[Akshay1234]

The Mercedes-AMG E63 S is on sale in India, starting at a price of Rs. 1.50 crores (ex-showroom).

What you'll like:

• The brutal acceleration & mega performance levels
• Sharper to drive than earlier AMG sedans; gives tough competition to BMWs
• Aggressive exteriors differentiate it from the regular E-Class
• Simply beautiful interiors!
• Supercar performance with everyday practicality

What you won't:

• The ride is rather stiff, even with the air suspension set to "comfort" mode
• Steep CBU pricing means you will pay ~1.75 crores on the road
• The exhaust is a tad bit soft for a 63
• Optional sport seats are way too hard for long drives
• 3.xx km/l and 80-liter fuel tank means driving range of just ~250 km

[Akshay1234]

The E63 moniker isn't that old. The E-Classes of yesteryear had many powerful versions, like the W124 500E, the W210 E 55, and even the W211, which continued with the E 55 badging until the facelift. In 2007, the E63 badge was revealed and the W211 E-Class had a massive 6.2L engine plonked into it. Now, this was not only the first time the E63 badging was out, but was also the first time AMG was using an engine completely developed by themselves, rather than beefing up motors developed by Mercedes. So the W211 had 507 BHP and about 630 Nm, which were excellent figures for the time.

With the W212, the 6.2L M156 motor was retained, but the transmission was upgraded to a multi-clutch version for faster shifts. The power was at 520 BHP and torque was up to about 650 Nm. With the facelift W212, an all-new engine was introduced into the E-Class. The 5.5L M157, which was a twin-turbo V8, came with 550 BHP and about 720 Nm of torque. An optional S package bumped it up to 567 BHP and 800 Nm. This was a brutal engine in terms of power and torque, but missed out on some of the soundtrack of the previous 55 supercharged and 63 naturally aspirated engines.

Now with the W213, we see even further downsizing. It is powered by the M177 4.0L V8 turbocharged engine along with a 9-speed transmission. The power is up to 604 BHP and torque is at 850 Nm on the S version we get here in India. Also, for the first time, all-wheel drive is offered as standard. All-wheel drive was optional on the facelift W212 in other parts of the world, but India only got the rear-wheel drive.

While the high-performance E-Classes were absolutely brutal in a straight line, the handling did leave a bit to be desired when it was compared to the more well balanced M cars. They were like German muscle cars. The handling and sharpness of the cars have been improving over the years, but it is only now that I feel the E63 really gives tough competition to the M cars. And that is saying a lot for the AMG, for it to be so close to the M in this aspect.

[Akshay1234]

Exterior

The E63 S has a very aggressive look to it, with the large cooling grills and the sporty-looking bumper. Most people can figure out this car isn't just a regular E-Class:


With a sporty diffuser and a lip spoiler, along with the AMG quad exhaust tips, the rear looks aggressive too. And its good, because most cars will be seeing this view:


The rear 3/4th, with the large 20" satin black wheels. Here, we can see how the regular wheelbase E63 looks so well proportioned as compared to the stretched version we get here:


The front 3/4th view. Man, this car just looks mean, especially with this Designo Magno Grey paint (matte grey in English):

20" optional wheels in black. You can see the optional Carbon Ceramic Brakes peeking out from behind them. BTW, that scratch was present on the car already and wasn't added by us:


Carbon fibre everywhere - the front lip, rear diffuser, lip spoiler, side mirrors, etc. All are part of the carbon exterior pack. It definitely looks awesome when you're up close to see the details:


The AMG exhaust tips, and the CF diffuser. How I wish this exhaust was a bit louder:


This badge says it all. Its even more powerful than the AMG GTR:

[Akshay1234]

Interior

The interior is a great place to be in. Its well designed and modern but still feels classy at the same time. The flat bottom AMG wheel feels good to hold, and the whole driver cockpit feels the part.


Carbon fibre is prevalent in a lot of places and the centre console has a big slab of it too. I like the physical badge on the storage lid, and the IWC clock lends a classy touch:


The command touch controller surrounded by the buttons which matter - the drive mode selector, manual button, damping button, and traction control button on the left and on the right, the volume roller, exhaust flap button, auto start-stop button, and the 360-degree camera system button:


My absolute favorite part of the interior are these tweeters which rotate outwards when you put on the Burmester 3D sound system. It sounds very good and is right up there with the other super high-end car audio systems:


The aluminium speaker grilles, carbon fibre and the black leather go together superbly. And if a matching ambient light colour is chosen, it just adds to the effect. Can't go wrong with a simple blue ambient light, even though there are tons of different patterns and combinations available:


Another detail I really like is the AMG logo embossed into the headrests. A classy touch which is otherwise seen on much higher-end vehicles:


Optional sports seats. You can see how thin they are. I have to mention the support offered is superb, even though they are a bit hard. But they definitely add to the sporty quotient of the E63 S:

[Akshay1234]

Driving the 4.0L Petrol AT

The E63 S uses the M177 4.0L V8 engine, which made its AMG debut in the W205 C 63. In this car, it develops a whopping 604 BHP and 850 Nm, which is quite impressive. The M177 in the E63 S uses twin-scroll turbos as compared to the single scroll turbos in the C 63 S. In the E63 S, Mercedes 4MATIC system is standard, but it can now vary the torque split between front and rear axles by up to 100%. The claimed 0-100 km/h time is 3.4 seconds, and that is stupidly fast! This is quite a change from the previous E63 S, where the rear wheels would just be spinning well into 3rd gear.

The transmission used in this vehicle, along with a bunch of other AMG vehicles, is not a conventional torque converter transmission. In fact, it is not even a dual-clutch transmission. A little known fact is that Mercedes develops its own transmissions, and do not buy from other manufacturers like ZF or Getrag. The Mercedes 9G-Tronic MCT Speedshift transmission uses a multi-clutch system instead of a torque converter. And unlike a DCT, it has only 1 input shaft. The MCT system was developed in 2008 for AMG vehicles because a quicker shift time was needed than conventional torque converters, but the DCTs of the time could not handle the torque from the AMG engines. I do have to mention that this transmission is pretty quick when it comes to shifts, and Mercedes has got it pretty much spot on!

Sliding into the hard sports seats, I'm instantly reminded of the AMG GTR, because these seats seem like they are the same. The interior looks very familiar, except that unlike the other E-Classes sold in India, this doesn't feel like a limo thanks to the regular wheelbase. The carbon fibre all around and the quality Nappa leather feel really plush and sporty. And the flat bottom Alcantara steering is great to hold too. The startup is very tame, with not a lot of sound. At idle, the exhaust button didn't seem to make a large difference.

Driving inside the city is easy and the engine and transmission are tuned well in comfort mode and eco mode to suit traffic. There are no jerks, and in fact, it feels like a regular car completely. Even the refinement of the engine is impressive when it is not being pushed. The car does have a slight mechanical feel to it, which is nice and always desired in a performance machine. Torque is massive and even a slight dab on the accelerator is enough for most overtaking inside the city. Shifting into sport or race mode suddenly wakes the E63 S up. The suspension, steering, engine mounts, etc. all work together to suddenly make it feel a lot tighter. And if you put your foot down, my god! The torque from this engine needs to be felt. Its like it wants to rip up the tarmac with all 4 tyres! I daresay this felt a bit more brutal than the M5, even though the acceleration of both is pretty much the same.

Accelerating to a 100 is a joke, its over before you can even think about it. Beyond that also, it is insanely quick. I can't mention speeds here but let's just say the E63 S can give a lot of supercars a run for their money. The sound of the exhaust definitely improves when the engine is pushed. Beyond 3,000 rpm is when it really wakes up, and you do get a bit of the AMG growl. The E63 S certainly feels very tight when you're pushing it, and it feels far smaller than it actually is. It is extremely sporty! And the push in the back you get with the 850 Nm of torque is seemingly never-ending. Putting it in manual mode, with the traction on sport, and the drivetrain in race mode, was supremely fun and it was an awesome feeling to push it with everything seemingly synced so well. Now, it may be attributed to the worn-out tyres, but in spite of the 4MATIC system, the E63 S did have a wild kind of a feel to it.

Air suspension is available as standard. But if you think its a bit sloppy like air suspensions of yesteryear, you are wrong! The suspension is quite stiff. In fact, it may be a bit too stiff at low speeds. There is quite a bit of body movement, and all undulations and small bumps can be felt. The feeling was most probably exaggerated with the stiff optional seats, and possibly, the hard-worn tires. But it just didn't feel settled at speeds below 40 km/h. One big advantage with the air suspension is the option to raise the car, albeit by just 20 mm, but it still helps in clearing large speedbreakers or bad roads without worry. In terms of handling, the E63 is spot on. It is predictable, the steering feels well connected, and body roll is non-existent. It makes you want to push the car harder and harder. This is where I found that AMG has done the most catching up with the M cars - in terms of precision. On the highway, and at high speeds, the car is extremely stable, and bumps don't affect it a lot unless they are very large, and even the ride is completely flat.

The E63 S also does have a 'Drift Mode' which powers only the rear wheels. But again, like the M5, it means traction control is fully switched off. So you are on your own! I did actually go to a special place just to try this out, and boy did I have some fun. The pictures are further below in this post.

To conclude, the E63 S is truly a wild car and is extremely fast. Its caught up a lot in terms of handling ability and precision with the M cars, which is great! But it did feel to miss out on some of the everyday comfort which the earlier AMGs promised you along with stupid amounts of power. That said, it is by no means uncomfortable.

The speedometer is configurable. You can customize the type of gauges and what information is shown on the left and the right side:


This was my favourite speedometer view. There is an option of more conventional dials with a separate speedometer and tacho:


There is an individual configuration option for the drive modes. Its sort of like the M mode in M vehicles:


The next few shots are some sideways action at a special location which let us slide and slide till our desire was fulfilled. And that too without any wear on the tyres, since it was just loose sand. So no guilty feelings afterwards. I do have to mention that in drift mode, the E63 is very controllable and fun:

[Aditya]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Test-Drives Section. Thanks for sharing!

[i74js]

Sin goods - they way these machines are taxed; they exactly are - the pleasure homo sapiens can get inside such machines is absolutely not short of a sin !

And no guilt for such sins !

A well written experience. Thank you.

[TorqueKnight]

Thanks for your quick review. AMG brings the performance and premium in a single package. Though the 3.xx/L fuel efficiency is quite low, the people who spend their money to get these monster machines are not bothered about the same. AMG inherits the heritage of performance and performance only attitude. This machine definitely going to bring a grin on the driver's face. She looks beautiful in all those pictures. Though I am not going to buy her, I still love her.

[ka51resident]

Excellent review!

Had the pleasure of driving this car last year (I was fortunately the first person to drive the TD car; it was like driving a brand new car). The S in E63 S stands for 'SAVAGE'. However, I must agree with you, the suspension was a bit stiff for my liking.

The pricing is on point I feel. Firstly, a powerful sports-car like that will cost you no less than 3cr ex. Secondly, it's a sleeper - no attention and people scratching the car by sitting on it. Thirdly, its an AMG; I have driven the C63, AMG GT Convertible and the GT R and I can vouch for its behavior on the track. Only downside is that Cops may believe that it's a "modified car" and extort.

Overall, a brilliant car and excellent bang for the buck. Nevertheless, I am still on Team M5

[NTO]

Thanks for the beautiful review Akshay. The shade of paint with the satin black wheels and carbon fibre inserts does wonders to the eyes. Not just the eyes, there is a stimulant to all the sensory organs and this one is a real beauty. Looking at the superb proportions of this regular wheelbase version, I wish the E class also came in with the regular wheelbase.
I have always been a fan of the M cars and M5 is in fact, my dream car to own some day. But, this E63S changes all the perspective. I never liked any of the AMGs other than the G63. But I guess, this one is fabulous and if I get to drive one someday, it could replace the M5 from my dreams.

[M A D over CARS]

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[bigron]

These 4 door family saloons making over 600 bhp and clipping 96 in 3.4 is just insanely hilarious.
Just for comparison, The Murcielago LP640 made around 630 bhp and did 96 in about 3.2.
One is a car you can use to pick your kids and their bags from school , the other, is a car you drive when you want to lock horns with a Ferrari on the highway.
What a wonderful time to be an automobile enthusiasts.

[hearsh]

The station wagon version of this car sold in US and Canada is my dream car. Everything about this is mindblowing - the price tag of USD 120 K is tad too much.

[gururajrv]

Keeping all the tech details aside, side profile is pure mafia! Somehow, this doesn’t look as great as the M packaged cars from the beemers. They look smashing from all the angles.

[GTO]

Had the pleasure of taking the E63 S & the M5 to Lonavla (on different weekends). All I can say is, God bless Germany. The sedans are stupendously and scarily fast - floor the throttle and you will be . It is an "out of the world" experience.

Mercedes-AMGs are definitely on par with the best in terms of driving pleasure now. No longer are their cars conservative. In fact, I found the AMG sliding around a bit more enthusiastically than the M5 in fast corners compared to the super-composed M5. Although, that could be down to the tyres (well-worn on the AMG, brand new Michelins on the M5).

Will be a tough pick between the two. I love the E63's styling as much as I HATE BMW's new front-end designs. On the other hand, the BMW did have a 10% edge in their engine + gearbox feel / tuning. M5's ride quality was also superior for daily use.

Great review Akshay. Thanks for sharing!