A Pragmatic Superhero

It’s not outrageous to look at, but is extremely fast and sounds great. It may not be as fidgety as a supercar but is truly sensational to drive and be driven in. Meet the new definition of performance sedan, the surprisingly practical Mercedes-AMG E63 S

- Devesh Shobha

Did you know, there’s something common between our generation’s superhero costumes and fast cars? Practicality seems to be the natural course of evolution on both counts. Gone are the spandex-laced skin-tight body suits and in comes, dare I say, more sensible outfits such as jackets, boots and belts that the newer generation Batgirl and Wonder Woman are seen wearing. Even Batman keeps updating his outfit, adding the latest armour and trick bits to keep up with the changing times. And I feel an increasing number of crusader costumes will get less over-the-top with time as more and more characters from the world of comics are transformed into blockbuster movie stars. Don’t worry, their outfits would still make the superheroes stand out, just the wackiness would be dialled down a bit.

Similarly, most modern-day fast cars too, if not all of them, are shedding a bit of their hooliganism and becoming a bit friendlier; without losing out on their supercar sheen, of course. One such car is the all-new Mercedes-AMG E 63 S. Yes, practicality and AMG may not sound like the most natural companions, but this is a rather unique occasion. Unique because despite being the most powerful stock AMG on planet Earth, the E 63 S isn’t the crazy-head speed demon willing to wrap you around a tree at the drop of the hammer. There’s aggression, lots of it, but the good part is that all of it is channelled in a controlled manner, similar to someone who’s just returned from an art of living program with knowledge on how to rightfully use their energies. And that’s what has made me fall in love with the E 63. It wasn’t a case of infatuation or love at first sight – I’ve been at the wheel of the new E 63 on three different occasions and clocked more than 700 kilometres in desi conditions with a few laps of the BIC, Greater Noida, thrown in. And I say this with great conviction that for someone who loves his fast cars to be in some sor