License to Floor

What we like:

Brutal power

Brutally quick

Brutal looks

What we dislike:

Brutally expensive

The cabin features neat and tidy lines, and there is a sense of quality throughout. As a reminder that you are in something out of the ordinary, the E 63 S is fitted with carbon fibre panels, which replace the wooden ones found in the standard E-Class.

As with most Mercs, I do find that ergonomics could be a little better with the infotainment controls.The touchpad sits in a position which partially obscures the controls for the suspension toggles, so there are times when you are unsure if you are on just the ‘Firm’ setting or the one where your bum cheeks are the suspension.

One if the best things about the interior are the front seats in this car, with large side bolsters, actively providing a little bit of opposite push as you punch the car around the bends…. Kind of like a nice pair of warm hands on the side of your thighs… holding you in-place… reassuring… mmm… and there is a massage function too.

Under the hood, lurks a hand-assembled 4.0 Bi-turbocharged V8 engine, this round with some added modifications, and is able to spin freely to almost 7,000rpms. Power is explosive at 604bhp, while torque is simply earth-turning at a whiplash-inducing 850Nm. In contrast, the smaller C 63 S punches out 510bhp and 700Nm, with a similar V8.

The Executive AMG is equipped with a 9-speed 4MATIC+ transmission, which means four driving wheels… better to plant the car’s power onto the road with.

We truly enjoyed how the mighty Merc delivers on its driving experience. There is a sense of point and shoot accuracy, where you can drop a few gears before a bend, allow the engine to (very quickly) rev-match the transmission, and as an audible treat, the cacophony of backfiring at the rear does make its way into the cabin, and in a big way, almost like a phonebook to the back of the head. The steering is just so well weighted, and the alcantara-wrapped wheel feels just right in your hands. With a rear-biased drive, the E 63 S takes to corners well, and there is just so much grip.

And we also love how when you dial the drive mode to something more sane, the E 63 S is actually a very comfortable place to be in, with the suspension dialled two notches down. Ride quality is close to more “down to earth” E-Class models, and the all-round insulation is very good.

Perhaps not as vulgar as a BMW M5, the E 63 S delivers so well on luxury and brutal performance. You could go all day with that roaring V8, or drive it gently to enjoy the finer points of the car.

We love how the car does not shout for attention, and how it does so well in bending and blurring the lines between supercar performance and executive sedan luxury.

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