.

What you get for your Money

AMG Drive Unit, for a start, but mostly your circa-£70k buys you one of the best engines money can buy. The hand built 6.2-litre, naturally aspirated V8 engine is an absolute screamer, delivering big diesel-like levels of torque in the low range but snapping properly into life from about 4,000rpm, when it all starts getting a bit silly.

And owning a hallowed AMG car, with an engine developed from scratch by Merc's specialist tuning arm and meticulously put together by a man with a hand cart (true), may make the almighty premium worthwhile. But there is another way of looking at it: an E 350 CDI BlueEfficiency Sport has 398lb.ft of torque - a mere 58lb.ft less, and it comes earlier - but costs around half as much and will return almost twice as many miles per gallon (the AMG musters just 22.4mpg, though that's not too bad all things considered). The diesel will look similar, too. Hmm.

You're paying for AMG's full scope of engineering prowess, though, because the E 63 isn't just a big engine shoehorned into an executive saloon... it is that, actually, but it also has a unique steering setup, a clever sort of hybrid suspension arrangement, bigger brakes, aerodynamic tweaks and, as mentioned, the seven-speed auto, which dispenses with a standard torque convertor and uses a wet clutch, minimising power loss and allowing for gearchanges in one tenth of a second. It double-declutches automatically too, as is the proper way. Tally ho, old chap.

Driving it

First impressions of the E 63 are, frankly, unremarkable, and it becomes quickly clear that AMG has developed the car first and foremost as a gentleman's express. The steering, although 22 percent sharper than the standard E's rack, is light, and the cabin is as hushed as a big dose of "shut up, fool" from Mr T. But it's not unremarkable in the 'average' sense of the word; rather it's not as hair-raisingly bananas as you hope it might be at first.

The E 63's unusual setup of conventional springs at the front and air suspension at the back complement each other nicely. The idea is that the front springs imbue the car with come good old, authentic steering feel, but the air setup at the rear - which constantly monitors the angle of the car and keeps it level - is an aid to both comfort and body control.

But whichever of the damper settings between 'comfort', 'sport' and 'sport+' are chosen, the ride remains resolutely compliant, and any other adjective you care to think of that can be used to describe that wafting character so synonymous with old Mercs. What that means is that while the car lacks the aggressive edge you expect of it, it also has a huge breadth of talent - by no means is this a dynamic underachiever. Set the gearbox and suspension to their softest settings, leave the ESP on, and there's much relaxation to be had; the 'box changes early and settles on the highest cog possible, and you already know about the ride. However, with the ESP off and everything reversed (firm and aggressive), the chassis and gearbox are equipped to make more of the phenomenal reserves of power and torque. The steering and throttle response - quite often alterable in similar 'active chassis' setups - remain constant.

And there are few engines as ferocious as AMG's 518bhp and 456lb.ft powerplant above 4,000rpm. Pull any cliché you want out of your memory box, but from that point onwards the V8 screams - figuratively and actually - up to the redline like the car's been kicked in the backside by God himself. Every gearchange bangs in like a zeppelin exploding, too. Obviously it's no Murcielago in the aural fireworks department, but for a car so capable of docility, it's a stark contrast. That said, with 'ESP off', rear tyre shredding is always a distinct possibility, and while it steers with too much lightness for our tastes, there's very little slack to the speed-sensitive, AMG-specific rack. The chassis easily copes with all the power too, making it pliant and very nearly nimble, but ultimately there's little doubt it's been designed for the autobahn.

Worth Noting

The Sindelfingen factory where AMG puts its engines together is astonishing - and definitely a recommended detour (if it's possible) for anyone who happens to be around the Stuttgart area with a bit of time on their hands. We were lucky enough to get the guided tour from a couple of engineers there and were taken around the centre where the engines are built under AMG's famed 'one man, one engine' philosophy.

The place churns out 20,000 engines a year between 60 or so highly skilled engineers, each of whom has his own trolley with a little cup holder on it in which he keeps his bottle of Mobil One. He then walks up and down the surprisingly brightly lit engine construction room - like a surgery full of engine bits - putting the engine together on the trolley as he goes. According to AMG, this method means that each engine is built extremely precisely, with the actual power difference between each no greater than 3bhp either way; normally, up to 30bhp can be gained or lost compared to an engine's official output, when built fully mechanically.

Summary

The Mercedes E 63 AMG is a fitting flagship for the new E-Class range, following the lead set by the regular versions in being supremely well built, comfortable and dynamically adroit. It's evidently been conceived and made as the ultimate executive mile dispatcher, and in that respect it's absolutely superlative. However, at this stage we'd say it doesn't have the dynamic edge of the BMW M5 or the Jaguar XFR. Still, a discrete beast of a car. And that engine...













more photos here:

http://www.germancarzone.com/mercede...-thread-5.html (Mercedes-Benz E-Class W212 Picture Thread)

Don't know if this has already been posted...
Automobile: First Drive, 2010 E63 AMG





Is the Horsepower War Almost Over?
War is hell, unless it's a horsepower war, in which case it's kind of fun. For more than a decade, the cars from AMG have been on the front lines of the horsepower wars, which have seen the top autobahn rockets - most, naturally, from Germany - zoom past 300, then 400, and now 500 horsepower. But all good wars must one day come to an end, and for the horsepower wars, that day is starting to feel very close indeed. The new E63 AMG, for example, uses the same engine as the previous model (AMG's near-ubiquitous 6.2-liter V-8) and pushes its headline figure ahead by only 11 hp.

Still, we're talking about 518 horsepower here, easily enough to send this luxurious four-door sedan down the autobahn at (a governed) 186 mph. The thing is, the previous E63 AMG, with only 507 hp, was also capable of 186 mph. Evidently, at the peak of the super-sedan pyramid, there simply isn't much more performance to be had.

The goal: Better driving dynamics
Where, then, did the AMG folks hope to move the needle with this new car? "We wanted a sharper car - better driving dynamics," says Tobias Moers, head of overall vehicle development at AMG. Here again, though, we'd argue that AMG's high-volume mid-liner already made its big move in the chassis department with the switch from the old E55 AMG to the new-for-2007 E63.

Nonetheless, in the quest for even better driving dynamics, AMG engineers tossed out the front air springs (still used on the standard E-class) in favor of steel springs and struts. Air springs are retained at the rear, because of their ability to manage the widely varying loads on the rear axle. As before, the dampers are adjustable, this time in three steps: Comfort, Sport, and Sport+. An available performance package - a seemingly redundant option on a fire-breather like the E63 - makes the three settings a bit firmer still. When we sampled both versions on the beautifully maintained roads around Stuttgart, the standard car in its mellowest setting delivered a pretty comfortable ride, but when we cranked it up a notch to Sport or two notches to Sport-plus, the E63 telegraphed every slight bump or bit of creased pavement we could find. In the performance-package car, Comfort is the equivalent of the standard car's Sport setting, so your choices are Stiff, Stiffer, and Stiffest. Combine that with the 30/35-series tires (front/rear) and that is likely to feel pretty harsh over the crumbling highways that plague so much of America.

Unfortunately, those seeking ultimate bragging rights will want to opt for the performance package anyway, as it includes the reprogrammed electronics that allow for that 186-mph top speed, rather than the standard 155 mph. Otherwise, though, the stiffer spec is hardly necessary. Despite tipping the scales at a shade over two tons (about the same as before), with either setup, the E63 turns in aggressively, remains deliciously balanced through fast corners, and emits barely a peep from its Pirelli PZero tires. A new, fixed-ratio steering rack is quicker than before at 14:1 but is perfectly weighted and never nervous. For those eager to explore the handling limits, the stability control includes a more liberal Sport mode and also can be switched off completely.


Full story @ 2010 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG - Mercedes Benz Luxury Sport Sedan - Automobile Magazine

I still don't understand why they left off some other styling cues. Power domes or some sort of hood scoop would have done wonders, like in the SL63. And a fixed spoiler of some sort for the rear. Simple, inexpensive and much needed IMO.

I rather like the styling and MB's approach to it: Understated elegance. The car doesn't look like a huge power monster but a peek under the hood reveals all.

For me in this segment it is literally a 2-car race....E63 or XFR..ok...and maybe the CTS-V.


M

Perfect.