If you could only drive one car every day for the rest of your life,
what would you choose?
Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of good answers here, Porsche 911,
Range Rover. I can even get behind a more frugal choice like the delightful
little Volkswagen GTi. But following a week with the Mercedes-AMG E63 S Wagon
-- a 603-horsepower station wagon -- I might have found my new
go-to answer.
It really hauls
Mercedes' 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 is one of my favorite engines. Its
brute force is complemented by a robust growl, and the combination makes for
the most muscular attitude of all the current German V8s.
In a play to the hearts of enthusiasts everywhere, Mercedes shoves that
big engine into its E-Class wagon, where it's good for a staggering 603
horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque. With a 9-speed automatic transmission
sending that power to all four wheels, this 4,700-pound station wagon can
sprint to 60 miles per hour in just 3.4 seconds. That's a hair quicker than
Merc's insane AMG GT R, meaning supercar acceleration in
family hauler form.
Of course, the E63 Wagon isn't just about straight-line speed. Yes,
it'll rocket off the line with tremendous authority, the transmission firing
off quick upshifts with assertive precision. But throw it into a turn and the
whole car hunkers down, the 265/35-series Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires
providing incredible grip, the traction control strict enough to keep
everything copacetic, but not so castrating that it won't allow for a little
bit of playful slip.
Behold
the E63 Wagon's glorious 4.0-liter heart. This sweet, sweet V8 produces 603
horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque.
The E63 S Wagon's multi-chamber air suspension uses continuously
variable damping, with Comfort, Sport and Sport+ settings. Comfort strikes the
best balance for daily driving, but along the canyon roads north of Los
Angeles, Sport and Sport+ don't stiffen the ride so much to upset the superb
balance, or worse, make the wagon jittery over rough pavement. Mercedes'
Dynamic Select toggle on the center console lets the driver switch between a
similar suite of driving modes -- Comfort, Sport, Sport+, Individual or Race --
and during the sort of back-road blasting I'm enjoying during a warm California
afternoon, Sport+ really strikes the best balance. It keeps the 4.0-liter
engine on boil all the time, and the mode-specific transmission mapping is
perfectly matched to my aggressive behavior. Back on the freeway, Comfort still
offers enough gusto to remind you that this is a super-fast AMG. And if you
aren't driving this thing with the active sport exhaust open at all times,
well, you're doing it wrong.
Good as the engine and chassis are, they're matched with nicely weighted
(though ever so slightly numb) steering and brakes are powerful enough to
promptly halt you from ludacris speeds. The wagon doesn't feel quite as
naturally tail-frisky as the AMG E63 S Sedan, but I'll chalk that up to the
184-pound weight penalty, all of which is situated over the rear axle.
Otherwise, it's the same raucous, hellaciously fun driving experience you'd
expect from something with an AMG 63 badge. The wagon even gets the E63 sedan's ridiculous Drift Mode. Wee!
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No, really, it hauls
Every version of the E-Class is incredibly spacious and comfortable,
with proper seating for four adults (or five, if you must). The wagon adds to
that versatility with a capacious boot, one that'll carry 35 cubic feet of
cargo with the rear bench upright, or a healthy 64 cubic feet with the seats
folded flat.
Unfortunately, the E400 wagon's optional rear-facing jump seats don't
carry over to AMG E63 duty. If you were hoping you could still get away with
buying an E63 wagon while simultaneously fulfilling your seven-passenger
seating needs, I like where your head's at, but you'll have to look elsewhere.
The E63 S Wagon is really a great alternative to a traditional
five-passenger high-performance SUV (however "traditional" that may
be). Consider, by comparison, Mercedes' own AMG GLE63 S. It costs about $3,000
more to start, but offers 3 more cubic feet of space with its rear seats erect,
or an additional 16 cubic feet with the bench folded flat. That said, it's also
heavier, less powerful, handles worse and doesn't look half as cool. Very
important things to consider, friends.
The
E-Class' interior is already superb, with great design, high-quality materials
and loads of tech. AMG-specific steering wheel and seats do nothing to upset
that loveliness.
Comfortable and full of tech
The new E-Class' interior is wonderful, though it's perhaps at its best
in AMG form. The slim AMG Performance seats are as comfortable as they are
supportive, though they're also a $2,500 option. Open-pore wood accents and
real aluminum trim match the rich leather appointments, and every single
surface is both beautiful to behold and excellent to touch.
While baseline E-Class models can be had with a set of fixed gauges and
one large infotainment display, the AMG E63 S Wagon only comes with the
full-width, dual-screen setup. That means you get a pair of 12.3-inch high-res
displays housed in one long screen that spans the width of the instrument panel
and center dashboard, using the same Mercedes' COMAND interface that's found in
lesser E-Class models (as well as the CLS- and S-Class sedans). I'm so ready
for MBUX and its touchscreen
functionality to proliferate the entire Mercedes-Benz lineup, but in the
meantime, COMAND is mostly fine. The displays are huge and bright, not to
mention reconfigurable, and must-haves like Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and a
4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot are standard.
These
matte black 20-inch wheels are a $1,700 option.
How I'd spec it
As you'd expect, the nearly $107,000 Mercedes-AMG E63 S Wagon already
comes with a pretty solid list of standard equipment. But surprisingly, a lot
of features -- namely driver's aids -- are still à -la-carte choices.
While I love the Dakota Brown exterior color (brown wagons, you guys), I
have to go for Piedmont Green, a $720 add-on. Then, I'm adding the 20-inch
matte black wheels seen on my test car ($1,700), the Advanced Lighting Package
($1,500) and AMG Night Package to black out some of those chrome elements ($750).
I am absolutely not paying $450 for the stupid illuminated star. Inside, I want
the Nut Brown/Black interior with aluminum accents (no cost), the $1,050 Warmth
& Comfort package (heated everything) and the $2,500 AMG Performance seats.
Finally, I'll take the $3,600 AMG Premium Package, which is a lot of money, but
includes blind spot assist, lane change assist, Distronic adaptive cruise
control, active braking assist, the surround-view camera, lane-keeping tech and
a lot more. Oh, sorry, one more thing: I want the $1,250 AMG Performance
Exhaust. Because loud.
All in, I'm spending $119,965 on my AMG E63 S Wagon, including $995 for
destination. That's a lot of money, to be sure, but really, not as much as I
was expecting.
You could
buy a fast SUV, or you could buy something much cooler instead.
Like (almost) nothing else
Despite America's huge appetite for SUVs and crossovers, it's nice to
see more and more automakers embracing the station wagon. There are a lot to
choose from these days, with varying sizes and price points. But in the case of
the Mercedes-AMG E63 S Wagon, it essentially exists in a class of two.
Porsche will happily sell you a Panamera Sport Turismo, and it's damn
good. But if you want one with AMG-battling performance, you're looking at the
Turbo Sport Turismo, which starts at $154,000, or about $47,000 more than the
E63 S Wagon.
Not that the Merc's $106,950 starting
price is any kind of bargain, mind you, nor is the roughly $130,000 as-tested
price of the example you see here. You could buy a BMW X5M, Land Rover Range
Rover Sport SVR or the aforementioned Mercedes-AMG GLE63 S for around
the same money, but why? The E63 S is nicer inside, still has the four-season
friendliness of all-wheel drive, seats just as many people with great comfort
and will carry almost as much cargo.
You can have one car every day for the rest of your life. Is it going to
be a super cool (and super rare) station wagon, or just another SUV?
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