Two days after seeing the first photo of the all-wheel drive E 63 AMG coming next year, Mercedes-Benz was kind enough to give us all the details about their newest muscle cars. Yes, we appear to be getting the wagon.
The big news is that while the saloon (sedan) can be ordered with the classic rear-wheel drive setup, the estate comes with the 4MATIC all-wheel drive as standard. Of course, the saloon can be ordered the extra grip as well, which comes in handy when somebody orders the top of the line S version. While the "normal" E 63 AMGs get 557 horses and 531 pound-feet of torque from the 5461 cc hand-built biturbo V8, the S-Model has 585 hp and 590 lb·ft. All-wheel drive or not, since 67 percent of the kraft is going to the rear, those figures can melt the 285/30 rear tires without breaking a sweat. Doing 0-62 in an big estate car in 3.7 seconds must be a lot of fun, and since the maximum torque is available between 1750-5000 rpm, the 7-speed automatic can do its job as without having to look for the power.
While the Sport, Sport+ or Manual modes are probably more entertaining, the "Controlled Efficiency" settings can help the E 63 achieve around 22 mpg depending on the body style and the tune with start/stop and lower gear changes. The 4MATICS only makes the car 154 pounds heavier, but it gives you selective braking intervention on individual wheels, which is something you want while hooning on country roads. The S-Model also gets a proper differential lock on the rear axle, which means the E 63 AMG will perform much better on occasional track-duty. Since the front track is 1.88 inches wider than the rear, cornering speeds should be fine as well. Carbon brakes are also optional on the S-Models.
In terms of the styling and the interior, expect everything you already knew from the standard 2014 E-Class, plus more, since we are talking about AMG. For carbon fiber everywhere, you will have to pay more, but luckily, the "V8 BITURBO" badges come as standard.
So, you want a wagon in S. I know.