Mercedes-Benz E63 2009 Review

People who think nothing can beat an HSV GTS probably need to get out more. Time in an E63 AMG from Mercedes-Benz would also help ...

This car is subtle, like your average sledgehammer. And affordable, like a private jet. But there is no denying the E63 is another benchmark car from the brand with the silver star, thanks to a muscular makeover on the latest E Class sedan that contributes a 386kW V8 engine, AMG's manual-style seven-speed gearbox, massive brakes and tyres, and the sort of body bulges — as well as a twin-pipe exhaust — that step it away from the luxury car schmoozers.

Somehow the engineers at AMG Mercedes have even managed to tickle a 12 per cent fuel economy improvement over the previous E63, a result claimed as a class win for sports sedans with more than 377kW in the engine room. Not that most owners will care, except to calm their green friends.

Yes, the E63 will cost around $230,000 when it lands in Australia next year. And that's much more than double the ticket for a GTS, even though the silver star car only has an extra 61kW.

But once you spend time with the E63, and the people who created it, you appreciate the cost and the complication of doing a job on a car like the E Class.

Still, just to keep you going, the belter Benz has to be roped down electronically to a top speed of 250km/h and will thunder to 100km/h in just 4.5 seconds. If it was taken off the leash it could easily do 307km/h and that sprint time is possible with four passengers and some luggage on board.

"If you look at the car, only the body is still from the Mercedes mother ship," says Mario Spitzner, number two man at AMG Mercedes, speaking at the company's base at Affalterbach in Germany. "It's a real fun car. It should go well in Australia. You people are very emotional about our products."

The emotion in the E63 comes from the same sort of engineering makeover that was done first on the pocket rocket C63. The latest go- faster C was the first time AMG was allowed by Benz to really tweak the basics of a car, particularly the suspension, to make more than just a Mercedes with a monster motor.

This time, the E has been re-engineered from the firewall forward with everything from unique suspension pieces to AMG steering. As well as the usual brake-and-wheel work at each corner, sports seats and pieces in the cabin, and a thumping exhaust note.

The objective is to create — whisper it — BMW-style steering response and cornering balance, but still with the kick you get from a hand- built V8 with 630 Newton-metres of torque.

The gearbox is an AMG first, still an automatic but with the torque convertor replaced by a wet clutch for really quick shifts and manual- style response to the paddles behind the wheel. There is even a race- style launch system.

Driving

The E63 sits solid and relaxed at 200-210km/h on an autobarn run to the Frankfurt Motor Show. There are three people aboard, with a boot full of luggage, and life is relaxed and easy.

It would be better if we could find an English-language radio station but the company is great, even if the Benz boss eventually slips off to sleep.

So there are no questions about the ability of the E63 on home ground. It is an absolute belter of a performance car yet still has Benz luxury and E Class space.

But it is likely to be too firm for broken Australian roads and the performance will be wasted against 110km/h limits. And there is the price . . . "We already have people queued and waiting for this car. They just want it," says David McCarthy of Mercedes-Benz Australia.

They will get a vehicle which is blisteringly quick, incredibly refined and more than different enough to stand out from the rest of the Benz family. Particularly when you hear the roar of the 6.2-litre V8 through the car's active exhaust.

The new gearbox is also an excellent development and proves that manuals are over-rated in this sort of go-fast car. Although I never managed a full-on race start ...