now that the ol' 5.5 liter M157 is nearing replacement in the E class, i figured it'd wouldn't be a bad time to have a little E63 discussion

i've never driven the 6.2 N/A E63, but i'm quite familiar with the supercharged E55. the W212 E63 is EASILY the better all around car, but the actual driving experience might not be quite what you're expecting. before i say anything let me just establish that i think it's an unbelievably good car. very few vehicles can combine luxury, comfort, design, POWAHHHH!!!!, and practicality quite like it. it has AWD and folding rear seats that even includes a middle pass-through, the E55 can't even come close to touching this car's practicality and usability. it's also quite a bit faster and more fuel efficient than the E55(keep in mind the only thing that can burn petroleum faster than an E55 is deepwater horizon), and the AWD means there's always more than enough grip, even in rain.

so that's all well and good... BUT... and this may just be nonsense here, in becoming so refined, smooth, and composed, i think it's lost some of the theatre that made the E55 so much fun. while turbos are technically better in just about every way than a supercharger, TRUST ME, the E55 had a much more exciting engine and drive. look at any specs and you'll see that the turbo engine develops its full torque about 600 rpm lower than the supercharged one, but the way they each deliver the power is completely different. the 55 had INSTANT torque ALL the time, whereas the turbo engine smoothly and progressively builds boost. combine that with a throttle that comes in much more gradually (no matter what settings you have adjusted) and an almost uselessly short first gear that only goes to 30 mph, the newer car doesn't give you that immediate punch when you step on the gas that the old car did. in fact, i'd say it feels more gentle and docile than almost every other car i've driven, including an entry level hyundai sonata and a subaru forester. the E55 felt like it had a huge engine, but this feels like it has a smaller, turbocharged engine, despite the engine actually being slightly bigger.

every review of these talks about the MONSTROUS POWER but not how gradually it gets off the line. use launch control and things improve dramatically, but the car still feels as though it's holding back. in addition to this, the newer car only has 2 zone climate control and the E55 had 4-zone, and the sound within the cabin is also worse. i don't care how great it sounds from the outside, and it does sound great, all that you can hear on the inside is the noise from the exhaust. in the 55, the sound from the actual engine itself dominated the cabin and sounded like such a beast. in this you can't hear the engine at all, just exhaust which can't be quieted. also, big thing here (but not really), the E55 had a dynamic driver AND passenger seat (with the active side bolsters that inflate through turns). the 63 though only has a dynamic driver seat, which is sad because one of the best things about having the E55 was seeing peoples faces light up with shock when the bolster first inflated on them lol... curiously the europeans still get a dynamic passenger seat but not US models.

i'm not sure if i really had a focus here but those are my thoughts. let me be clear i LOVE the car, it'd really almost in poor taste to say anything other than that, especially when i'm not even remotely in a position to buy one. if i seemed negative at any point, i'm just a little sad that the car has become more tame and less dramatic. for anyone thinking about getting one, YES, absolutely, it's amazing.

i'll leave yas with a few video clips i found

 

These are strong cars to say the least

My previous boss is a swap a lease oholic

This is the first car since I have known him he bought to keep (2015 black on black)

He dumped a 2015 3 pedal M5 for it and has been really happy. the M5 was hopeless in winter

The E63S can claim some practicality in winter with the AWD

 

I've driven an E55, and I must say that the throttle response is just INSANE. Instant torque, no wait, just smashes you into the seat and breaks the rear tires loose. 516lb-ft of torque and IMO no computer nannies that limit the power to save the drivetrain make this thing feel like an old big block Chevelle in terms of off the line throttle response.

The noises that supercharged V8 makes just makes you grin ear to ear, it has to be one of the best sounding V8's I've ever heard. Listen to that supercharger whine!!


Also when this car came out in 2002, it literally rewrote the book on what people considered to be fast. Low 12 second et's, the car was faster than a new Ferrari 360 Modena, a supercharged Mustang Cobra, and would give your Z06 Vette a run for its money.

 

The W211 E55 will definitely be a chapter in history for me. Things got really crazy around then. I do think you discount how much better handling the E63 is though. The E55 couldn't dream of handling as well as the current AMG's do.

Every bit of this can be attributed to consumer research done by MBUSA. In regards to features, they test for things like this to see what Americans will/will not pay for; this is especially sensitive since MB's are usually the priciest in the class. It's what prevented power folding mirrors from being available on the W212 until the 2015 models came out. The level of decontenting since the pre-facelift W211 has been very obvious, imo.

When it comes to noise and refinement, one simply needs to keep the typical E63 AMG consumer who buys these brand new in mind and things start making sense.

 

oh it's no comparison. its honestly magic how the 4500 lb family sedan so effortlessly glides through corners. the steering feel is great too, the E55 honestly sorta felt like a pig lol... and the brakes are amazing too. they were smoking quite a lot in the back after some heavy braking going around the pocono tri-oval but there wasn't really much fade, and considering how heavy the car is i'd say they're more than up to the task

this new one is honestly much improved over the older car, but i'm basically saying the E55 was better, because it was worse... probably doesn't make that much sense i know, but one of my initial impressions of the E63 was that it didn't feel that much faster than the E55 considering it has like over 100 hp and 100 tq more. i was expecting 1st gear to be nuts but its just sorta undramatic... it's definitely fast there's no question but its holding back at first, it almost takes off too smoothly

 

Nice car, I considered it when I was shopping for my car last time, but the dated interior and helplessly small nav screen killed the deal.

 

Love that linear feeling and bat from hell sounding 6.2L V8 in the 63

 

great post. the w212 e63 handles really well

 

but that's the NA not the current biturbo though

 

I just miss that motor, that's all

 

i miss the V8 Kompressor we got a used 05 model and it was great, when it worked lol... every so often it wouldn't start so dad ended up trading it in for the 63. we've even taken it to go skiing a few times, it has GREAT snow traction, didn't get stuck once.

total BS how the speed limits on the interstates still apply to you though lol... kinda makes it hard to enjoy the drive knowing you could technically get in A LOT of trouble despite the tranquility on the inside

 

I had an '06 E55 and now a GT-R and I recently test drove a Panamera Turbo and E63S AMG. Neither one of those cars seemed to have the same punch as a the E55 and GT-R. Both of those cars just accelerate so violently and the panamera turbo and E63s accelerate fast, but you just don't feel it.

I'm not sure what they've done to the car, but it doesn't seem to take off the way my E55 did. If the E55 didn't have all of the electrical problems, it would be the perfect car now... you can get them for around $15k.

 

Forced induction torque and a torque converter transmission will do that for you.