Mercedes-AMG E63 2009 News

The new generation E63 is still at least two years away but the German car maker is in the middle of development.In the US, the E63 is sold exclusively with all-wheel-drive and in Germany, where both rear-drive and all-wheel-drive are available, more than 90 per cent of customers opt for all-wheel-drive.“Where we have both (rear-drive and all-wheel-drive) on sale, the demand is so tremendous that we have 94 to 96 per cent all-wheel-drive,” said the boss of Mercedes-Benz AMG Tobias Moers, speaking at the European media preview of the new C63 AMG.“In the US we just have the (all-wheel-drive) system and it was a story of success, and if we see what happened in Germany, where we had both variants in the market, then you have to move business-wise into one variant.”He said this meant “there is no argument to have both variants any more”.There is no argument to have both variants any more.But he said fans should not worry that the next E63 will lose its character.“If we have a sophisticated all-wheel-drive system in the car which provides a nice drifting behaviour then it’s ok,” he said. “All-wheel-drive systems are getting better and better … we have a lot ideas for the future.”Previously, all-wheel-drive versions of the E63 were not available in Australia as it was developed for left-hand-drive only.“The future architecture is feasible for right-hand-drive all-wheel-drive,” said Moers.

Benz has sent the performance community into a spin with news this morning that it will bring its top of the line 430kW E63 AMG sedan to Australia, despite the fact it can't offer the car with four-wheel drive.The high performance, 5.5-litre Bi-Turbo V8 engined car will not be quite as quick off the line as the four-wheel drive, 4MATIC version in Germany, but in all other respects it will be the same - Aussie buyers won't miss out.Just like the compact GLK off-roader, which has never been offered here, the 4MATIC model is not engineered for right-hand drive countries - a decision that has probably cost Benz millions in lost sales over the past few years. You'd think they would have learned from their mistakes?Although it offers larger, four-wheel drive off-roaders like the M and GL-Class, four-wheel drive versions of its passenger cars are still a couple of years away. That's unfortunate, because in the case of the E63 AMG 4MATIC S model, four-wheel drive is required to get all that power to the ground.With a whopping 430kW of power and 800Nm of torque, it is capable of blasting from 0-100km/h in a Ferrari-like 3.6 seconds. While the rear-wheel drive version of the car that we have been promised will struggle, Benz claims it will still be good for 3.8-3.9 seconds - it hasn't been tested yet.This compares with the standard, 410kW/720Nm rear-wheel drive E63 AMG that will also be sold in Australia which does the dash in 4.2 seconds. Benz describes the new and improved version of its engine as the most efficient series production V8 engine in the world.Along with other design and technological changes to the E-Class range, it should cement the car's place as a leader in the market. A spokesman for Benz Australia says the E63 AMG is an important car to Australia, which has one of the highest up-takes of high performance AMG models in the world - at 7.6 per cent of sales.But they are not for everyone, not at a starting price of $240,000. There's no word on prices for the new model at this stage, except to say the figures will be “assertive.” This also applies the rest of the E Class range which arrives in August.Benz also confirmed this morning that the lineup will include the E300 hybrid diesel, which offers fuel consumption of an incredible 4.1 litres/100km - with no sacrifice in performance. The hybrid with diesel and electric motors produces a combined 170kW of power and 750Nm of torque and is expected to replace the both the E350 and E500 petrol models.The small volume wagon will also continue to be offered, in E250CDI and E400 petrol form, as well as an AMG. No word yet on the coupe and cabriolet which are due later in the year.The spokesman told Carsguide this morning the company was convinced the large car market was far from dead in Australia. He said people were attracted by the size of cars like the E-Class, but wanted smaller, more efficient engines - provided of course they did not have to sacrifice anything in terms of performance.He said they were also popular as they benefited from an effective $6000 discount,  because all of the four cylinder models consume less than 7.0 litres of fuel per 100km. Surprisingly, 80 per cent of E Class sales last year were four cylinder models, either petrol or diesel engines. “It's almost a case of build it and they will come,” he said.This reporter is on Twitter: @IamChrisRiley 

The performance sedan was shown in a group photo of the whole E-Class range, shot on Merc’s test track in Stuttgart. The few details released with the image confirm earlier reports that the E63 AMG will offer the brand’s 4Matic all-wheel drivetrain, however it’s too early to determine if this will make it to Australia. The Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG will arrive here around the third quarter, powered by the current 5.5-litre twin-turbo engine developing 386kW of power and 700Nm of torque – upped to 410kW and 800Nm if you option the Performance Pack – mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. There’s no indication of whether there will be a considerable price rise over the current starting tag of $240,985, but even at the performance end of the range Mercedes will be keen to stay competitive against their German rivals.  

Mercedes-Benz dealers across the country already hold 30 orders for the hot-shot $234,900 E63 AMG sports sedan and order books are running hot. Deliveries start later this month and Mercedes-Benz Australia spokesman, David McCarthy, says many of the orders came in even before pricing was announced."A lot of our clients were expecting prices around $250,000," he says. McCarthy says the E63 is $4056 cheaper than the outgoing model. "That's partly to do with exchange rates and partly because of the hard bargaining with Mercedes-Benz Germany," he says. McCarthy says the lower price, combined with additional equipment and features totalling $28,100, delivers "a net customer advantage of $32,156".The E63 has been tailored to the Australian market. It is the only market to get 19-inch wheels as standard, along with a rear spoiler and sun protection package. Based on the new E-Class sedan, the E63 gets a powerful AMG-inspired 6.3-litre V8, AMG Ride Control sports suspension with electronically controlled damping and a new front axle. The high-revving naturally aspirated engine develops 386kW/630Nm and slingshots the car to 100km/h in 4.5 seconds and has an electronically limited top speed of 250km/h.Mercedes-Benz Australia sold about 950 AMG cars last year and is expecting a similar number this year. "Give the economy and the global financial crisis, that's an excellent result," McCarthy says. "AMG in Australia, in terms of market penetration, is continually in the top five markets globally. "I think our customers love the V8s and the AMG brand really resonates with our buyers."

The latest E-Class sedan and coupe are already on the road, the go-fast E63 AMG is confirmed for later in the year, and now comes the station wagon. There will also be an E-Class cabriolet, which should land in the first quarter of 2010 at almost the same time as the E-Class Estate revealed this week.First pictures of the wagon show very little change from the sedan, apart from the obvious stuff around the tail. Still, the car is smoother than the E Estate it replaces, with some innovations including a system which allows the rear seat backs to be folded using handles inside the rear tailgate.The new wagon extends a family line stretching back 30 years and, even with small sales in Australia, it is expected to do well. "The Estate is traditionally around six per cent of E-Class sedan sales, but we have a very strong, loyal buyer group who come to us specially for the E-Class Estate,” says Peter Fedayev of Mercedes- Benz Australia."History has shown they much prefer an estate version of a sedan car as opposed to a luxury SUV. There are some strong concentrations of Estate buyers in particular cities, to the north in Sydney and the East in Melbourne."The new wagon has a carrying capacity of up to 1950 litres and also picks up the increases in passenger space from the E sedan. Nine airbags are standard and, although Benz is yet to confirm the local specification, everything from a drowsiness warning and automatic emergency braking to luxury cabin equipment is available in Europe.The mechanical setup of the wagon is almost identical to the sedan, apart from standard self-levelling suspension at the rear, although the engine choices will be limited. "Customers can expect a choice of four and six-cylinder engines," Fedayev says, without mentioning petrol or diesel power.But he is keener on the overall package. "The Estate gets all the technologies the new sedan gets. The difference between the sedan and the Estate is the luggage space and the availability of a third row of seats," he says."We're expecting it around February next year as part of the introduction phase of the whole new range. The Cabriolet is also expected in the first quarter." There is no news yet on pricing, although the starting price for the new E220 sedan was cut by more than 20 per cent from the previous model.

The images suggest the car is set to debut soon, possibly as early as this month’s New York Motor Show and go on sale overseas shortly after that.

Surrounded by hybrid and fuel cell cars of every type and size the stars of the annual Big Apple motorfest remain the muscle cars.