Mercedes E63 AMG S: Review
Denying us 4Matic seems madness, but there's plenty to love about the RWD 585hp S
No quicker way to get your furniture home
This is the rear-wheel-drive stablemate to the 4Matic version that we won't get, and that seems a truly mad decision when faced with putting all that 585hp through rear tyres on wet and cold British roads.
Donner und blitzen
The car's arrival coincides with all that blustery weather we got recently and trying to exploit even a fraction of the car's potential in these less than perfect conditions requires restraint. The easiest solution? Rely on the electronics to rein in your indiscretions. Heading north in the Merc to participate in the Race the Runway charity event in Edinburgh the weather and roads promise to improve considerably as we head up country.
A very, very fast car. And a Lamborghini
Supple ride – really
And once the roads dry the S reveals itself to be a surprisingly faithful and nimble companion. The softest damper setting gives the car a nicely supple ride without compromising body control. Front end grip is strong and turn-in nice and direct. The steering weight is excellent, too, engendering confidence to press on.
The standard limited-slip diff has many advantages, and not just childish ones. The A696 and A68 running up from Newcastle to Jeburgh offer some fabulous driving and spectacular views as well as the opportunity to dig deeper into the AMG's reserves. Overtaking is absurdly easy. The pick-up, whatever the speed, whatever the ratio, is immense. You just annihilate anything in your path and even the tiniest of opportunity feels like the Mulsanne Straight.
585hp, 590lb ft and a fabulous noise
My dream drive
The only real gripe is with the gearbox. It's fine in the auto settings but when you want it to be whip-crack fast and you assume manual control, it doesn't feel as slick or quick as some rivals - such as the system now fitted to the Audi RS6. But such is the muscularity of the performance it rarely seems an issue and you do learn how to time your shifts for maximum attack.
This button wasn't used much
The cars we remember most fondly are the ones we form an emotional link with. And the E63 S accomplishes everything you could ever wish for from a motor car. It swallows passengers and luggage by the tonne. It cossets and pampers, informs and adapts. It blows you away with its straight-line performance and turns magnificent cross-country drives that will linger long in the memory.
Is there any real benefit to optioning the S over the standard E63 other than bragging rights? Not really. Will that stop those with the means from desiring Mercedes' most brutal load-lugger? Of course not. Is this going on the PH lottery win shopping list? Oh, yes!
MERCEDES-BENZ E63 S AMG
Engine: 5,461cc V8, twin turbo, direct injection
Transmission: 7-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive, limited-slip differential
Power (hp): 585@5,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 590@1,750-5,250rpm
0-62mph: 4.2sec
Top speed: 155mph (limited)
Weight: 1,955kg
MPG: 28.3 (NEDC combined)
CO2: 234g/km
Price: £84,985 (OTR, before options)
Having said that, when it gets out of shape it's much easier to gather it up than I ever expected and provided you have some space, you can throw it around more than I would have believed possible. When you aren't in the mood to drive quickly, it's a great daily driver and very comfortable on longer journeys - as you'd expect of something based on a taxi/E Class.
The gearbox might be slow-ish but you get used to it. The most aggressive automatic setting, sport +, is more than up to the job when you want to get somewhere quickly and the manual mode is pretty good; the double stacking function is useful if you want to drop 2 or 3 gears quickly. I would still prefer a proper auto box if given the choice.
The range is pretty good, I normally get 350 miles between fill ups and the mpg is great for a car of this performance.
Only gripes I have are that the build quality is not what it should be and the gearbox is a bit jerky/harsh. There is more suspension noise than I expected and my car seems to have intermittent buzzing noises from various bits of trim with the odd rattle, again intermittently. From my experience, it's better than equivalent BMWs but not as good as equivalent Audis.
As for the gearbox, I think this is the kind of car where just leaving it in "Auto" befits its personality. It's basically a German version of a muscle car.
The fact that in the cold, wet UK it's only available in RWD, but in the (mostly) warm, dry US, we only can get it in 4Matic guise boggles the mind.
Was it Backwards Day in Affalterbach when they made that decision?
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