2017 Mercedes-AMG E63 S new car review

[Express]

2017 Mercedes-AMG E63 S new car review



A bi-turbo V8 in a big luxury sedan makes for an interesting experience.



Drive

Daniel DeGasperi

25 May 2017
























2017 Mercedes-AMG E63 S. Photo: Chris Benny Imaging


Manolo Blahniks and forestry trails. Airbus A380 First Class and hooligans. A large luxurious passenger sedan cabin and a hardcore driving experience. Of these apparent clashes the new Mercedes-AMG E63 S thrusts the last one into the spotlight and owns it.

There is no other way to introduce a full-sized five-seater with high-resolution widescreens, debonair circular silver air vents and black-ash woodgrain trim panelling. Oh, plus tombstone bucket sports seats, a micro-fibre steering wheel and 850Nm under the bonnet.

The latest E-Class flagship trades the old 800Nm 5.5-litre bi-turbo V8 for a 4.0-litre that now adds 50Nm. Enter a new nine-speed automatic and an all-wheel drive system (which can turn rear-wheel drive at a button-press) and one very aggressive posh sedan is the result.

One that, for $239,900 plus on-road costs, claims 0-100km/h in 3.4 seconds and even with $10K-optional carbon-ceramic brakes is a couple of hundred dollars cheaper than before.

Over 300km of often greasy Victorian high country roads, the contrasting virtues of the latest E63 S kept bouncing for attention - with many of them regularly succeeding.

Being hungry for the road ahead grabs the driver first, of course. So quickly does this engine rev, and pile on speed, that using the paddleshifters requires faster reactions than playing a game of snap if snagging the 7000rpm redline is to be avoided. The rich tenor of the V8 immediately impresses, the exhaust blurting, booming and bursting in extra volume.

Yet in Comfort the engine is silky and quiet, the auto purring between ratios and the tri-flap sports exhaust is mute. Ride quality on 20-inch rims is only just comfortable enough, never plush but with enough thump and road noise to remind occupants that this is no base E200.

This is the first E63 to use an AMG-tuned version of Benz's Airmatic air suspension, and it especially proves its worth with a quick change to Sport mode.

Tightly controlled and firmly planted without being hard, it could have been engineered on bumpy Australian backroads. There is no need for the tighter Sport+ suspension setting, although there certainly is for the drivetrain setting. Thankfully, an Individual mode allows the driver to select, for example, Sport+ engine and transmission with Sport suspension.

There is also a Drift Mode that makes this AMG permanently rear-wheel-driven, but it turns electronic stability control (ESC) off and is for racetrack use only. Unlike the Ford Focus RS setting of the same name, it doesn't help a driver hold a powerslide. It is simply rear-drive.

It's the chassis that most steps up over the last model.

Gone is the slight hard-driven edginess, the entertaining but delicate dance between containing understeer and oversteer and tip-toeing around ESC intrusion. The new chassis offers composure and control at the front-end, while sitting flat and gripping intently. Yet the visceral appeal of old is not lost.

In Sport+ when the dynamic engine mounts are hardened, the majestic dashboard starts to quiver as feedback shivers through the tightened steering. It feels as though the steering wheel is drilled intimately into the front axle, which in turn is wound into the road surface. The almost telepathically sharp steering is then matched by superb throttle response and the intelligent new all-wheel drive system.

Not in an Audi RS6 Avant/RS7 Sportback, nor the soon-to-be replaced BMW M5, is the driver sent so much feedback and communication.

The E63 S also sends 100 per cent of drive to the back 295mm-wide Pirellis unless slip is detected. In corners the throttle can be lightly stoked, like you would a glowing fireplace in winter, to result in a slight nip-and-tuck of the quad-exhaust-tipped end of this sedan.

However, after all this intensity - and if it sounds too hardcore a $30K-cheaper regular E63 will be available from December without the clever torque vectoring - this is still an E-Class.

It reads lane markings and attempts to keep the car inside them, and it has three climate zones to pamper back passengers who are treated to headroom and legroom aplenty. It sits at 1500rpm at 110km/h in ninth gear and can shut down four cylinders to save fuel when cruising, as occupants gently crank the Burmester audio system.

Admittedly, an RS7 is more refined in terms of ride comfort and noise suppression. Its mongrel is only found in the hardest of hard driving, and right there it's brilliant. The E63 S makes no apologies for being a bit fizzy, raw and connected just like the model it replaces.

Only now, like muddy boots mixed with high heels, or a hooligan in first class who has become more restrained with the free alcohol, the edges of a big brute have been polished to deliver newfound chassis composure, high-end cabin class and first-rate technology. But be assured that a brutal beast still - thankfully - lurks within.


2017 Mercedes-AMG E63 price and specifications

Price: From $239,900 (plus on-road costs)

Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbo petrol

Power: 450kW at 5750-6500rpm

Torque: 850Nm at 2500-4500rpm; all-wheel drive

Fuel use: 9.3L/100km


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