Mercedes-AMG E 63: Power & Performance

The new V8-engined AMG version of the E-Class is ready to blow your mind

- Paranjay Dutt

Do you remember the AMG Hammer? It was the ultimate E-Class you could buy in the late '80s, and true to its name, it was brutal. Not only in the way it looked, but also in how powerful it was. The Hammer was based on a regular E-Class, but since AMG was a separate outfit (with no Mercedes-Benz ownership; this is premerger), there were no Mercedes-Benz badges on the car. Not too many units of the AMG Hammer were built, and to this day, it remains the AMG of dreams for many. But what if you wanted to realise that dream today, without using a time machine? The answer to that is, of course, the Mercedes-AMG E 63 S. It's the most modern and the sportiest iteration of the E-Class.

Priced at Rs 1.7 crore, ex-showroom, the car is only about Rs 10 lakhs more expensive than the S 350d, which is, of course, the more sensible car to buy, but as a diesel-powered luxury saloon, the S 350d isn't as driver-focussed. The E 63 S's main rival, as has been the case for many years, is the BMW M5 Competition. It has a 4.4-litre turbocharged V8 engine, which makes 625 PS, and enables the M5 to do 0-100 km/h in just 3.3 seconds (claimed). Its price, before optional extras, is 1.73 crores, ex-showroom.