Mercedes: Limo with a hooligan streak

The refined exterior of the Mercedes E63 hides rampant power potential. Photo / Supplied

It's a bit of a sleeper, this E63 AMG. Sure, the latest E-class sports an edgier skin than its dull-as-ditchwater predecessors. But that skin is shared by all the E sedans, and this car's AMG skirts, front and rear aprons and the sports exhaust are pretty subtle. So it is that the E63's rampant performance potential can come as a bit of a surprise.

That performance comes from the 386kW, 630Nm 6.3-litre V8 tucked under the bonnet, mated to a seven-speed auto now with a wet start-off clutch in place of a torque converter.

This engine is relatively subtle under normal driving - it's only when you start accessing the sports possibilities that it really gets feral.

Entree is as easy as tapping the AMG button, which stores your preferred setting in the memory; in my case, selecting sport for everything with one flick of a finger.

But you can do more, for the other three buttons allow normal, sport or sport-plus settings for the ESP; comfort, normal or sport suspension for the AMG Ride control with its electronically controlled damping; and three levels of auto transmission response each faster than the last, or manual mode, with shift changes 50 per cent quicker than in the most relaxed setting.

All but "comfort" will even double declutch - the load-free downshifts imparting more predictable body response during rapid deceleration into bends, and sounding great too.

The choices turn a luxury limo with sporty trimmings into a smoking-hot tyre-shredding monster that can reach 100km/h from rest in 4.5 very busy seconds. And handle it, too.

Mind you, though the ratio's more direct than in the standard cars the steering isn't quite as precise as in something more focused, and despite a nice balance there's a tad less sharpness to the handling than the engine's performance suggests. But hooligan mode remains ever-entertaining, as does the car's split personality. Thank goodness for the sports seats, with their adjustable bolsters ...

Mind you, I'm not the natural limo owner and rarely opted for "comfort" suspension, which is a little too plush for my demanding rural roads.

Nor the hard-core end of the adjustment range, which was a tad too unsettled for everyday driving.

After playing with all the options I found the softer end of the transmission, ESP and suspension range worked best for daily driving, with the instant boost delivered by the AMG button handy for that adrenalin jolt.

Mind you, it played merry hell with the fuel economy - which is lower than before, despite a tad more urge, thanks to techie stuff like brake energy regeneration to reduce power drain by the many electronic goodies fitted.

Like the more sedate E-class sedans, this car has the clever cruise control with auto following distance; the lane departure and blind spot warnings; and drowsiness detector.

For the E63AMG is both bruiser and cruiser; a muscle car with manners. At $243,900 you pay for it...

Mercedes E63

We like
Refined exterior hides rampant power potential; lots of clever tech

We don't like
Quarter-mill price

Powertrain
6.3-litre V8, 386kW at 6800rpm, 630Nm at 5200rpm, seven-speed auto drives rear wheels

Performance
0-100km/h in 4.5 seconds, 12.6l/100km

Safety
Seven airbags, ABS, ESP, reversing camera, drowsiness and blind spot detectors, lane departure warning

What it's got
19-inch alloys, sports suspension, heated or cooled front seats, Harmon Kardon surround sound system, and much more

Vital stats
4868mm long, 540-litre boot, 80-litre tank