By far the most important bit of any car...
The E63 AMG is dead - Long live the E63 AMG. The AMG version of the Mercedes E-class is the latest hot Mercedes to get a heart transplant, and the new twin-turbo 5.5-litre V8 model has been unveiled at the New York motor show.
Out has gone the much-loved naturally aspirated 6208cc V8 (currently being enjoyed in C63 AMG form by our very own Chris-R) to be replaced by the 5.5-litre biturbo V8 that also serves in the S63 and CLS63 AMGs.
The new car, says Mercedes, is 22 per cent more efficient than the old naturally aspirated model, probably thanks in no small part to a new stop-start system that's been added to the Speedshift MCT seven-speed transmission.
The vital statistics for the new E63 AMG are 518bhp and 516lb ft of torque, or 550bhp and 590lb ft with the optional AMG Performance Package. 0-60mph therefore arrives in 4.4secs or 4.3secs, depending on the power level, while the top speed is electronically limited to either 155mph or 186mph.
Other changes to the car are minimal. Mercedes does say that it has 'significantly upgraded' the interior, but as far as we can work out this extends only to a new modishly flattened three-spoke wheel with aluminium shift paddles and a three-dimensional full-colour TFT display in the centre of the speedometer...
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