Executive saloons are supposed to offer comfort, the latest tech and, of course, the prestige that comes along with a premium badge. At the same time, the manufacturers are going all-out in the horsepower race.
Cue in the brand-new Mercedes-AMG E 63, which, in top S spec, puts out no less than 604hp (612PS) and 627 lb-ft (850Nm) of torque. Frankly, that’s supercar territory, and the 3.5-second 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) acceleration time and 300 km/h (186 mph) top speed are certainly supercar numbers.
AMG engineers figured that they should use all-wheel drive as standard to keep things under control, and they were probably right. However, they also put in a Drift mode, which practically reverts the transmission to rear-wheel drive only, for when the driver decided to have some fun.
Public roads are where any E-Class will spend its life, and driving it there provides useful insight into its overall characteristics. To go the extra mile and exploit the 600+ ponies fully, though, as well as test the Drift mode, a track is a much more suitable, and safer, venue.
So, apart from being extremely fast, does the E 63 S deliver on its promises? Oh yes indeed, as you can see in the video that follows.