What's the news?
Mercedes-AMG has revealed details of the latest E-Class performance flagship - and what we have here is a pretty mighty supersaloon. Say hello to the E 63 v3.0. This thing comes with either 571hp and 750Nm in its 'regular' guise, or a lunatic 612hp and 850Nm as the E 63 S. That, says AMG, makes this the most powerful E-Class ever, although that's presumably from the factory, given the existence of the 850hp/1,450Nm Brabus 850 Biturbo... but we digress. Cut it any way you like, but a 600hp+ factory E-Class has to be heartily applauded. So let's find out more.
Exterior
Not as in-yer-face as the outgoing Audi RS 6 or something like a Jaguar XFR-S, yet nor is it as reserved as the also-outgoing BMW M5 and Lexus GS F, the Mercedes-AMG E 63 strikes just the right amount of aggression. Most of the work has gone on at the front, with wheel arches flared by 17mm due to the E 63's wider track and 20-inch wheels. The bonnet aperture is inset, while the A-wing front apron, splitter and flics emphasise the car's muscle. Like any AMG, a grille with twin silver louvres and those hallowed three letters marks this out from your typical E 220 d.
Interior
Lots of carbon fibre, AMG-branded sports seats and a flat-bottomed steering wheel juice up the E-Class's cabin architecture, but as the mid-sized Mercedes has one of the best interiors in the business, giving it the AMG treatment is hardly going to hurt. It's therefore safe to say it still looks splendid inside, especially due to those big twin TFT screens for instrumentation.
Mechanicals
We've been missing something out of the name of these brutal E-Class flagships, which is 4Matic+. That's right, Mercedes-AMG has wisely decided that trying to deploy at least 571hp and 750Nm through the rear wheels alone is perhaps a step too far. Worry not, though, because the company claims that this AMG Performance 4Matic+ system is an all-new set-up with fully variable torque distribution front-to-rear. That leads us onto an interesting mode in the E 63's armoury, but we'll cover that in the 'Anything Else' section below.
So, using the same 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 with the 'hot inside V' configuration as the C 63 and AMG GT supercar, the E 63 develops those said minimum outputs and flings them at all four wheels, allowing the big Merc to hit 100km/h from rest in a scandalous 3.5 seconds. Not enough for you? Then step up to the E 63 S 4Matic+. This churns out 612hp and a colossal 850Nm from 2,500- to 4,500rpm, trimming another tenth off the 0-100km/h time and presumably making the E-Class utterly unbeatable for mid-range acceleration. Both variants of E 63 are limited to the pesky 250km/h, but an AMG Driver's Package option can raise that to 300km/h... and we have no doubt that unfettered, both would blast beyond 320km/h with little care in the world.
Such epic power is provided by a pair of twin-scroll turbos, Mercedes-AMG volunteering that this is the first time it has used such blowers on one of its high-performance vehicles. But in order to make the E 63 twins even remotely respectable on fuel, the company has also fitted AMG Cylinder Management that shuts off cylinders two, three, five and eight as required to reduce fuel consumption.
Other technical highlights include the debut of a wet start-off clutch in the AMG Speedshift Multi-Clutch Technology (MCT) nine-speed sports transmission, as well as 'completely re-engineered' AMG sports suspension based on the E-Class's optional Air Body Control suspension set-up. Mercedes-AMG says this leads to the holy union of 'excellent vehicle dynamics and steering precision, combined with a high level of comfort'.
Anything else?
Let's talk about Drift Mode. Nope, you've not accidentally clicked into a piece on the Ford Focus RS without realising; the E 63 also have this function. Activated through the 'Race' drive programme using the shift paddles on the steering wheel, if the ESP is deactivated and the transmission is in manual mode, then the E63 4Matic+ and E63 S 4Matic+ become purely rear-wheel drive. Drift Mode remains engaged until the driver deactivates it, so you'd better be very highly skilled behind the wheel if you're going to indulge in some 612hp power slides. A final note here: Mercedes-AMG says that Drift Mode is standard specification on the S, which presumably means it's a cost option on the 571hp variant of E 63.
We'll be driving the new Mercedes-AMG E 63 next month, so look out for our test drive on the Car Reviews page.