Driven: Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG 4Matic
Monkey finds out that the new 4WD E-Class is more than a bit special
The significance of the move to 4WD perhaps outweighs the knowledge that this is the most drastic facelift a mainstream Mercedes has ever been subjected to. I suppose it was inevitable that the front axle would be seconded into duty at some point; power and torque figures reached a point where just two tyres were no longer man enough for the job more than ten years ago.
More of everything
Adding 4WD to the E63 also adds 70kg, but this isn’t a problem when you have an extra 32hp and 15lb ft over the last model. Of course there are bound to be some frictional losses, but those will probably be overcome by the optional S pack which brings a monstrous 585hp and 580lb ft. The E63 4Matic S does 0-62mph in a claimed 3.6 seconds. That is bonkers for a 1,940kg saloon car.
Best of all, this is a rear-biased 4WD system – out of dry second gear hairpins the car just bungees itself towards the next turn, but on a damp surface, with the systems deactivated, the rear moves wide. This means the car always feels far more rear-driven than front in a way that some very fast 4WD machines never seem to.
Naturally, there are some significant upsides to this extra traction – on damp or wet roads, where the 2WD car would constantly trigger the chassis electronics, this version doesn’t. It doesn’t turn into the corner quite as sharply, but the difference is so slight on that entry phase, and the added traction so remarkable on the exit, you barely notice.
Character shift
Instantly, the character of the E63 has changed from muscle car to point-and-squirt weapon, and that places new demands on the transmission, some of which it struggles to handle. I’ve long been a fan of the AMG wet-clutch seven-speed auto, but with this new chassis configuration it is somewhat exposed. There are no problems in the auto-shifting modes, but in manual the delay between paddle-pull and actual shift is now too slow given that the car can use most of its power, most of the time. You simply have to anticipate shifts in the first three gears to avoid hitting the limiter because the car accrues speed at a rate previously not experienced in an AMG E-Class.
Strangely, it works best in the most aggressive automatic shifting (S+), whereas in the 2WD car I find that needlessly abrupt.
The 70kg weight penalty isn’t ideal, but the car still comes in at under 2,000kg which is at least a small mercy. Torque split is a fixed 67 per cent to the rear and all the electronic systems have naturally been recalibrated to work with this new found traction. It’s a devilishly clever conversion with a transfer-box integrated into the MCT transmission and a prop shaft taking power to the front axle, or rather the front right – the front left is reached via an intermediate shaft which passes through the sump pan.
Circle your wagons
You can also order the E63 as an estate, which should make Audi wince a bit because after this drive I wouldn’t look at the last RS6 compared to this car. But then we haven’t driven the new RS6 wagon, and the RS boys are probably due a moment of inspiration about now, so the Merc might yet have some competition.
People who hanker after M5s will probably always just want an M5, but they really should do themselves a favour and try one of these first. As for the 4WD question, I find it especially hard to decide if I’m happy that the E63 will remain 2WD only in the UK, and ours will be the only market that will sell the silliest E of all – a 2WD S model with the full 585hp.
On the one hand its muscle car status remains intact and the transmission isn’t exposed as being too slow-witted. But the 4Matic system suits the car so well and it so cleverly executed that you do wonder if we might be missing out.
MERCEDES-BENZ E63 AMG 4MATIC
Engine: 5,461cc V8, twin turbo, direct injection
Transmission: 7-speed automatic
Power (hp): 557@5,500rpm (S: 585@5,500rpm)
Torque (lb ft): 531@1,750-5,250rpm (S:590@1,750-5,250rpm)
0-62mph: 3.7sec (Estate: 3.8sec; S: 3.6sec; S Estate: 3.7sec)
Top speed: 155mph (limited - all models)
Weight: 1,940kg (Estate: 2,045kg)
MPG: 30.7 (combined)
CO2: 242g/km (Estate: 246g/km)
Price: €106,981 (German market; not available in UK)
I would add to the debate , Jaguar. Who have also decided to let Audi have RHD markets to themselves for the Quattro rather than compete.
Nice to see BMW stepping up and making 4WD available. But they picked the wrong models IMO. A 4WD 5 series is what we want, but they are giving us 4WD 1's and 3's instead.
I have not read your article but am commenting all the same, and here is why...I respect your judgement and enjoy your journalism, both on film and in print.....but, can we have a Mercedes AMG and Porsche free patch for a couple of weeks please?
I know that they are good products and you (and I) enjoy them very much. I would like some fresh offerings away from Porsche and Mercedes just to cleanse the palate and air the brain a little. This is in no way meant to be a low blow! I appreciate that you have brought some exciting content to us away from Stuttgart, I just feel a little Porsche'd/AMG'd out at the moment.
No doubt I will get shouted down for this response by the greater good on here.... but I do feel that there are some really exciting products out there that may not be getting the coverage that they deserve....not necessarily your fault..
...ducks down...
I have not read your article but am commenting all the same, and here is why...I respect your judgement and enjoy your journalism, both on film and in print.....but, can we have a Mercedes AMG and Porsche free patch for a couple of weeks please?
I know that they are good products and you (and I) enjoy them very much. I would like some fresh offerings away from Porsche and Mercedes just to cleanse the palate and air the brain a little. This is in no way meant to be a low blow! I appreciate that you have brought some exciting content to us away from Stuttgart, I just feel a little Porsche'd/AMG'd out at the moment.
No doubt I will get shouted down for this response by the greater good on here.... but I do feel that there are some really exciting products out there that may not be getting the coverage that they deserve....not necessarily your fault..
...ducks down...
I know its a Merc, but before we read yet another AMG article it would have been more useful to see him in the new A Class as well, maybe the AMG45? I think this would have been more interesting than another E63 piece.
A bit disappointed he has'nt visited other market segments lately though. Focus ST/ Renault/ Astra VXR for example.
Or we could get him to go full William Woollard and compare Korean hatchbacks.
I would add to the debate , Jaguar. Who have also decided to let Audi have RHD markets to themselves for the Quattro rather than compete.
Nice to see BMW stepping up and making 4WD available. But they picked the wrong models IMO. A 4WD 5 series is what we want, but they are giving us 4WD 1's and 3's instead.
Jag are in the same boat - if it was cheap enough they'd have RHD AWD cars out in the showrooms, but it's not cost effective to re-engineer them and still make a profit.
Audi must smile at this. Yet again their major competitors in a major market like the UK give them a free ride to sell Quattro's unimpeded.
- it's their image
- it's what they have been doing forever.
Or else, you tell me: why do 3 out of 4 major premium sellers decide not to have a decent 4wd offer in any rhd country? 'Marketing decision'? What sense does that make?
As opposed to Audi who also, incidentally, have their platforms engineered for 4wd from the ground up?
The marketing guys could not make a case for that? Those marketing guys need be fired, no ifs no buts.
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