2014 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG First Drive

2014 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG First Drive The fact that I've used the word "Hammer" in the title of this story means you, the MT-loving car nut, already know what I'm referencing. If you don't, then don't stop Googling until you do. I'm talking about the legendary AMG Hammer, a humble 300E coupe with a very, very big engine. After all, the 2014 E63 AMG is its spiritual successor.

2014 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG First Drive

2014 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG First Drive

 2014 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG First Drive

2014 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG First Drive

2014 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG First Drive

I use the word "spiritual" not because the E63 isn't the literal successor to the Hammer -- it is -- but to say that they no longer fall from the same tree. Hear me out. What precious few reviews of the Hammer exist tend to give nearly complete attention to how fast the Hammer was in a straight line (very). But sift through them and you'll notice they rarely talk about how the car handles. After all, that wasn't really the point, was it? They'll mention that it had different springs and such, but not whether it actually made a difference. If you do find a review that addresses the handling, you find that the car was prone to oversteer, whether accelerating or braking. Imagine that. I bring this up because until recently, this still seemed to be AMG's modus operandi. Modern AMGs make a great noise and go really fast, but they haven't been the greatest handlers.   The new E63, as you may have heard, is being offered with 4Matic all-wheel drive only in the U.S. I'll leave it to you to decide whether Audi's recent success had anything to do with it, but AMG's reasoning is simple: more grip. Sure, AMGs are great at going straight, but the in-house tuner has recently had a change of heart and decided its cars should also go around corners well. See: C63 AMG Black Series, first runner-up at our last Best Driver's Car. All-wheel drive helps on both counts. A lot. AMG confidently predicts the top-shelf E63 AMG S-Model sedan will hit 62 mph in 3.6 seconds, though engineers have claimed as low as 3.4. Automaker estimates run conservative, and the KPH to MPH translation results in that 2 mph discrepancy in testing metrics between the rest of the world and us, so it's quite possible the E63 will be quicker. If it is, it'll be the quickest sedan we've ever tested. It certainly feels up to the task. The 577-horsepower, twin-turbo, 5.5-liter V-8 roars like a thunderstorm over a battlefield and its 590 lb-ft of torque (non-S Models get 550 horsepower and 531 pound-feet) fling you forward like a rail gun. Thanks to that all-wheel-drive grip, it's nearly as smooth as the rail gun. You just go.

Sounds like the Hammer, no? Here's where the E63 charts a new course: It goes around corners, too. Fast. As with the standard E-Class, this car is impressively balanced. Pushed as hard as public roads allowed, it yields only a small amount of understeer and oversteer on corner entry and exit respectively, and only if you really try to drive like a caveman and kick the throttle like it owes you money. A previous development ride suggested that it might be more tail-happy on a skidpad, but on real mountain roads, it just works. Mercedes says little has changed, mechanically, in the suspension, and if that's the case, there must be extensive fine-tuning at work. The ride quality is better than its immediate predecessor and that car's body roll has been reigned in. This car leans smoothly and confidently in corners, encouraging you to push it harder. This one drives like a sports sedan, not just a luxury dragster.   Getting to and through the corner faster means that at some point, you'll need to slow down. Like its engines, AMG hasn't had much trouble producing immensely powerful brakes. The E63 hauls itself to a stop quite well, as you might expect with optional carbon-ceramic brakes. Likewise, fade is nonexistent on real world roads. Brake pedal feel is appropriately smooth and linear, not grabby or over-boosted, and I didn't hear any chatter from the brakes when they were cold. You're confident that you're getting exactly as much braking as the pedal pressure indicates. Not every system is a triumph of engineering, however. The most notable exception is the transmission, which is by normal standards very good but falls short of the best. For most intents and purposes, it's very good. It shifts smoothly and quickly whether cruising through town or hammering a canyon. Its downfall is in its downshift predictions, which are typically late to the game. It rarely downshifts as you brake ahead of a corner, and as a result, you're often digging deeper into the throttle at the exit to get a downshift. This is partially mitigated by the global supply of torque available, but a better solution is to use the paddles. They have their own issue, though, shared with other AMGs: The engine is faster than the tachometer. When upshifting manually, it's best to pull the paddle at least 500 RPM before the tach reaches redline or you'll be in the limiter.   Also on the list of good-but-not-great is the steering. It's a tough thing to critique in a sports sedan, because the automaker must walk a line between luxury buyers who want sport and sport buyers who want luxury. The compromise AMG has reached is acceptable at best. The steering is quick and precise, but a little light, and you don't feel much of anything in it. It makes the car very nice to daily drive and a formidable weapon in the twisties, but it's not the pinnacle of sports car steering. Nor is it a Hammer, which was said to have slow steering to keep it stable on the Autobahn. That was kind of the Hammer's thing, though. Careful and calculating. It didn't have the monstrous torque of a modern AMG; it had to be wound out. Most of the work was under the hood, not in the interior or exterior styling. While recognizable today, it was almost subtle back then. The E63 is anything but. In fact, it's so unabashed that AMG is actually developing a second front end exclusively for the German market that's much less aggressive. The E63 demands attention with its angry face, roaring exhaust, brightly painted calipers, carbon-fiber trim, and shiny badges. Despite its unreserved demeanor, though, it's no blunt instrument. Craftsmen use different hammers for framing than they do sheetmetal or masonry. The Hammer was a sledge. The E63 isn't. In fact, it's not one-dimensional at all. It's not a traditional AMG, and that's a good thing.