Its been a while, marriage and having a family rearranges your priorities a bit, so 3 whole years since my last car change, I have finally (well feels like it!) got a new car.
Mercedes E63 Estate - 5.5 V8 biturbo
The E63 comes pretty well equipped as standard, but this car came with the options I really wanted; Harmon Kardon upgraded stereo & LSD, and a couple I could take or leave; DAB & Tyre pressure monitoring. Bodywork is inWhite, which I think is a little bit Essex, but it’s grown on me. They only really seem to be in black, white or grey/silver, so hardly some inspired options! Also the black pano roof and a few other black bits contrast nicely with the white. Keeping it clean will be fun though!
The interior is a nicer place than I remember from my trip to MB world a year ago, still not amazing, but I didn’t have particularly fond memories! The engine facelift bought a few interior changes for the better – revised gear selector, colour LCD in centre of speedo and a few other little bits.
What goodies I miss from the Jag, I can live without them, but, Heated steering wheel, ventilated front seats, rear camera and the biggy IMO - Keyless entry – not even an option I think on the E63! Should be standard!
Anyway, on to the real reason that I bought this car, the way that it drives and THAT engine!
I was very impressed when driving the E63 at MB world as to how well it gripped and handled for a large car. My old E55K was a rocketship in a straight line, but grip was o.k. and handling was frankly rubbish, the feedback from the car was minimal at best. This is a massive improvement and noticeably better than the Jag, which I remember being much better than the E55K.
The seats are really nice, with good side bolsters and you can get it quite low down, so it feels you are sitting in the car not on it (like the jag compared to this), there is good feedback from the steering and the car has a lot more grip than the Jag. It has adjustable suspension, so if I feel the need for it to be firmer then this is just a touch of a button away, although ‘comfort’ mode is firm enough as a starting point!
The engine, well I had debated whether to go for the earlier 6.2NA or this 5.5 biturbo, and I think I made the right choice. The 6.2 has sharper throttle response and linear power delivery, as well as revving higher, awesome for something to go on track. But the 5.5 makes more power and torque (apparently the 5.5 makes over stock figures) whilst using less fuel, has much more midrange punch, and should the need take me will go to 660bhp / 700 lb ft with just a remap! Not sure how the rear tyres would cope mind!
It feels quicker than my E55K, which was 544bhp / 566lbft on Powerstations dyno. I think the fast gearbox with 7 gears helps, but even so the engine just feels even more brutal!
Over the last few days of driving it has put lots of smiles on my face! And the noise... mmmm...
So, when is the next powerstation day? Want to get it on the rollers to see what it’s actually putting out.
Mercedes E63 Estate - 5.5 V8 biturbo
The E63 comes pretty well equipped as standard, but this car came with the options I really wanted; Harmon Kardon upgraded stereo & LSD, and a couple I could take or leave; DAB & Tyre pressure monitoring. Bodywork is inWhite, which I think is a little bit Essex, but it’s grown on me. They only really seem to be in black, white or grey/silver, so hardly some inspired options! Also the black pano roof and a few other black bits contrast nicely with the white. Keeping it clean will be fun though!
The interior is a nicer place than I remember from my trip to MB world a year ago, still not amazing, but I didn’t have particularly fond memories! The engine facelift bought a few interior changes for the better – revised gear selector, colour LCD in centre of speedo and a few other little bits.
What goodies I miss from the Jag, I can live without them, but, Heated steering wheel, ventilated front seats, rear camera and the biggy IMO - Keyless entry – not even an option I think on the E63! Should be standard!
Anyway, on to the real reason that I bought this car, the way that it drives and THAT engine!
I was very impressed when driving the E63 at MB world as to how well it gripped and handled for a large car. My old E55K was a rocketship in a straight line, but grip was o.k. and handling was frankly rubbish, the feedback from the car was minimal at best. This is a massive improvement and noticeably better than the Jag, which I remember being much better than the E55K.
The seats are really nice, with good side bolsters and you can get it quite low down, so it feels you are sitting in the car not on it (like the jag compared to this), there is good feedback from the steering and the car has a lot more grip than the Jag. It has adjustable suspension, so if I feel the need for it to be firmer then this is just a touch of a button away, although ‘comfort’ mode is firm enough as a starting point!
The engine, well I had debated whether to go for the earlier 6.2NA or this 5.5 biturbo, and I think I made the right choice. The 6.2 has sharper throttle response and linear power delivery, as well as revving higher, awesome for something to go on track. But the 5.5 makes more power and torque (apparently the 5.5 makes over stock figures) whilst using less fuel, has much more midrange punch, and should the need take me will go to 660bhp / 700 lb ft with just a remap! Not sure how the rear tyres would cope mind!
It feels quicker than my E55K, which was 544bhp / 566lbft on Powerstations dyno. I think the fast gearbox with 7 gears helps, but even so the engine just feels even more brutal!
Over the last few days of driving it has put lots of smiles on my face! And the noise... mmmm...
So, when is the next powerstation day? Want to get it on the rollers to see what it’s actually putting out.
