Amazing Vehicles Abound, E63 included (Automotive)

Auto enthusiasts have never been so lucky. Thanks to technology, superb engineering, and automotive competition there are a wide variety of amazing vehicles available today.

One in particular has caught my eye the last few months, the Mercedes E63. I was always a fan of the E55 and E55 wagon for it's sleeper looks, ridiculous torque levels, and combination of comfort. As much as I enjoy the stripped down racer performance of my Sti, I realize it's not something that everyone wants all the time.(Even me) Luxury has a lot of perks, especially on the roads and freeways of Southern California. Especially luxury that has such astounding performance like that found in the new AMG E.

The E63 packs big numbers: 507hp, 465 ft lbs, 6.2 liters, $84,000 base price, and 7 speeds. Blam, 4.3 seconds and you are already getting a ticket for 20 over in your local 40mph zone. In other words, it's damn quick. Unimaginably quick for about 95% of drivers these days, although cars are getting faster every second it seems. (430hp base Corvette is more evidence of that) The suspension and brakes have been reworked from the previous gen and now offer better handling and stopping power. These numbers are amazing for any vehicle, sedan or otherwise, but they are just numbers.

How does it drive? Based on numerous professional reviews, great. The most recent raving follow up test by Edmunds.com inspired this article (view here with an excellent pop culture reference in the last line), but you don't need to go too far back in your automag archive to find E63 write ups. In both Motor Trend (here) and Car and Driver (here), February 2007, the E63 was compared with the V10 powered Audi S6 and BMW M5 (SMG equipped in C and D while janky U.S. market only manual equipped for MT). The Motor Trend articles rates the vehicles from a rather useless point of view. Basing your judgement on which of the vehicles is best on a track is ridiculous. It's fun for bragging rights and entertainment, but doesn't represent how these vehicles will be used by their owners, even those that drive aggressively on the street. Regardless, the article holds an important point of view. The Car and Driver article on the other hand does a much better job evaluating these vehicles as they would actually be used.

The results were as follows, analysis follows:
MT
1st place: S6
2nd place: M5
3rd place: E63

C and D
1st place: E63 (231 points)
2nd place: S6 (230 points)
3rd place: M5 (janky 6 speed killed it, 213 points)

You may be asking why the vehicle I'm raving about placed 3rd in MT. Long story short, all three cars are great and the E63 was viewed as the least amazing of the group. If you read the article though you find the only complaints regarding the E63 are about its handling on the track and in their figure 8 test. "You'd love the E63 on the autobahn, but around the track and in the figure eight, it finished a distant 3rd." I would argue American roads are far more analogous to the autobahn than a figure 8 track and race track. Am I mistaken here? They continue to write "In return you get an unfailingly civilized executive's express with a handsome (if conventional) cabin, classic Mercedes good looks, and a power train worthy of Zeus himself." Sounds great to me.

In the C and D article the E63 placed first and had the following qualities listed "Highs: major-league muscle, astounding agility, transmission actually does what it's told. The Lows: Comand control collective still confusing, new exterior a bit too familiar. The verdict: AMG finally deliverers an autobahn burner that knows how to dance." I'm not claiming E63 dominance. I'm merely elaborating one of the many amazing vehicles available today. The E beat the S by 1 point out of 250 possible, the definition of negligble. These 250 included two very subjective categories, gotta have it and fun to drive, both won outright by the E. (Strange dichotomy between highest fun to drive rating in C and D and lowest in MT)

Despite the comparative aspect, these articles simply prove the Mercedes E63 is an amazing vehicle. On a personal note, for quite some time I was aligned with the M5, but I have in the last few months placed the E63 in my 3 car dream garage. (With the GT3 of course) I wouldn't want the bad 6 speed manual or the clunky SMG the M5 has to offer. The Sti has filled that awd void the S6 would want. The E63 is just right, for me.