The svelte sadist

THE new Mercedes E63 AMG featuring a new 5.5-litre biturbo engine has recently been introduced to the Indian market. For the uninitiated, AMG is the performance division of Mercedes, which creates extremely powerful cars. The new car boasts more power, superior handling, better fuel efficiency and many more features over its predecessor. We were among a select bunch of journalists who drove the new car at the Buddh international circuit. Here's what this elegant looking powerhouse is all about

The AMG variant for the E-class boasts of an aggressive looking front fascia. The newly designed bumper roughly forms the shape of a AMG's A representing the brand's new design expression. The front portion of the car visually lends it a particularly forceful aura.

In profile, the things are generally similar to the stock E-class car, except for the special wheels, the V8 BITURBO lettering and racy side skirts. More differentiation from the sober E-class comes at the rear, with black under-cladding and contrasting chrome painted angular quad exhaust.

Inside the cabin, the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG has quite a few toys. The comfortable seats, high quality of materials, superior workmanship and sporty AMG elements make sure the cabin feels like a special place.

The high-quality steering wheel has been mildly flat bottomed for better grip and a sporty look. There is a dash integrated central screen above the center console, below which you have an exquisitely crafted clock, adding some old world charm to all the modernity. To add some more to the sporty quotient, the brake and accelerator pedals are made of shiny steel with rubber studs.

The AMG sports seats are supremely comfortable, too. They provide lateral support in the opposite side of the direction you are turning the car in. This helps the driver stay balanced while cornering hard. As a feature exhibiting its sporty character, it also has a Racetimer feature to record lap times on a closed-off racing circuit.

In addition to the other features, you also have additional seat controls to extend the under-thigh support, massage function and lumbar support. The normal seat adjustment buttons are positioned separately in the door panels.

The E63 AMG is powered by a new 5.5 litre biturbo engine with 557 bhp of power at 5500 rpm, and 720 nm of torque between 1750 - 5250 rpm. This is an increment of 32bhp and 20 Newton meter over the previous model.

Acceleration timings represent those mad power figures, with 0-100km/h sprint taken care of in 4.2 seconds for the India spec E63 AMG. Top speed is electronically limited to 250km/h. Transmission duties are taken care of by the top of the line AMG Speedshift MCT-7 multi-clutch transmission. The highly advanced transmission is capable of very fast gearshifts, and can be operated via the drive select lever, as well as the steering mounted pedals.

The transmission offers four drive modes C (Controlled efficiency), S (Sport), S+ (Sport plus) and M (Manual). Sport mode offers fastest gearshift, while the S+ and M modes offer even faster gearshifts for some really fast, on-the-limit driving. Finally, the E63 has another cool trick up its sleeve, the Racestart function. The new Race start Function enables the E63 to accelerate in the fastest manner possible from a standstill.

It's surprising how the E63 builds speed from a standstill. Unlike other cars, it doesn't thrust you back into the seats. Power and speed builds up fast, but in a very deceptive, soft and beguiling manner. There was absolutely no drama, no noise and no sense of danger.

At a standstill, the E63 AMG, while idling snarls in a muffled, but very assertive way. The bursts of burnt air from those angular quad exhausts come out in big, forceful chunks. The cabin, however, is incredibly well insulated from outside noise, including that of the engine.

The new E63 AMG is significantly more powerful than its predecessor. It's more refined, and is a better handler too. Even with its prodigious power and performance, it doesn't compromise on the comfort factor. If you have more than 1.5 crore to spare, and want a full-blown sedan that can keep pace with a supercar without being impractical, the E63 AMG might just be the machine you have been hunting for.

Amit Chhangani is the founder /editor of Motoroids.com u00a0