2013 Mercedes E 63 AMG review, test drive

We drive the new 557bhp Mercedes E63 AMG in India.

Published on Jul 26, 2013 09:59:00 PM

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2013 Mercedes E 63 AMG review, test drive

I find that, on the track atleast, the most fun setting was to turn the traction control off completely, have dampers on the stiffest and the gearbox in sport+. That way, you can really take advantage of the E63 AMG's bespoke chassis.

And what a chassis it is. AMG has engineered it to be safe on the limit, and that means it has a certain amount of understeer dialled into its suspension. However, there's such a great big whack of power and torque coming in so fast that it's easy to kick the tail out. Catching the rear is easy too -- the quick steering, electrically assisted ofcourse -- gives you some hope of reacting fast enough to catch the breakaway. The quick steering is also very precise and allows you millimeter perfect precision through the techincal section of the Buddh circuit.

The problem is -- for someone not used to the track layout and with so much easily accessibly power -- it's easy to arrive at a corner too fast and then waste precious seconds scrubbing speed off and trying to get the car turned in. No, in an E63, you need to shed speed, line up, clip apex and power out as quickly and smoothly as possible. Trouble is, despite its amazingly linear power delivery, the turbo-motor still doesn't give you the millimeter perfect throttle control that a large hearted naturally-aspirated motor does.

In my case, I found myself almost always feeding in too much power and wasting time with wheelspin on the exit. Get your line right though and you can really, really lean on the tyres, the E63 displaying really good chassis balance, loads of grip and exceptional body control. Continued...