2021 Mercedes-AMG E 63 S Review

Four doors once meant “for bores.”

Big floaty Impalas and Galaxies and Coronets carried people with calculators on their belts to rousing meetings of the stamp-collectors club.

We would-be cool dudes, meanwhile, drove rumbling coupes and hardtops and convertibles – back before monster, concrete-shredding sedans like the 2021 AMG E 63 S forever put us in our places.

Consider this: The AMG E I had a couple of weeks back relied on a twin-turbocharged 4-liter V-8 capable of ripping to 60 mph in three seconds or less.

Heck, it sometimes takes me that long to blink.

So, here’s the deal: If you have the means to stroke a six-figure check for the AMG E, you get face-wrinkling power, handling, style, cachet and a backseat you can actually fit in.

Welcome to the Era of Everything, kids.

My dark metallic gray E 63 reinforced that message with low, slightly sinister elegance.

Well-proportioned and purposeful, the muscular mid-size sedan featured a broad AMG grille with 12 vertical strips across it – shining like well-polished teeth.

Sleek headlamps eased back onto fenders with short overhangs, topped by a long hood with crisp character lines in the center.

Although the sedan’s sides were mostly smooth, they bulged a bit with subtle, rounded muscle, while its wheel-arches settled tightly on multi-spoke 20-inch black wheels wrapped with meaty 265-35 tires up front and 295/35s in back.

(Yes, black wheels are truly tiresome, but I won’t argue the point with the lethal E.)

In back, a graceful carbon-fiber lip spoiler and four large-caliber black exhaust pipes keep the vibe going – loudly.

Credit: Mercedes-Benz AMG

Germans know the sound. With places like Nurburgring and the Autobahn beckoning, fast cars are as much a part of the country’s culture as bratwurst.

The E’s sweet snarl comes from a hand-built 4-liter V-8 with twin turbochargers that pump massive amounts of compression through the all-aluminum engine.

The result: 603 bellowing horsepower gets blasted through a nine-speed automatic and all-wheel-drive system.

Slam the accelerator to the floor and the horizon begins to evaporate – accompanied by an Autobahn bellow.

Numerals on the car’s speedometer spun by so fast that it was hard to keep up, with 60 flashing by officially in 3 seconds, according to Car and Driver.

Sometimes during those little outbursts, the E’s transmission seemed slow to downshift, but its upshifts felt quick and positive.

Stay on the accelerator – which I wouldn’t advise unless you just enjoy spending time with lawyers – and you will see 186 mph.

At lesser speeds, you might see 16 miles per gallon from an engine producing nearly as much horsepower as a NASCAR racer.

Despite its 4,600-pound heft, the E 63 sliced cleanly into curves, holding a line with virtually no body lean with quick, communicative steering.

The burly sedan’s handling limits definitely exceeded mine.

Probably the biggest surprise was the E 63’s air-based suspension, which was firm but compliant, absorbing rough city streets well.

But, then, would you expect anything less from a car costing $140,000?

I’ve grown to mostly appreciate Mercedes’ upscale digital interiors, though they’re being used in so many Benzes now that they seem less distinctive.

Credit: Mercedes-Benz AMG

The black interior in my E 63 featured two highly horizontal 12.3-inch side-by-side displays housing the instrument panel and infotainment center.

As I have grumbled multiple times in the past, the infotainment side requires the driver to tune the audio system through the touchscreen, adding a terrible, overly sensitive touchpad on the console. Just don’t cough anywhere near it.

Some days, I got so tired of retuning the system that I just turned it off and listened to the engine.

As with all of these M-B interiors, four round climate vents beneath the touchscreen added some retro-style character, while carbon fiber trimmed the dashboard, console and upper door panels.

The audio system offered Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and the ever-present nannies included emergency stop assist, route-based speed adaptation, lane-change assist and cross-traffic assist.

Real drivers, I think, will find more satisfaction in the car’s black Nappa leather seats whose suede edges will keep them fixed in place.

The car’s seats also offered good leg- and headroom in back.

Like most German luxury cars I’ve driven, the AMG E 63 arrived with a staggering number of options, including carbon-ceramic brakes ($8,950); carbon-fiber trim ($2,950); Burmeister stereo system ($4,550); and a driver-assist package with multiple safety features ($1,950).

Even with all that – even with brakes that cost more than some entire cars -- the E 63 wasn’t perfect. But it might be as close as I’ll get.

Credit: Mercedes-Benz AMG