Mercedes-Benz India invited Riot Engine to have a taste of their new offering in the Indian market, the E63 AMG at the Buddh International Circuit in New Delhi. AMG Mercs have always been notorious for running that shiver of excitement down your spine, even just as you utter the name. An opportunity to burn rubber on a Formula 1 circuit in a Mercedes AMG then, frankly, I could not wait.
The new E63 AMG is powered by the same biturbo V8 engine but has been uprated from 525 hp and 700 Nm to 557 hp and 720 Nm of torque. ECO start/stop is standard. The E63 AMG has been launched at a price of Rs. 1.29 crores (ex-showroom, Delhi).
The Drive
I reached the race track with time to spare. The skies were blue, and the air was warm. Perfect conditions then, to unleash the beast. The event started with Mr. Eberhard Kern unveiling the E63 AMG, on the pit lane of the circuit. This was followed by the press conference inside one of the pit garages, with Mr. Kern explaining why the E 63 AMG was such an explosive prospect. He then invited us to try out the E63 AMG on the race track. All this while, I had kept my eyes on the sky and I could see that it was turning grey. Rain seemed to be on the way. I was hoping that the rain would stay away, but that was not to be the case. It started with a slight drizzle and in no time, it turned into a heavy downpour and the track was soaking wet. Not the conditions that you would want to be in, when you have more than 550 horses waiting to gallop out of the engine. But time constraints meant that we had to get out on the track even though the track was wet.
Two SLS AMGs were pressed into service as pilot cars, and as always driven by professional Mercedes racing drivers -professional as in Le Mans and the ‘ring taming levels of professional- and they were to show us the way round the race track, and make sure nothing gets out of hand.
When I got into the AMG it was like any other E class out there. It was quiet and it was comfortable, with luxury all around. It was then that I noticed the aluminium pedals in the footwell of the car, and stepping on it changed everything. The engine sounded angry. I strapped myself into the car and followed the pilot SLS out of the pit lane. On exiting the first corner, I got the chance to see how far the throttle pedal went. What a beast! The car is just immense. The urgency of the car to get anywhere is intoxicating. Turning in to the third corner and getting on to the main straight presented the first real opportunity of burying the throttle pedal as deeply as possible, and the results were stunning. The view outside the windows was just a blur and the needle pointed to 80, 100,120, 140, 160, 180, 200, 210 and I had to start braking. I was convinced that on a dry track, it would have hit the electrically limited top speed of 250 kmph without breaking into a sweat. Turns 10 and 11 on the race track showed how well planted the car is, even on a wet track. At no point did I lose confidence in the car, and the car was a dream to drive on the race track. The chicanes were disposed of with the same ease as the straights. Two laps of the BIC, and it was the end of my run. I got out of the car, thoroughly satisfied.
..main straight presented the first real opportunity of burying the throttle pedal as deeply as possible..
AMG Carbon-Fibre Exterior Package
Nappa leather everywhere, Alacantra on the steering grip areas
Design
I have always maintained that there can be no verdict on a design of a car, but only opinions, and I have never been the fan of the W211’s styling, and so I loved the looks on the old W212. Somehow it felt good. But with the face lift of the W212, I think they have cracked it. In terms of design, I think they have surpassed offerings from Audi and BMW. Out of the M5, RS6 and the E63, I think it’s the E63 that comes out on top. Full points there for Mercedes. The AMG carbon exterior complements the car fantastically. The purpose of any design feature of any car is to make the car stand out, and those Front Air intakes do just that. The aggression is carried on to the AMG side skirts and the tail end of the car. The car looks menacing from any angle.
Seen in the images is the E63 AMG with the optional AMG Exterior Carbon Fibre package. This package includes the carbon fibre AMG front apron, carbon fibre inlays in the side skirts and carbon finish top section of the AMG rear apron.
The full LED headlamps were introduced in India with the E-Class. The new LED day time running lights are well integrated into the car’s head lamps and add more to the appeal. The LED treatment is further carried on into the tail lights of the car. Overall, the E 63 AMG is a handsome looking car!
Interiors
The interiors are of course swathed in Nappa leather. Seat belts are in silver. The AMG Performance steering wheel is clad in black Nappa leather, flattened at the top and bottom with the grip areas shod in Alacantra leather. There is also a AMG analogue clock in the dash.
The instrument cluster looks stunning, worthy of the powertrain underneath.
Engine and Performance
The E63 AMG is powered by a 5.5 Litre BITURBO V8, putting out an impressive 557 bhp@5500 rpm, which is 3 less than the competition, and a best in class torque of 720 NM, available at as low as 1750 rpm all the way up to 5250rpm. That is 20 more than the Audi RS6 and 40 more than the BMW M5. The result is an engine which just wants to reach everywhere in a bit of a hurry. The power delivery is linear and there is no point in the entire range where you are left wanting for more power or torque, thank the twin turbos for that. It’s there for you, whenever you need it. The engine is mated to an AMG SPEEDSHIFT MCT 7G-TRONIC gearbox and the gear shifts are immediate. You never feel a lag anywhere. All this added together, and you have a car that touches 100 kph in just 4.2 seconds. The top speed, as mentioned earlier is electronically limited to 250 Kmph. Mercedes markets the car as a super car inside a Luxury sedan’s body, and certainly, the engine does justice to that claim.
The E63 AMG comes with start/stop function to improve fuel efficiency. This feature is active only when the transmission is in the C (Controlled Efficiency) mode. In Sport, Sport plus or Manual modes, this feature is deactivated and you can bring out the hooligan inside you.
Handling and Comfort
Handling of the E 63 AMG is really good. Even though the steering is a bit light, you still have enough information passing through you hands to make sure you know exactly whats going on. The car felt good to throw around corners and there was very little that could unsettle this car.
To find out how comfortable the E 63 AMG is was impossible on a race track, and we would have to put the car through real life situations to find that out.
Features
The new E 63 AMG comes loaded with features for convenience and safety. The list begins with the Intelligent Lighting Systems that can vary the spread of lights based on what the car is doing at that point of time, there is of course, a reversing camera, Attention Assist that informs the driver about the level of fatigue and amount of driving time since the last break.
Price
The long awaited detail of the E63 AMG, the price was finally confirmed at the launch. The E63 AMG costs Rs. 1.29 crores(ex-showroom, Delhi).
Verdict
The E 63 AMG is an overall fantastic package, it is fast, it looks formidable, makes a great noise. Future generations of this phenomenal V8 biturbo will be powering the next generation of Aston Martins. It isn’t really an exaggeration when we say the new E63 AMG is almost a supercar packaged into a luxury sedan. ‘Almost’, since that E63 AMG S model, which will not be launched in India, stakes its claim over being the ‘supercar in a luxury car’ title.
For long, Mercedes-Benz has wanted to challenge the likes of BMW M5 and the Audi RS6. Mercedes-Benz in India has always been playing catch up, but with the new E63 AMG, I think they have a really excellent weapon in their arsenal to mount the challenge against the BMW and the Audi.
