First Drive: 2010 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG
Back in the late 1980s, before performance tuner AMG became an official branch of Mercedes-Benz, the Affalterbach-based personal trainer of three-pointed stars took an off-the-showroom 300E sedan, stuffed it full of massaged V-8 (first a 5.6 liter, later a 6.0) and a catalog's worth of track-tuned chassis bits, and dubbed the hugely fast and expensive result "The Hammer."
So if that was The Hammer, what do we call AMG's latest, far more powerful and formidable tool? Maybe "The Cannon?"
AMG is really on its game. Whereas the original tuning company was best known for building mostly one-dimensional sedans (fast in a straight line, clumsy and unbalanced in corners), the 21st Century AMG, now officially the hyper-performance division of Mercedes-Benz, has of late been cranking out full-bodied supercars with all rough edges smoothed away (i.e., the CLK63 Black Series, the SL63 AMG). With the arrival of the 2010 E63 AMG, based on the all-new E-class sedan, rivals like the BMW M5 and the Cadillac CTS-V may very likely scurry for cover.
AMG has always done engines right, but the new E63's -- also seen in the SL63 -- is perhaps the best ever. The hand-built, DOHC, 6.2-liter V-8 from the previous edition returns boasting 11 more horsepower (now 518 hp at 6800 rpm) yet also a 12-percent increase in fuel efficiency. All that naturally aspirated horsepressure is a wonderful thing on its own, but for 2010 it flows through Mercedes' Speedshift MCT 7-speed automatic. Dispensing with a conventional torque converter in favor of a "wet start-up clutch," the MCT can crack off shifts in just 100 milliseconds (in manual mode). Four shift modes are available, with Sport Plus perhaps the most impressive.
Like Porsche's dual-clutch PDK transmission, the MCT in Sport Plus upshifts and downshifts as if guided by your thoughts. Forget the shift paddles and simply leave the console lever in "D." Then brake hard from speed when approaching a corner and watch (and listen) as the MCT automatically blips the throttle and fires two machine-gun downshifts. Brilliant stuff. The transmission is best of both worlds, too, smooth and shock-free when executing shifts around town. The MCT's best act by far, though, is performing full-throttle upshifts. Stand on the gas, let the revs build to redline, and the lightning shift is accompanied by a "whap!" from the exhaust that sounds like an M-80 exploding in the trunk.
 | Latest E63 Marks Departure from Usual AMG Formula |
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