The all-new Mercedes-AMG E 63 S is the most powerful E-Class ever. We take it away from the racetrack and out into the real world to see what it’s made of.
Story: Jim Gorde
Photography: Saurabh Botre
Let’s start with this: the first AMG 65 with a 6.0-litre BiTurbo V12 made 612 PS — the same as this 4.0-litre BiTurbo V8 motor. That’s how much technology has changed and allowed manic power to come from a third less displacement. Turns out the replacement is a pair of turbochargers, direct injection, and a smarter engine control unit.
With a specific output of over 150 PS/litre, the Mercedes-AMG E 63 S is a mental super-saloon from the deepest, wildest skunkworks within the heart of Affalterbach. The E 63 S was bred to seamlessly switch from the autobahn to the racetrack and back again. However, with its “4MATIC+” all-wheel drive, new nine-speed AMG multi-clutch transmission making its début, and 850 Nm of torque, it isn’t a sort of AMG E-Class we’re used to seeing. The supercharged E 55 from what seems like the last century — which it was, technically — has something more in common than a blown V8 — it was a family saloon stuffed with loads of horsepower meant to surprise with its performance while appearing to be a regular road car. Enough of history. It’s the real-world experience that needs to be explored.
The Mercedes-AMG E 63 S in this “designo selenite grey magno” flavour looks absolutely stunning — in this standard wheelbase avatar, of course, no L job here — and brings drool on the faces of those who know what it is. Even those who don’t know look strangely at it, knowing it’s an E-Class but something appears different and it piques their interest. The grille is not chrome-laden, yet has a horizontal slat that means business. The air inlets on the centre grille and on either side of the front apron are larger and unrestricted, with wider-spaced black slats within. The wheels are large cross-spoked forged 20-inch numbers finished in black with the high-performance ceramic composite braking system sitting behind them. And don’t discount the carbon-fibre detailing — on the wing-mirror covers, side-skirts, boot-lip spoiler, and the louvres on the front quarter-panels. They stand out in all the right ways. Also, this AMG E-Class is not the long-wheelbase version as the regular right-hand-drive Benz model made specifically in India. The Mercedes-AMG E 63 S measures 4,993 mm long with a wheelbase of 2,939 mm — 140 mm less. What that means is also lower weight. The E 63 S weighs in at just 1,880 kg. And, with 612 PS, that’s a power-to-weight ratio of 325 PS/tonne! Shivers creep in all over me as I reach for the key.
Keyless entry it may have, but keyless go is missing. In this day and age and at this price, that’s something much needed. Get past that, open the door and a sporty cabin greets you. AMG sports seats wrapped in leather, carbon-fibre trim with aluminium highlights, and a familiar expanse of quality. As I slip in and plonk into the seat, reality hits hard. This is a hardcore car. It’s built to go fast and has that air of focus and I feel I should ideally be at a racetrack. The steering wheel feels firm and solid, the seat is firm and the bolsters feel close. The last E 63 (W212-based) had active bolsters that dynamically cosseted me in corners. This one doesn’t feel the need for those. Front and centre are the twin large displays. The centre one is so Mercedes, but the one behind the wheel is undoubtedly AMG. It has a G-force display, a big speedo, and a rev-counter that starts blushing only around 7,000 rpm. The centre console is host to the COMAND interface and has more levers and knobs for the climate control. The carbon-fibre storage cover sure captivated me for a bit before I realized the gear-lever was behind the wheel. Right. Time to go.
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