GMW

Here are my thoughts:

1) It looks very nice, even surprisingly with it's standard 18inch AMG wheels! It's not as aggressive looking as the C63 which looks like it wants to beat you up but for an E-class it has a subtle butch look, like the lastest James Bond actor, in a tux.

2) It has a more comfortable ride. Going over some small speed bumps I could tell the rear air suspension is more compliant than the front steel spring setup. Which I guess is obvious, steel vs air .

3) The sound is a bit different from the C63. It has more bass at very low revs and also a very high pitch backfire. Overall, I would say it's not as loud as the C63's exhaust but sounds amazing none the less. Much better than the 211 E55 AMG that I had driven some time back.

4) The interior immediately has a higher quality feel compared to the C63 but this in no way makes the C63 have a poor quality feel. It's just the new E63 feels more luxurious and this model didn't have the nappa leather interior just the standard leather interior with no dashboard leather.

5) The car handles very well when pushed hard on real roads. However, it's definitely not as sharp a handler as the C63 plus it's (E63) weight shows slightly. The steering wheel (even the AMG 3-spoke sports wheel) fitted to this car is a larger diameter than the C63 adding to the feeling that you are piloting a bigger car.

6) The power feels about the same as the C63. The big difference being how fast this MCT gearbox just picks up and goes when already traveling at higher speeds. It's not the extra horses under the hood but the speed at which the gearbox can go from say gear 5 to gear 3. It feels almost instantaneous. However if the acceleration is from a standstill the difference in the shift speeds is not so noticeable between the MCT and the C63's AMG speed shift plus. Another weird thing was that from a standstill the C63 feels faster than the E63. In fact for overall feeling of outright speed it's the C63 that wins by a slight margin.

7) The MCT gearbox is excellent but the initial take off from absolute 0mph or 0 km/h (without race start) hesitates a bit before 1st gear takes off. I don't know if this is something that improves with time or not. The overall feeling is that the gearbox is more 'racey' than 'luxury'. The shifts feel harder (unless you are in C mode). The AMG speedshift plus in the C63 is a much more smooth operator than the MCT, however this doesn't mean one is necessarily better than the other. It just depends on what the end user/buyer wants. For the fastest shift speeds the MCT rules but again this is only slightly faster not an outright day and night difference to the AMG speedshift plus (unless you drive the latter like a granny and put the transmission in granny mode - no offense to any grandmothers and grandfathers who may own a C63 ;-) )

I guess the final question would be, would I ever want to buy one?

Price aside, I prefer the C63 because I like the tighter handling (on real roads), the more outrageous exhaust sound, beat you up looks and because it feels faster and makes me feel more directly involved. I feel the MCT gearbox should be an option for the C63 as part of the performance pack to give the C63 an even more complete rawer edge to it.

A few pics are attached.

SebringSilver

Thanks for the review!

I'm tempted to go test drive the E now.

Mr. Happy

Wow. Great review. Thanks. Did you try the AMG button which is supposed to improve the launch from standstill? If so, did you feel it was a big advantage? Thanks again.

AMG Dictator

The AMG button is like a memory button that you can set based on your driving preferences.

norb

Those wheels are terrible compared to the option wheels. The interior should be nicer, considering its almost $30K more in price! I think over-all its a great looking car, but it is in a different market, more lux than sport. The C63 is a bulldog, the E63 more like a doberman.

GMW

Thanks! Thought I should put it up here after the initial excitement had died down.

The AMG button just saves your selection for all the main settings (ESP, suspension setting and transmission mode) so you can quickly get to your favorite setting. It's the RS (Race Start) button that gives you the best launch possible from standstill. I didn't try that as I was still getting a feel for everything else. When I do I'll post back. Though from pants of seat feel the C63 is faster from a standstill if you launch it properly. The MCT RS function would probably be easier as the computer does the balancing act for you.

GMW

The pictures of the 18inch wheels don't do them any justice. They look much better in person. Not as good as the C63 design but better than what I saw in the brochure/magazine before seeing them for real. Obviously the 19inch option wheels look nicer but the 18s are good too especially if you want the softer ride and bigger buffer to the curbs.

bushburninc63

hmmm interesting review. I might have to go test drive one if it's available at the local dealership.

BFNYM156

nice write up

Danny_Boy

This might be a stupid question but is this one the new body style?

VCA_AMG

Yes.