They make it look so easy, these race car drivers. Tyres screaming for mercy at every corner, never missing the apex at a sharp turn, then straightening the nose and going flat out just when a straight is in sight. So, when Reinhold Renger, one of Mercedes-Benz?s two driving instructors, asked me to take the wheel after taking me around for a ?hot lap? in the new E63 AMG, I thought it?d be a breeze taming this luxury barge on steroids. Boy, was I wrong!
I had three laps to myself at Greater Noida?s Buddh International Circuit, where I was recently invited to experience the car. The track was empty, putting no limits on how hard I wanted to push this brilliant example of German precision engineering, but what made it even more special was the weather?a perfectly overcast morning with a light breeze. That cocktail, I think, is perfect for anyone looking to try something really stupid. You want to go all out, but someone inside your head plays the nanny and tells you otherwise.
Like most luxury barges from BMW and Audi, the power on tap in the Mercedes E63 AMG is maniacal?557bhp@5500rpm coming from a 5.5-litre V8 BITURBO engine, as compared to a ?puny? 184bhp that the new E200 delivers. If you?re sold on that, there is yet more. The deal clincher is really the mountains of torque, 720Nm coming in as low as 1750rpm but continuing till about 5250rpm. What that means? Well, the E63 AMG will still have more grunt left even after you have finished all of yours. It will keep going till its electronically limited speed of 250 kmph, while also promising a best-in-class 0-100 kmph time at 4.2 seconds, 0.2 seconds faster than its main rival, the new BMW M5. All that power is sent to the wheels through a 7-speed AMG speedshift transmission, which offers modes like Sport, Sport + and Manual.
On the track, I admit I nearly always ended up underestimating the power under my command. Once at turn three, just before hitting the main straight, I skidded on to the gravel, but a combination of strong ceramic brakes, technology such as stability control and raw engine power helped me come back on to the track just as fast. The car did feel heavy?I love the C63 AMG for its agility?but that is something Mercedes seems to have addressed with the new E63 since I remember the outgoing model bobbing around a bit more. Having an instructor reminding of the finer points of track driving was also a big help (see box). Honestly, I felt that the E63 feels at home on the track, somehow on the road it would be out of place.
The new E63, which comes just after the launch of the new E-Class, debuts AMG?s new design lines, which includes a twin-blade radiator grille in silver chrome and a new, three-dimensional air deflector that spans the entire width of the front apron, presenting the stylised ?A?. In fact, the E63 is a hallmark of the AMG line. On the side air intakes, black flips help air flow into the cooling modules, while at the bottom a front splitter painted in the car?s exterior colour helps reduce lift.
At R1.29 crore, almost thrice the price of the E200, is the E63 AMG a good buy? That?s not really the right question. Such ?super cars? cannot be justified in terms of financial sense, they are purely an emotional decision. The AMG range of cars also come with hand-built engines?so every engine has a plate signed off by the guy at Affalterbach, Germany, who worked on it.
The E63 is more a jack of all trades, it will definitely keep you ahead on the highway, but what it does extra is help you arrive at your next board meeting in comfort, and also not compromising on the space inside when you want to drop your kids to school in the morning. You just got to have deep pockets, and the time to take this car for its regular dose of exercise at the track. Or you could buy this just to look good and stand tall over the sea of ?regular? E-Class models with a snooty snigger.