Facelifted Mercedes-AMG E63 Estate spied
Wizard-king wagon due in 2020; will keep powerhouse V8
Next year will see AMG introduce a hybridised turbo four-cylinder powerplant for the C63, but the larger, pricier E63 is set stick with tradition by hanging onto its twin-turbocharged V8. Saloon and estate versions of the facelifted model - the latter in development form here - will receive design changes particularly at the front, but for the next few years at least it'll be a V8 where it counts.
That being said, it's likely that the engine will continue with its current output; where the normal and S variants produce 571hp and 612hp respectively. A few years back we might have speculated about an incremental improvement, but with the pressures of WLTP to content with, the priorities have somewhat shifted during mid-life updates. Expect AMG's engineers to do be doing everything they can to maintain the current level of performance while adhering to the limits - the same ones that have ensured the deletion of four cylinders from the E63's little brother.
As for the car's aesthetic changes, this is set to be quite a significant update because the whole front fascia of the E-Class and its AMG performance variants is changing. Spied test cars show that Mercedes has simplified the look, completely ditching the previous design language with lights and a grille that take clear influence from the A-Class. Saloons have been seen with widened taillights, but the spied wagon test cars have stuck with more familiar features.
The updates as a whole are intended to bring the E-Class range into line with the CLS, meaning the tweaks to the tech will mirror the newer kit provided to that swoopier model's cabin. A design which itself is based on that of the E-Class, just with the very latest software. So there's a decent amount of new stuff to look forward to, although for the most part, it's the continuation of what is already great that we're happiest about.
On the flip side, Mercedes will be in shock when they fail to sell their 4 cyl C63 in the same numbers as the current one. They should have gone to 6 cyl. It's too extreme to chop half the engine in one refresh.
They will be in the same situation where Porsche was, losing sales to rivals because the boxster/Cayman 718 had 4 cyl engines. This is the only reason the GTS 4.0 exists.
At least Audi will happily sell RS4's to C63 customers!
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