mcguirja

I test drove the captioned model yesterday. In service date of May 2014, 32k miles, 1 owner, clean carfax, being sold at a reputable dealership (was traded in for an Audi Q7) and is fully optioned. It has a number of cosmetic issues that I can live with and can be easily fixed, the remainder of Mercedes warranty to May 2018, so all good. But, I do have some hesitation on how it performed and hence how well it was maintained in what has been a pretty short life time.

At the risk of offending some of you (not my intent) it didn't drive as well as I was expecting. The baseline I have are my SL63 and my wife's CLA45. My current winter daily driver is a very old S Class (that still looks and drives like new). This car is intended to replace the S Class.

I'm hoping some of you may be able to help with some questions:

1) Accelerating with a sense of urgency - with 577 hp and 590 torque I expected to be really pushed back in my seat. It should dramatically out perform my other AMG's (by the numbers it does) but seat of the pants it felt heavier and (surprisingly) slower than both. I primarily drove in S+ and when I moved it to C for a short while it just exacerbated the feeling.

2) Transmission - I believe this is the same transmission as the SL63 but it didn't feel nearly as tight. I'm very familiar with how the MCT engages into gear, etc and don't mind it. The shifts on the SL are very clean both up and down with no hesitation. The E63 seemed to shutter into gear versus engage. Gearing down under heavy acceleration felt clunky and hesitant, not tight and precise like the SL.

3) Pre-Safe functions - any issues or idiosyncracies with this? A warning came up while I was driving but in reading it could be for a series of different reasons, none of which are catastrophic.

In the bit of reading I've been able to do on the E63 Forum (a bit difficult filtering with so many variations being discussed in one place) I'm wondering if this car is an anomaly. For any 2014 owners what has your experience been like? I was expecting this to be the perfectly balanced daily driver. The price is also very good and it is under warranty so I don't mind investing a bit in it but also don't want a lemon to have to live with as I do tend to keep my cars for a long time.

So - is what I've described characteristic of the car or unusual? I'm not desperate for a new vehicle but have been looking for a while and this one all round for the E Class is the best price/options combination that I've seen. The other vehicle I'm been looking at is the 2014 S63 AMG but it only comes in long wheel base and intuitively I didn't think it would be as agile as what I'm looking for now.

Any perspectives that can be shared would be greatly appreciated. Price is around $55k US dollars.

Thanks in advance for sharing your views.


James

kponti

Wow 2014 with less than 40k miles for $55k? That's kinda impressive and yet I'm a lil skeptical. If everything checks out, that's a hell of a deal!

The E class AMGs in general just feels ridiculously slow and sedate at high speeds. Might be the low low coefficient of drag or the size. Not sure. But my Renntech tuned 63 that should be able to run low 11s feels like a stock corvette (mid to low 12s)

mcguirja

It all seems legit, ironically similar to when I bought my S Class. Both about 18 months old, owned by Doctors who apparently didn't maintain them well. Almost same amount of cosmetic work to be done to clean up and I bought it for about half price of new. The S Class has been pretty much trouble free for 10 years now and if generally the '14 E63 isn't creating to many issues for folks, would hope the same. With transparency, I'm in Canada so converted to US$ as there is more representation from US than Canada on the forum.

I forgot to add it also has a set of OEM wheels and tires for winter. When I bought my wife's CLA a couple of years back that would have been in the $4,500 range and also included in the price.

mcguirja

I could also add I'm not averse to taking a bit of risk. I purchased the 2009 SL 63 in a similar way, but first thing I did was take it to my indy who changed all fluids, and checked all the majors at a cost of about $1,500. I picked up the SL in 2012 with 27k miles for about $60k US, which was also about $10k less than what I had been seeing in market elsewhere. So far so good (touch wood) I've been investing in preventative maintenance (i.e ABC flush, etc) but haven't spent anything on repairs.

joseyu

1. I think something is wrong if the acceleration doesn't push you back in your seat. Before my E63, I had a Dinan tuned F10 550xi with 500HP and 600TQ, which was a pretty fast car and the E63 feels much faster. Acceleration even without a tune should be relatively brutal.

2. I think MB updated the MCT in the E63 for MY2015. So far I have only driven the 2015 model and the shifts are clean. Have you checked if the car has all the latest software upgrades?

3. No complaints on Pre-Safe so far.

Good luck!

PeterUbers

Wow $ 55k!!

That's gotta be the lowest price in the USA right now ... Good luck hope it's a legit ride

mcguirja

Thanks joseyu, I'm putting together a list of requests for the dealer as part of the negotiation, I could add a request for them to take it down the street to the Mercedes dealership to have the software confirmed. If they don't want to and that is worst case scenario then it is still pretty good.

Thanks for your response!

James

mcguirja

That is US$ equivalent. With the Canadian $$ being as low as it is we're at a point where it will be cheaper for someone in the US to buy in Canada and bring it back, which hasn't been the case for quite a number of years. With that said it is still by far the best price I've seen across Canada coast to coast.

After reading the forum a bit more and the responses I've had here I decided to submit a preliminary offer earlier today. This is being sold by a reputable Audi dealership and the carfax is clean, no accidents, nothing unusual. I was more worried there may have been some inherent issues but nothing I've read suggests a good re baseline of maintenance won't re-mediate and warranty catch anything else.

At the current exchange rate I've offered just over $52k US. If they do everything I want to the car I've agreed to increase that amount to what would be about $55k.

The vehicle is Black (code 040), with Black Passion Leather (821), Carbon Fibre Trim Pack, Advance Driving Assistance Package and Premium Package. Apparently these were all the packages available in '14.

If all goes well I'll end up closing the deal tomorrow. We'll see!

James

m3gtr8

James--I'm new to the forum. I bought a 2014 e63-s in june of 2014. I had never owned a MB prior to purchasing the e63. I bought mine sight unseen after watching a few reviews online (chris harris especially--lol). I did not test drive it beforehand bc my local dealers didn't have one. I bought it from a dealer in maryland--and I'm outside of New Orleans.

Having said all of that--I have to agree with you. I was quite UNDERwhelmed at the the performance--and the lack of urgency I got from the car when I floored it (in a low gear even). My neighbor has an M5--and I traded my e92 m3 coupe for the e63--and I couldn't help but feel like the BMWs just "felt faster"--even if they may not have been in reality.

That is--until I got the AMS tune. I sent the ECU off to AMS about 6 months ago--and the car is TOTALLY transformed. It's blisteringly fast. I have a tuned GTR as well--and I'm pretty sure the e63 can keep up. It's well worth the $3k. In fact--you should just sell the car if you don't do the tune--bc you will always have the feeling that it's underperforming in relation to it's stated HP and torque figures--since you already do. And removing the ECU is as easy as it gets.

Re--the shifting thing you're feeling. As you probably know--the 2014 e63 has a wet clutch. I think the gears are just not engaging well. I have had the same feeling with my car--feels like it's just not as smooth of shifting than the BMWs. I've had the car stall/engine kill several times when shifting from reverse to drive if I hit the gas too soon after shifting into drive. Like the clutch isn't engaging. But shifts ok otherwise. But the AMG clutch is a little less refined than BMW/Audi for sure.

Anyway--I hope this helps. It's a GREAT car otherwise. Fit and finish are better than BMW/Audi. Thinking about a down pipe next. That's how I saw you post actually--lol.

You should get the e63. But if you do the tune-- you won't drive any of your other cars.

joseyu

If you are looking for less transmission lag and faster/chrisper shifts from the MCT, please take a look at the Weistec Valve Body & TCU upgrade. I had a BMW M6 with the DCT and understand what you are talking about. The DCT has much faster throttle response and much less lag than the MCT, and I can tell you that this mod makes it very close to the BMW DCT. However, I would also say that my 2015 MCT before the mod is not as slow and rough as you guys have described. Even though this mod is provided by Weistec, you can use it on a car tuned by other companies or stock. My car is custom dyno tuned by AMS.

mcguirja

This is great info - thanks! It is nice to hear various perspectives based on different driving experiences and reference points. Very glad to hear that if my first reaction to the car pervades there are options available!

Have to be honest it will have to be quite a ride for me to choose it over the SL, but if that was to happen it would be awesome!

I'll also look up the Chris Harris video, he does a great job on them.

Thanks again.

James

joseyu

Motor Trend also did a Head 2 Head comparison between the E63S and M5. Chris Harris is one of my favorite auto journalists.

mcguirja

Thanks, this would likely work on the SL as well. What I find interesting is I have the 2009 SL63 which was Mercedes first foray into this transmission and it doesn't have the same hesitation and lag the E63 had yesterday. I'm going to have the software checked though as mentioned above, it may be that it doesn't have the most recent version. Could be the combination of different engine and 4matic required some tweaking. The car doesn't seem to have been well maintained so this could easily be the case.

Thanks

James

ERC4

Go to a dealer and test drive a new 2016. That'll set the baseline for you re how this 2014 should drive and whether it's been damaged or not. I think it'll be much better than relying on members opinions.

joseyu

Yes, this Weistec mod will work for you SL63 as well. I think you are on the right track with the turbo engine as well as the 4Matic drivetrain causing some differences in the 722.9 transmission. This might also be the reason they updated the 2015 E63 MCT transmission with both software and hardware upgrades. If I remember correctly, the valve body was changed and there different part numbers for it, so if you get the Weistec mod, which upgrades the valve body and TCU, you should be good to go.

joseyu

Great idea. There might be some left over 2015's that the dealers are desperately trying to get rid of, so a test drive should be pretty easy to request.

mcguirja

That is a great idea. They don't have any in inventory (new or used) at the location closest to me but I can call around in the morning to see if I can find one at another location.

Thanks

James

MTV10

Exactly what I was going to say

RossN

Not sure if it will work on a 2014, but maybe you could try an Adaptive Transmission Reset?

Resetting adaptive tranny

Reseting mct transmission tcu with the following steps:

1. Turn the igniiton key to the "on" position which is just before you crank the engine to start.
2. Press the accelerator to the floor and hold for 5 seconds.
3. Then turn the key to the off position but do not remove the key, then release the accelerator.
4. Wait at least 2 minutes

mcguirja

I've decided to go ahead and purchase the vehicle. I have asked them to do a number of things to it so have made it conditional on one final inspection, but don't expect to have any issues. I plan to pick it up this weekend.

Here is a picture of the car that I downloaded from the site. It has winter wheels and tires on right now, but it also comes with a set of black 10 spoke wheels with continental tires for the summer.

PeterUbers

Good looking car

efiftyfizzle

Nice pickup! The 10 spoke wheels are my favorite!

TheOtherEric

Was the car warmed up when you test drove it? If not, the car doesn't give full boost so you can't expect much performance. The oil temp number changes color once warm.

mcguirja

Hmm, I did have it running for a fairly long period before I drove it hard, so not sure this would have been it. When I do the final inspection I'll make sure I take it out for a long enough period for it to be fully warm.

Thanks

James

mcguirja

Thanks! They are fully restoring the wheels for me. There was bit of curb rash and they hadn't been well maintained (brake dust build up like I've never seen before) but once they're all cleaned up they should look sharp. I think they'll fit the SL63 as well so may do a swap just to see what they look like on it.