2018 Mercedes-AMG E63/E63 S

An original W124-series AMG Hammer is parked next to a row of new Mercedes-AMG E63 sedans. It’s sitting there in monochromatic black wearing the type of body kit that made AMG famous: a little forlorn, a bit dated, its glory days in the past like an old pugilist. Next to the new cars, some might even mistake it for the caterer’s car. Sic transit gloria mundi.

Except it’s not the caterer’s car, and I can’t stop staring at it. The original AMG Hammer hasn’t let go yet. Hasn’t let go of me. Hasn’t let go of AMG. AMG still builds the things, sort of, but now they don’t call them Hammers. They should still call them Hammers. The name they’ve chosen is E63 S 4MATIC+. Yes, the great-grandson of the Hammer has a Wi-Fi password for a name.

Less Displacement, More Power

Still, there’s no denying the connection between the original and the new car. On sale this summer as a 2018 model, the new E63 is built on the latest E-class platform and has 603 horsepower in S guise and 563 ponies in its basic form. The 5.5-liter twin-turbo V-8, which made 550 horsepower in the base version of the outgoing car and 577 horses in the S model, is gone. In its place there’s a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8, the same engine that rips in the AMG GT S, the C63, and even in the G550—yes, it’s in the G-wagen.

A “hot inner V” engine with the turbochargers nestled in the cylinder-bank valley and the intake valves in the outside of the heads, the E63’s engine differs from the other AMG 4.0-liter V-8s because its turbochargers are the twin-scroll type that are matched to the exhaust pulses to reduce losses and spool more quickly. Engineers wouldn’t admit to any mechanical differences between the S’s 603-hp engine and the base car’s 563-hp tune, which led us to assume that it’s simply software that unlocks the additional 40 horsepower. The S version eats 21.8 psi of boost, while the 563-hp version ingests 18.9 psi. Both are made in AMG’s home in Affalterbach, Germany, where a single technician is assigned to an engine. AMG calls the build process “one man, one engine,” but there are also a few Fräulein bolting together engines.

After driving the latest E63, it seems naïve to have been worried about the effects of the reduced, 4.0-liter displacement. Power builds instantly and it consistently builds all the way to the 7000-rpm redline. A nine-speed planetary-gear automatic, introduced in the E300 last fall, is strengthened to cope with the engine’s 627 lb-ft of torque. In place of the conventional E-class’s torque converter is AMG’s wet multiplate clutch delivers fairly smooth starts from a stop and allows for aggressive launch-control starts.

Nine Is Just Fine

Shifts are snapped off with increasing urgency as you cycle from Comfort mode to Sport to Sport+ and finally to Race. Even with nine speeds to shuffle through, the transmission never acts busy or out of sorts. Multigear downshifts happen quickly, and there’s none of the incessant shifting that plagues other nine-speed automatics. Top gear is tall for better fuel economy and quietness, reducing engine revs to below 2000 rpm at 80 mph. It’s a little odd that there’s a column shifter in a car with this much power, but we can’t say we miss having a shifter between the seats. We’d feel differently if it were a manual shifter, though.

Mercedes-Benz claims a believable zero-to-60-mph time of 3.3 seconds for the S and 3.4 seconds for the base version. Launch-control actuation has been greatly simplified. Instead of the convoluted ritual of the past (select Race, pull both paddles, place foot on brake, wait for the display to signal the car is ready, confirm with the right paddle, floor the accelerator while simultaneously releasing the brake), launch control now is available in Sport, Sport+, and Race modes. There’s no need to pull the paddles, simply tell the car you want launch control, push the brake with your left foot, and floor the accelerator. Revs are held at up to 4000 rpm and can be lowered using the paddles on the steering wheel. Release the brake, and the E63 shoots forward as the all-wheel-drive system scrambles to get the torque to the ground.

Catch the Drift

All-wheel drive is a welcome ally for the boosted V-8. Unlike its predecessor, which had a fixed torque split, the new E63's torque split can vary on the fly with up to 100 percent directed rearward. This is enabled by a new clutch pack in the transfer case that constantly engages and disengages clutches that distribute torque. In back, an electronically controlled locking differential shared with the C63 varies the lockup to minimize inside wheelslip in corners and, according to AMG, helps drivers approach and drive at the E63’s limits. The new system allows Mercedes-AMG to add a Drift mode that will send 100 percent of the engine’s torque to the rear, making it a rear-drive car.

Getting the E63 S into Drift mode, however, is a bit like getting into the old launch control. Choose Race mode, completely disable stability control, select the transmission’s Manual mode, and hold both paddles until the screen asks if you’d like to enter Drift mode. Pull the right paddle on the steering wheel to confirm. Base cars won’t get Drift mode, so buy the S model if you want to turn your E63 4MATIC into an E63 2MATIC. Get the sequence right, and the E63 S becomes a rear-drive car until you turn it off or switch modes. We didn’t get to try it. In the interest of saving the 295/30ZR-20 rear Pirelli P Zero tires, the cars on hand during our road drive had Drift mode disabled.

On the road, the E63 S has the same dual personality as an E300. As you’d expect, the AMG’s shifts toward the sporty end of the spectrum, but when you’re trundling around with the car set in Comfort, it’s quiet, the ride isn’t jarring, and the engine can run on four cylinders. Even in its most relaxed setting, the steering is heavy, but it gets much heavier in the more serious settings. Feedback through the steering wheel is good, yet there’s enough typical Mercedes-Benz creaminess to make the car read as supremely refined when you’re not driving it hard.

Switching to Sport and beyond not only stiffens the three-chamber air springs, firms up the adaptive dampers, quickens shifts, and increases steering effort; it also causes the speakers to amplify the engine’s noise. It’s cheating, but it’s cheating for our team—and, more important, it doesn’t sound fake. That’s the V-8 playing though the speakers. From the outside, the Sport exhaust barks with the same anger as AMG’s old naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V-8 when under load. When cruising along on the highway, where 100 mph feels more like 60, the engine sound is subdued and never tiresome.

Mercedes isn’t ready to divulge what the U.S. models will weigh, but we’re told to expect a 33-pound weight gain over the previous generation. That means the new E63 should weigh nearly 4500 pounds. On the track, the E63 S makes long straights very short. Cornering grip is good, the chassis is playful under power, and it’s possible to get the rear end to come around even without Drift mode. But there’s no escaping the weight of the E63. It’ll bear everything you ask of it on track, but that does come across as tire abuse.

We can’t imagine any owners of this likely $105,000 sedan will be taking it to the track—but the performance is there, should they want it. What we loved, and what we’ve loved about every E-class ever done by AMG, is that the performance doesn’t come at the expense of luxury. Even the Hammer never forgot it was a Mercedes-Benz.

Specifications >

VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, 4-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan

ESTIMATED BASE PRICE: $98,000/$105,000

ENGINE TYPE: twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 32-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection

Displacement: 243 cu in, 3982 cc
Power: 563/603 hp @ 6500 rpm
Torque: 553/627 lb-ft @ 2250/2500 rpm

TRANSMISSION: 9-speed automatic with manual shifting mode

DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 115.7 in
Length: 196.6 in
Width: 75.1 in Height: 57.5 in
Passenger volume (C/D est): 104 cu ft
Cargo volume: 19 cu ft
Curb weight (C/D est): 4500 lb

PERFORMANCE (C/D EST):
Zero to 60 mph: 3.2–3.3 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 7.8–8.0 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 11.5–11.6 sec
Top speed: 155–186 mph

FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST):
EPA city/highway driving: 17/23 mpg