MERC- AMG E63 ESTATE
The entry-level E63 estate combines massive performance with a broader blend of talents
UNLESS YOU ARE A MERCEDES aficionado, you could easily be forgiven for thinking that this E63 is little more than a warmed-over E-class estate. Not much about its exterior shouts ‘563bhp and 553lb ft of torque’, and you’d certainly never guess it was capable of 0 to 62mph in 3.6sec. Its swollen bodywork and quad exhaust tips add only a hint of menace, while its 19in wheels look unassuming in their arches. With few clues given inside, either, there’s not a lot here that really shouts ‘performance estate’ in the modern sense.
Even the S version, for which you’d have to fork out the extra £9360, is only slightly more overt, with 20in Y-spoke alloys and shell-backed AMG bucket seats, but there are big differences to be found under the skin. In the non-s model the peak outputs of the 4-litre ‘hot-v’ twin-turbocharged V8 are down by 40bhp and 74lb ft – but remain far from insubstantial, of course – and while both cars have four-wheel drive, the regular E63 doesn’t have the Drift Mode that completely disengages the front axle. Nor does it have active engine mounts or an electronically controlled limited-slip differential, making do with a mechanical locking diff instead. Both models do use the same air suspension and adaptive damper combination, however, as well as a nine-speed automatic gearbox that uses a set of wet clutches rather than a torque converter.
Any impression of being hard-done-by in the cheaper, non-s E63 simply evaporates as soon as the V8 gurgles into life. The noise is deep and, until you put the exhaust into its more antisocial mode, smooth with it, revving crisply right to the V8’s 7000rpm limit. With the £1000 performance exhaust option fitted, the E63 finds a more typical AMG voice when the sportier driving modes are selected, one that adds pulsating thuds as you accelerate and plenty of pops and rumbles every time you back off the throttle.
The E63 is devastatingly fast, despite its power deficit compared with its more potent brother. A squeeze of the throttle always has a significant effect, whatever the speed, while the four-wheel drive generates terrific traction. You really feel the drivetrain’s benefits when launching from a standstill: even in wet weather the E63 springs forward in an explosive manner.
Even better, the system never seems to intervene unnecessarily, allowing plenty of adjustability to the driving experience. Introduce the throttle mid-corner and the V8 responds instantly, the rear end reacting with the same alertness, the mechanical locking