German Car Zone

Jag vs M5 was comparison. E63 is a different test but by same magazine.

LoL like it matters Lets face it, the performance will be similar to previous E63 but the new one will be much more agile.

More agile why? It's heavier and bigger than the W211 right?

Better/tighter suspension, larger contact patch (tires went from 245/40, 265/35 to 255/35, 285/30).

Front axle is AMG-specific this time, including the steering, resulting in a much improved front-end grip and more feel in the steering. The steering is also more direct, gives more informations.

The new gearbox, with the converter replaced by a wet clutch, is much faster and way more responsive.

The whole car is in a new dimension in terms of sportiness and agility compared to the W211, despite the similar power output.

One test doesn't prove squat, and it isn't even the same test. I'll wait for the U.S magazines to actually compare the cars at the same time.

M

When a company has its original 6.3 V8 saloon touring car and current DTM car sitting side by side in its reception, you know it’s probably going to be fun driving its cars. I like AMG. But until recently they were rather hobbled with the image of a tuning company producing muscle-bound, straight-line rocketships, the ring-leaders of the ‘where will it all end?’ German bhp race. Think ‘Mercedes AMG’ and the image that popped into your noggin was of a silver/grey car packing a forced induction V8 or V12, dripping in torque, leaving straight, molten black lines on the road. And some things haven’t changed. However, since the inception of the Black Series a couple of years ago, we’ve come to see that AMG can do more. We now know that they can produce cars that are taut and alive in the corners, cars can that stir your soul with precision and balance, cars like the CLK Black.

Even the ‘normal’ AMG cars like the C63 subsequently seem to have adopted a different philosophy – now it’s not just a hooliganish alternative to an M3, it’s a genuine alternative to an M3. And so we come to the E63. I imagine there was a collective groan from AMG’s design studio when they saw the shape that Mercedes-Benz wanted them to work with. Sensibly they didn’t waste too much time to trying to make a Monet out of a monstrosity and just applied the usual subtly deeper front spoiler, wider arches, sill skirts and rear apron. The result looks tough, but ugly in a very rhombic way.

Inside, it’s a feast of buttons and dials. The ESP and electronically controlled dampers have three settings each: ‘On’, ‘Sport’ and ‘Off’, and ‘Comfort’, ‘Sport’ and ‘Sport plus’, respectively. The gearbox is the seven-speed unit first seen in the SL63 and has five settings – ‘Controlled efficiency’, ‘Sport’, ‘Sport plus’, ‘Manual’ and ‘Race Start’ (launch control). Finally, and fortunately, you can program your preferred combination of all the above into the ‘AMG button’, which is basically a copy of M-Sport’s M button but on the transmission tunnel rather than the steering wheel.

With all this sophistication, it’s a surprise to find you use a regular key to bring the car to life. The exhaust is nicely vocal, the aluminium paddles on the back of the wheel are cool to the touch and the weighting of the steering is instantly good. The automatic gearshifts are discerningly timed in ‘Sport plus’ and the shifts themselves take just 100milliseconds. However, although the cogs swap at the same phenomenal rate in Manual mode, the pause between flicking the paddle and the 100ms change actually happening takes much longer, which is annoying.

The suspension retains air springs at the rear to keep the car at a constant ride height irrespective of load, but AMG has used steel suspension at the front to make it more agile. The ride is no magic carpet, even in the Comfort setting, which is surprising, but it has a polished tautness. The front end is pleasingly sharp, the whole car leans a touch as you turn in (it is a sizable 1840kg saloon, after all) then seems to firm up, allowing you to push incisively against the grip front and rear. Oversteer is an easy option with the optional limited slip diff.

As standard you get 360mm steel brakes but 402mm carbon ceramic discs are offered. I tried both and the ceramics certainly have more bite and power, but the steels have more progression and feel, so I’d stick with those unless you plan on visiting Spa more often than Spar.

And finally the engine. The AMG-designed and developed, naturally aspirated 6.2-litre V8 is a fantastic engine, with a glorious deep warble and an awesome top end beyond 5000rpm. Power is up on the previous E63 by 11bhp too, and AMG is even keener to trumpet that fuel consumption has been improved by 12 per cent. And yet I can’t help feeling it suits a smaller, lighter car. A big saloon needs that lazy yet wickedly addictive low-down kick that you used to get with the old supercharged E55. That engine produced 516lb ft at only 2650rpm as opposed to this V8’s 465lb ft way up at 5200rpm. I love the new, more agile AMGs, of which the E63 is one, but I don’t want them to shun their past either. So go on AMG, give it a supercharger – you don’t really want to be that far behind an RS6 do you?!


Mercedes E-Class | Car review | evo



They may get their wish..in a few years.


M

A massive load lugger estate with performance like it's got a rocket up its derrière? That'll be the Mercedes-Benz E 63 AMG, and we're rather partial to it.

In the Metal

It's all subtle stuff with the E 63 AMG when compared to a standard E-Class wagon - especially one decked out in Sport trim. Study things a little closer though and the clues are there to single out the powerhouse AMG. The track of the E 63 is 45mm wider than a standard E-Class Estate's for a start and the wings are flared by 17mm to cover the 18-inch alloys that come as standard, although Merc reckons most customers will choose the optional 19-inch items that fill the arches a little more effectively. There's also the AMG body kit to help keep the E 63 shoved into the ground at hyper speed, while the air suspension has been tweaked and lowered and also uses the same front suspension design first seen on the C 63 AMG wagon to improve front end grip, stability and steering feel.

As for the load-lugging part of the equation, the E 63 offers the same amount of luggage space as the regular Estate, rising from 695 litres all the way up to 1,950 litres if you drop the 60/40 split rear seats using the Easy-Pack lever set into the rear pillar. In the passenger cell, the driver is confronted with the same neatly styled dashboard made from high grade materials as in the E 63 AMG saloon. The small gear lever is lined by three buttons and a dial to hone the AMG Speedshift MCT seven-speed automatic to the driver's tastes, offering everything from full auto slush mode to manual with race start function and three levels of ESP traction control, including fully on, completely off and an intermediary one for those who just can't decide. Space for the driver and passengers is every bit as good as in the rest of the E-Class Estate line-up, but AMG buyers are blessed with supremely comfortable sports seats in the front, covered in soft leather of course.

What you get for your Money

We could tell you all about the long list of safety equipment, including Pre-Safe to lessen the impact of an accident on the car's occupants, and the luxury goodies, but this is an AMG model. That means the dark heart and soul of this car is all about that 6.2-litre V8 engine lurking under the bonnet. It creates 518bhp at 6,800rpm and drives through a slick 'n' quick seven-speed auto, which can also be treated as a manual gearbox when the driver uses the paddle shifters set behind the steering wheel. This engine and gearbox combo alone makes the E 63 AMG a very special estate and justifies the price jump over the E 500 with its 5.5-litre V8 and 387bhp. Everything else - the Bluetooth connection, CD stereo, climate and cruise controls, and Lane Keeping Assist warning - are all just fripperies. That said, you can spend another fortune on optional extras, which include those 19-inch alloy wheels mentioned earlier, ceramic brakes, limited slip rear differential and a reversing camera to help with parking.

Driving it

What do you want us to say - it's a bit slovenly? With 518bhp on tap and 467lb.ft of torque, the E 63 was never going to be anything other than ballistic. It's a fraction slower than the saloon off the mark, taking 4.6 seconds from 0-62mph compared to the saloon's 4.5 seconds, but we're not going to quibble about this when the E 63 wagon can also take every last bit of tat the average student needs to start fresher week in its huge boot. Keep your right toe hard on the throttle and the E 63 Estate hits a limited top speed of 155mph, though an engineer grinned and hinted to us 200mph is not unreasonable if the limiter is done away with.

Once you get over the dragster performance and the shock of something so big and practical being able to go so quickly - a bit like a 747 Jumbo doing aerobatics - the E 63 starts to really impress. The ride is firm but not so harsh that it crashes or wallops its way over bumpy roads. Unlike an Audi RS6 Avant, which tries to pummel the road into submission, the Merc works with the tarmac it's given and delivers top rate comfort allied to handling that is far less likely to be upset by ripples and dimples than its Audi rival. Go lightly on the throttle and the E 63 is remarkably refined, though once you've heard the volcanic eruption of that 6.2-litre V8 as it heads towards terminal velocity, you'll be wanting more and more. That goes double for the exhaust bark every time the gearbox switches up a notch under full throttle.

The changes to the front suspension also deliver steering in the E 63 that is so much more full of feel than anything the standard E-Class wagon can offer. It's not as sensual as a BMW M5 Touring's helm, but it's laden with more than enough information for the driver to know what this AMG battleship is up to.

Worth Noting

The E-Select lever may be used to put the gearbox into Drive or Reverse or Neutral just like the old model's gear selector, but this new system looks far better and encourages the driver to use the steering wheel paddles more effectively. The Park mode is selected by a separate button, which is one button too many in our view, but the rest of the transmission is a joy to operate. Tinker with the three buttons to fine tune the suspension, ESP and throttle response and the E 63 can be everything from relaxed exec express to frenzied sports car.

Summary

Simply put, the Mercedes E 63 AMG Estate is less extreme than the BMW M5 Touring and Audi RS6. Where the BMW is all rev-tastic and tightly screwed down handling, the Merc offers greater comfort and load capacity along with handling that is still very much in the premier league. Audi may offer an engine linked to Lamborghini, but the E 63's V8 is every bit as well bred and muscle-bound, plus the E 63 doesn't treat every bump in the road as an opportunity to assault its occupants' internal organs. In being more of an all-rounder, the Mercedes E 63 AMG Estate has its rivals well and truly lined up in its cross hairs and, we reckon, has them sunk as an overall package.

Car reviews | Mercedes-Benz E 63 AMG Estate | First drive: Mercedes-Benz E 63 AMG Estate | by Car Enthusiast

What is it?

This is our first go in a Mercedes E63 AMG on UK roads, and the good news is that it is still a more relaxed, subtle prospect than its rivals.

Start from the outside. If it didn’t say ‘AMG’ on the wings and boot, most would miss the fact that there was a 518bhp 6.2-litre V8 lurking under its skin. Even complete with the skirts and flared wings, there is none of the attention-seeking nature of the XFR or M5.

A seven-speed MCT transmission, now with a wet-clutch rather than torque converter and variable suspension (air springs at the rear and steel at the front) make for plenty of adjustability.

What’s it like?

Turn the key and the rather unsubtle V8 emits a bass rumble that encourages all kinds of very un-executive behaviour. Engine noise is a constant background noise, but you don’t buy an E63 if you don’t enjoy that and it isn’t really obtrusive unless you want it to be.

Otherwise cabin noise remains hushed until you get to motorway speeds, when tyre noise from the 19-inch 285/55 (at the rear) tyres becomes intrusive. This is one of the biggest flaws in the E63’s package after its inflated price.

Still, this is an easy car to live with, not least thanks to the firm, but controlled ride. Comfort mode – the softest of the three suspension settings - lives up to its name.

On British roads the ride is slightly unsettled over repeated small undulations in the road surface, but it’s never uncomfortable and the compromise is one that you accept in a car of this nature.

Select either of the two firmer settings and you will be aware of the car’s suspension working to smother the road’s imperfections. Less body composure is also a factor, but only in the firmest setting on a typical B-road does it become at all disconcerting.

Most importantly the E63 has kept its characteristic dual nature as both cruiser and back-road weapon. It does lack some precision on turn-in, and the light steering encourages smooth, rapid progress rather than really focused driving but it’s an entertaining drive.

Excellent chassis balance and a quick, flexible gearbox makes the E63 much more than simply a muscle car, and yet there is also the appealing lairy edge residing at the other end of the throttle travel.

Should I buy one?

In isolation the E63 is an incredibly compelling and polished car that beats the M5 for usability and the XFR for interior space and quality. But none of these finer elements make justify the extra £10k the Merc will cost over the Jaguar.

Even so, the E63 is just a reasonable list price away from being completely brilliant.


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


M

Looks nice in black, not sure I'm liking the grey interior.

BTW anyone see this month's C&D....