S560 or E63 S AMG as a daily driver
 

Hi

I received a good trade-in offer to give up my 2018 S560 and get a 2019 E63 S AMG instead. Is this a good idea to replace the E63 with my S class as a daily driver?

Hopefully Wolfman will chime in, as he traded his S550 W222 for an E63S, so he is the authority here. That said, other than both cars having four doors, they couldn’t be more different than day and night. Do you really like your S560? If you do, then you probably won’t like the E63S. On the other hand, if you are willing to give up the silky smooth, quiet ride and sheer elegance of the S560, in exchange for a much less compliant ride and rocket ship acceleration, then the new car might be for you. Hey, Wolf: you around?

Just do it! You've obviously fallen in love with the E63, driven it for 45 minutes or so, sat in the back seat for 5 minutes and given it the "small but OK back here for my friends for shorter trips" so ... go for it man. It's a stunner for sure. I sat in the back of a 2018 E63 before I bought my 2018 S63 and found the rear seating too small and tight for 3 friends so I went with an other S class instead.

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I recently went through a similiar thought process. I owned S Classes over the past 25 years. I wanted an AMG but I was not willing to give up the absolute luxury and ride. To me the E63 rides like a lumber wagon while the S63 (in comfort mode—that is the ‘18 and ‘19 MY) rides like any other S Class. But put the S63 into sport plus and it is about the same as the E63 in Sport Plus. The S63 is an absolute rocket ship with the comfort one can expect from an S Class. You may not want to spend 200k on a car so the S63 may not be an option for you. You simply need to drive the E63 to see if the harsher ride is suitable to you for daily driving.

I absolutely love my ‘19 S63. I have about 4200 miles on it and have loved every mile including the ones on the German Autobahn since I did European Delivery.

Here is a picture from the COMMAND system from my S63 with a 3.29 seconds for a 0-60 mph time. I LOVE THE S63. Rocketship and comfort all in one.



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Wow! I had no idea the S63 could do 0-60 in 3.2 seconds. That is fast! MBUSA was fooling us!

The S vs E class. I have a 2017 S63 and had the 2016 E63. You want speed, the E63 is for you. If comfort, room and technology is more up you ally, the S model is for you.

For the money, and since we can't hot-dog our cars on the road that much, I'd go with the S560. It's roomier, has plenty of power, and for the money, you're getting far more car . Why pay $50K for an engine? Yes , I know I have an S63 and I love it, but if I could do it over again, I'd rather have a fully loaded up 560 and pocket the other $40K which , BTW, depreciates so hard it's insane!

Took the words right out of my mouth! Get the S560 and get a nice CPO SL with the $$$ left over.:D

Happy to oblige!

It's been interesting as we swapped our S550 for the E63s Edition1 and our SL550 for a AMG GTC roadster :)

The E63s is wicked fun to drive and I will recommend it to anyone but like to caution anyone coming from a S-Class (AMG or non-AMG) to consider the car carefully. What options to select, what roads are driven on on a daily basis and if driving alone or with family, etc.

The E63s was designed to be the main performance sedan for AMG. Designed to compete/beat the M5/RS6 and RS7/CTS-V on the street and track. At the time of introduction it has easily managed that. Since track performance was important to them, the created a very firm suspension setup. A bit more compliant than the C63s but nowhere close to the S63 which is not meant for tracks.
Virtually all E63s owners recognize that the suspension setup is too firm for Comfort mode. Perfect for Sport Plus or Race mode but sometimes it's nice to have a comfort mode. I don't mind it but my wife is not a fan for two reasons.
We have the performance seats which are nice looking bucket seats. No dynamic bolsters, little padding, no massage which my wife laments but excellent body hold. I love it but coming form the S-Class I strongly suggest trying two cars with the standard seats and performance seats.
The second thing my wife is no fan of is the neck snapping shifting/acceleration. The 9speed MBC is miles better than the previous 7 speed but it gets lazy in traffic and when accelerating it can downshift fast and hard.
Our car was nicely loaded ($136k) but the car feels cheap compared to the S-Class, especially in the rear seats and when the S has exclusive nappa and the usual rear packages. There is enough space but it's small with plenty of plastic.

For a driver, the E63s is a fantastic experience; the car is eager to go and it makes city driving a bit more fun at the traffic light. You will feel the road in any setting. This might not be a negative.
The S-Class insulates the driver and passengers from the elements, pampers them, is a beautiful car to look at and it is a competent and safe car.

For a daily driver I suggest a lengthy test drive. Try to get the car over the weekend or at least for several hours to get a good feel for the car

A great option is the S63. Combines the best of both cars, even if can only do 3.3 seconds to 60 ;)

AMG's have the best 4 wheel drive systems Mercedes has to offer. It also makes that car a great winter car in snow.
If there are any specific questions, please ask...

My brother did an interesting thing, picked up a new 2019 S560 with MSRP of $136k and got it for a little over $120k.
The same dealer installed Renntech ECU and raised the power to around mid 500HP.
Car is a rocket ship and comfy like a best pillow at the same time.
Dealer installed option with no risk or problems with servicing or repairs.

That is a good compromise as the 4.0l engine of the S560 is a lower power variant of the AMG engine. Lots of shared parts.

These are are very strong engines that can easily be tuned. The ECU can now be tuned via a handheld, so the tune removed when bringing in a car for service if so desired and added afterwards...

Just so you know, if the engine fails or let’s say blows, the dealer/MBusa can pull the boost parameters to see
if the boost had been altered and therefore deny warranty claims. There is always ways for dealer/MBusa can find out if a car has been altered. Just saying.

Excellent decision. I did a Renntech module on my 2007 S600 back 12 years ago and it was definitely money well spent. Turned the 600 into a 65 practically. I installed the module myself. I'm surprised the dealer did it for him. Funny thing is, after many years of not owning a Mercedes (2010-2017), the mechanics at the dealership still remembered me as the guy who had a Rennteched S600. What a memory!

I'm not authority here at all but I would stick to S Class no matter what . I would have it modified by a skilled mechanic if I would want some extra poweeeerrrrrrrrr

I had over 2 dozen AMGs over the past 20 years between myself and my wife, all from the same dealer, all without exception modified by the same dealer using Renntech components, usually before even taking delivery.
Once, God must have been watching me, I was so anxious to try my new E55 (back in 2003) that I decided to break it in first.
Lo and behold, engine blew up at 600 miles.
Took a month to get a new engine (under warranty) and we modded that one immediately, I figured lightning doesn't strike twice....:naughty:

If you want a daily driver, want to have fun, comfort and handling at the same time and save a boatload of money in the process, consider getting yourself an E450 or E53 Cabriolet! You can get virtually any option an S class has, as well as your choice of some beautiful interior and exterior color choices. It's comfortable, handles really well and gives you the best bang for your buck for an executive mid size car. You could also afford to hold onto you older S if you want.

But back to your original inquiry, the E63 S AMG. The E63 is a great car, but by it's nature, is a little harsher ride that you might be used to...but hey...that's all objective. If you feel the need for speed, you can't go wrong with this model. Plus it's an AMG!! AMG still subscribes to its One-Man, One-Engine philosophy, where each motor is hand-built by a single person. It offers one of the ultimate combinations of speed, luxury, and refinement on the market. Few cars can keep up with the E63 and less than a handful can keep up while also offering four doors and five seats. Test drive one, and you'll soon see if meets your needs.

It's been much discussed and it's for people to conclude if they want to take the risk...
Yes, no matter when tuners tell you, the warranty can be void on a tuned engine blows and it's found to be tuned. Even if the MB dealer install the Renntech tune, there is still no absolute guarantee that the dealer will take a hit on paying for the engine...

But... and here is the reality check. These engines are extremely robust and virtually indestructible, especially when discussing a "light ECU tune" from a seasoned tuner (EC, Renntech, etc.). The number of blown engines on these? Likely zero.
It was mentioned in another thread where AMG runs these 4.0 liter engines at redline until they blow up...Something that apparently takes months, not hours...
Real risk? Likely zero...

Yes they do run these engines in the testing area until they blow up so I understand as I did not actually see the engine blow up. I witnessed this process while I was in Affalterbach at the AMG facility in November on my Euro Delivery trip of my S63. Actually, my witness was the ground shaking soo much from about a half a block away from the testing building until I got into the building just outside the glass window that prevents someone from touching the engine being tested. Unfortunately they had the shade up on the window so I could not see the engine being tested. I was told that when they put the window shade up they do not want us tourists to see the new engines being tested. In any event, they test these engines on the engine stand as well as real life drive testing. Cool process as long as it is not my engine being blown.

Yeah, I'm always the lucky one, an exception to the rule.
Blew up the AMG engine and even broke a titanium dental implant (supposedly impossible to happen unless we are talking about me of course...)

Ah, Wolfman, you triggered memories: In 1995, I bought a new E320 Cabriolet, coming out of a 1991 500SL. I bought the car so my wife and I could take our two daughters for rides in a convertible. It was a decent car, but the convertible roof made noise when up, with the top down, back seat riders were miserable due to wind turbulence and it did not come close to matching the quality and, for lack of a better word, “substance” of the SL. My wife currently drives a 2016 E350 Luxury Sedan and as nice as that car is, it doesn’t come close—in any sense—to my S560 or my recently departed SL550. E Class cars are not in the same league as the S or SL. On the top line cars, MB goes all the way in assuring the finest quality materials, the best fit & finish, while using more plastic and less substantial materials in the cars beneath them. E Class cars are certainly nice, but they don’t compare to the S & other top line MB cars. As disappointed as I was in my E320 Cabriolet, I believe most folks coming out of a W222 will be disappointed in any E Class, AMG or otherwise—unless rocket ship acceleration is the only desired attribute. To borrow from Porsche: The S Class: There is NO substitute!:)

I read that. 600 miles? That's crazy but it was also AMG's first foray into Supercharged engines. I remember getting our SL55 in late 2002 and that car had countless issues. The engine was great though; and it was driven in hard ;)

It's funny how people wanna compare an SL to E class like they are superior or better. This certainly doesn't hold true for newer models. Their outdated interiors can never match the updated and more luxurious interiors of the E Class. One of the main reasons my wife and I "Pasadena" on it when considering convertibles. To still have those smallish screen and old technology, outdated control panel, plus limited options, is shameful for the price they charge. While a good looking car on the exterior, it fails on the interior.

The current-gen SL has been watching its prestige and sales slip against flashier and faster Mercedes soft tops such as the AMG GT roadster. Even the E-class cabriolet, with its succulent interior that nearly matches that of the Maybach cabriolet, is more technologically advanced at a cheaper price. Plus, it's extremely quiet with it's top up; and very nice with top down as well.

Add to that, the SL cabin is anything but quiet. It's heavy, and has under steer. The hardtop most probably be phased out in favor of a soft top, and most likely will adopt rear seating in 2020. Mercedes has apparently thrown in the towel in continuing this as a 2 seat roadster. The SL (as we know it) has largely fallen out of favor. While still a very nice car exterior wise, It's time has come and gone; especially with the choices you have now. ;)

No disrespect, but the interior of a Maybach cab (aka rebranded 65 cab with nasty wheels) can't be compared to any E-Class, no matter if Nappa or Designo Interior options are in play. It is miles better than the E as are S-Class models with exclusive Nappa. Part of the reason is cheaper material selection and design (in the E the plastics are patterned to match MB-Tex while the S-Class plastics are matched to Nappa leather, if not covered completely by leather anyway).
I personally don't beat on the SL as we have one but I have had a chance to compare it to multiple soft tops (S-Cab, C-Cab, AMG GTC roadster) and none beat it in quietness. The SL with the top up is more or less a hardtop coupe. I have to say that Mercedes has done an excellent job with the cabriolets soft top insulation. The S-cab felt close to the Bentleys soft top.
The SL with exclusive Nappa also covered far more than the E. It appears outdated to some but I question what exactly is outdated or inferior.


It is interesting that MB seems to have introduced the latest tech in its cheapest car. A $30k A-Class beats a brand new $200k AMG GT63s 4 door. How? It doesn't. The AMG is technically more advanced in any way but doesn't feature MBUX which is primarily a new software interface (consumer tech)
These days most measure the car tech level by the size and number of screens (or touch screens). MB seems to have finally recognized that and delivered that to the higher volume cars with a younger customer demographic first. Not a bad move as the software need lots of input to improve; just like Siri or Alexa. But it won't make the car better than other MB models...

The only real difference between the Maybachs CAB interior and the E CAB is its leather dashboard and doors; which I don't plan on sitting on anytime soon so big deal. Other than that, the interiors are very comparable. It's not miles better and save for the leather differences are almost identical. Double the money can't justify these minor differences. I can order most of the same options that any S CAB offers. The E CAB handles better than it's S class counterpart, and is just as comfortable IMO. The interior of the SL is outdated and is need of a refresh ASAP. The brand new SL model we drove had some wind and road noise intruding into the cabin. Not so the soft top E CAB which is whisper quiet and more like a coupe with the top down; especially with that beautiful suede headliner. The S class is certainly nice, but other than being a little longer, it's not miles apart from an E any more.

As I stated, the exterior of the SL is very nice, but the interior and lack of options ...not so much. Mercedes is bailing out on the SL as a hardtop and two seater in 2020 for a reason...they're not selling.