This week we are reviewing the Mercedes-AMG E63S 4MATIC+. Our vehicle was assembled at the Sindelfingen plant in Germany and has an MSRP of 151400.00 CAD.
Fun Factor: 10
Can it Family: 10
Fuel-Friendly: 3
HWY-warrior: 10
Karaoke-Friendly: 9
Baby-Friendly: 9
City Cruising: 5
Most manufacturers wouldn't be crazy enough to make a sports car that would also be a family and a multi-purpose vehicle. AMG is not like other manufacturers. They decided to put a twin-turbo V8 into a station-wagon that produces 603hp and 627 lb-ft of torque. Naturally, we had no choice but to test its capabilities to 100km/h and found out that it rocketed us to that speed in just 2.99 seconds! That's faster than the 3.3 seconds announced by AMG. Those numbers are just incredible, especially if you compare that to a Ferrari 812 Superfast that achieves this result in 3 seconds. Even with its revival, the Audi RS6 doesn't launch as fast to 100km/h and when thrust to 100km/h, it doesn't do it with the same finesse as the E63S. The acceleration of the E63S isn't its only highlight; it turns like a charm when holding it's Alcantara covered steering wheel.
Can it family? It sure can; our kids and their friends nicknamed it the Batmobile and were thrilled to hop in. Our whole family of 5 fit inside, and it could also accommodate 3 adults comfortably in the back seats without any issues. The cargo area came in handy as we used it to fill up on apples during Apple picking season, bring all of our friend's apples, and still had spaces for a couple of strollers. This is the beauty with wagons; the cargo goes deep inside the vehicle and is simple to access, from the smallest family member to the four-legged pet. The driver's seating position is quite aggressive; however, AMG hasn't cut corners to make you feel like royalty behind the wheel. The negative part of the interior was the amount of storage available in the door bins.
The average fuel economy of the E 63 S over 450km was 15.8L/100km; in the city, we averaged 17.2L/100km, and on the HWY, our average was 12.5L/100km. Naturally, when driving such a mighty wagon, we had no choice but to drive it audaciously. Mercedes AMG announces a combined average fuel economy of 12.7L/100km. The announced figure is 14.6L/100km in the city and on the Hwy, 10.4L/100km. Additionally, if you choose the wagon over the sedan, your CO2 emission will be lower due to the body lines being more aerodynamic.
On the HWY, the E 63 S wagon is a pleasure to ride; it absorbs road imperfections and shields you from exterior noises. So well that we had to open the windows on certain occasions when we wanted to enjoy the soundtrack of that hand-built V8; that is the price to pay when you have a luxury vehicle with supercar performances. The technology infused in the E 63 S permits the car to do some operations that make it more enjoyable on longer distances. When you wish to change lanes, the E 63 S will autonomously do it for you as long as you use your turn signal. The adaptative cruise control will turn into the sharpest corners with ease; only in instances where lane markings weren't visible did we have to take back control of the vehicle. And even then, it was to correct the apex for a smoother cornering experience. If you're planning to travel a long distance and want to feel energized? Mercedes has a system called "Energizing" with 6 different modes going from Training to Vitality that adjust the odour, lighting and even the vehicle's temperature to make you feel as good as possible when arriving at your destination.
Our E 63 S was equipped with the tailored Burmester® sound system specifically designed for the E-Class. It has 13 beautifully sounding speakers and that have noise-cancelling capability. The piece of resistance is the aluminum speaker grills that could come straight out of a Maybach. Two massive screens compose the infotainment. The left is the digital instrument cluster, which you can customize to your liking; this may look overwhelming at first; once you set it up, it doesn't need to be changed. The central display offers both Android Auto and Apple Car Play on a massive 12.3-inch screen. The vehicle provides wireless charging; yet, wireless smartphone integration is not available. These 2 screens are either controlled via a touchpad controller or a touch-sensitive button on the steering wheel. Both these will require some adjustment if you are coming from a click wheel as these are delicate.
Installation of a car seat for a wagon must be easy, and it's true for the E 63 S. The doors open wide enough to get large car seats inside without any hassle. Once inside the cabin, the ISOFIX ports are simple to latch. Even front-facing car seats didn't remove any space from the passengers in front as the rear cabin makes good use of its wagon silhouette. While attaching the car seat, the only challenge you may see is that it may require an adult to enter the cargo area to attach the rear anchor latch. Small children will be able to open the doors with ease, the doors feel light to the touch, and in the event the door wouldn't be closed properly, the E 63 S will soft close the doors to everyone's enjoyments. Once in the cabin, children can easily take place on the backbench and take a seat belt and buckle themselves.
In the city, the vehicle's length makes it more challenging to find parking; if you do not wish to deal with parking, Mercedes-AMG has an Active Parking Assist that will help you park in tighter spots. The system is not always precise enough due to the click wheel and can make it hard to select your desired parking place. On the flip side, you do have an amazing 360 camera that shows you all around the vehicle so that you don't curb those beautiful AMG wheels.
Why would we buy the Mercedes-AMG E 63 S 4Matic+, or what we liked about it? Performance, performance, and performance are the main reasons we would buy the AMG E 63 S. The practicality this vehicle brings to the family as a cargo hauler. The massive heads-up display almost floats along with the vehicles' hood and gives you all eyes on the road experience. Easy child seat installation.
Why would we not buy the Mercedes-AMG E 63 S 4Matic+, or what we did not like about it? The infotainment controls are somewhat finicky; the fuel economy is relatively high and currently does not offer EQ-Boost mild hybrid system. You'll need to upgrade to the AMG GT 63 S to find slightly better city performances.
Mercedes-AMG has lent us this vehicle one week as a press vehicle. We have no affiliation with Mercedes-AMG Canada. The above is a recollection of our personal opinion of the car referred above.
Finally thank you Arben Gashi for handcrafting such an amazing engine!
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