MERCEDES-AMG E 63 S
A hot lap around the Indian GP circuit to experience the maddest E-Class on earth
LET US BEGIN THE STORY ON the same page where the Ed left off last month. The E 63 S AMG needs a track day for you to assess its real potential, but how much can you uncover in one lap? My weekend driver isn't the W09 and (un)fortunately, Merc instructors had instructed us to stick to Sport+ mode and firmly away from Drift Mode. To remind you, we are at the Buddh International Circuit, not the Bonneville salt flats where there's nothing to hit if you do get it wrong.
First things first, the E 63 S' sibling, the GT R, holds the lap record at the Buddh International Circuit. In a straight line, the saloon is quicker to 100kmph by 0.2 seconds. But what happens when you show it a set of fast corners? To start with,the E 63 S AMG doesn't come in the EWB format, unlike the desi E-Class. But what it gets is an additional 150Nm of torque over the GT R!
Straight off we begin with launch control and the twin scroll turbos gobble up volumes of air, leaving the quad pipes to play an orchestra of acoustics at full volume. The maddening acceleration brings massive Gs with it, like an upper cut being thrown at you by Muhammad Ali, almost beheading you in the process. Thankfully I had the optional ceramic brakes on my car to dial things down a bit. There's slight understeer as I pin down the throttle at C3 and the new 9-speed multi-clutch box downshifts ferociously, allowing me to hit the straight with maximum velocity. 240kmph is the number I see on the speedo before spotting the brake markers. Top speed is limited at 250kmph but throw some more bags of money and it'll go on to do 300kmph. Thankfully, journos aren't well paid. The esses begin after C6 and this is where the E 63 S gets slightly uncomfortable, thanks to its evident E-Class proportions. Sport+ mode sees the suspension in its firmest setting and even with 20-inch wheels the E 63 refuses to skip wheels over kerbs. That reminds me of its commute-onweekdays, race-track-on-weekend roots. As I climb over the hill at C14 and begin my descent towards the pit lane, I realise that I've lived the maddest two-something minutes of my life. The other 4-door drift-mode-equipped supersaloon has a hard act to follow. ⌧