Any more letters or numbers and we’d swear Merc was trying to talk-up their new super-saloon… but it clearly has a voice of its own. The foremost department in which Mercedes E63 AMG defeats BMW’s M5 is in engine sound – the big turbo V8 just burbles, grunts and wails in a way that the M5 falls short of – even when sound is pumped into the interior artificially through the sound system.
The E class refresh has been well received – it smoothes out some harsher edges and makes the car look slippery through the air. The new headlight clusters are a big step up, we never much cared for the previous “4 light” design.
The E63 breaks into uncharted waters for AMG, launching as a 2014 model with all-wheel-drive. Rumour has it that BMW will follow suit with an AWD M5 – we hope this is not the case as the purity of the M5 will be compromised, as will its handling, but we understand the move to appease markets and nonetheless.
The E63 AMG is powered by a hand-built 5.5-liter twin-turbo V8 which produces 577 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque in the top-of-the-line S-Model. Without fronting the extra cash for the S badge, it makes 550-hp and 531 lb-ft of torque. Power is transferred to the ground through a seven-speed semi-automatic gearbox using proper left-for-downshift, right-for-upshift steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters.
Thus, the new E63 just pipes BMW’s M5 with more power and substantially more torque – though it remains to be seen whether this will transfer into faster acceleration times or faster lap times – we’d love to put them through their respective paces side-by-side in a track comparo.
Expect the new E63 AMG 4Matic to go on sale this summer in NA. As was previously the case, this super saloon will also be available as a super wagon.
Enjoy our gallery from the show floor.
