A new high-performance all-wheel-drive variant of the upgraded Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG dubbed the 'S-Model' will become one of the quickest production cars in the German manufacturer's history when it launches overseas in June.
The new 2013 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG S-Model combines a 430kW/800Nm tune of the carryover 5.5-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine with the added traction of an AMG-tuned AWD system to launch the super sedan from 0-100km/h in a blistering 3.6 seconds.
Those figures make the E63 AMG 20kW more powerful than the current flagship E63 AMG Performance Package and seven-tenths quicker to triple figures, while also being 10kW and 150Nm beefier and two-tenths slicker than the naturally aspirated 6.2-litre V8-powered Mercedes SLS AMG supercar.
Australian customers won't be able to get their hands on the stonking AWD model, however, with Mercedes-Benz confirming the AMG factory in Affalterbach will only produce the all-paw S-Model in left-hand drive.
Mercedes-Benz Australia will instead offer the standard rear-wheel-drive E63 AMG variant – now producing 410kW and 720Nm – in sedan and Estate body styles when the upgraded model arrives in September.
The updated E63 AMG headed to our shores produces 24kW and 20Nm more than the current model and sprints from 0-100km/h one-tenth faster, now in 4.2 seconds.
Despite the added performance, combined cycle fuel consumption improves marginally from 10.0 litres per 100km to 9.8L/100km, while CO2 emissions fall to 230g/km.
The car's seven-speed automatic transmission offers four driving modes – Controlled Efficiency, Sport, Sport+ and Manual – and incorporates automatic double-declutching on downshifts and 'Race Start' launch control.
Mercedes says the new E63 AMG is the first model to feature the high-performance division's new design language, which is distinguished by its 'twin blade' radiator grille and new 'A-wing' air deflector spanning the width of the front apron.
As previously revealed, the 2013 model also scores reshaped headlights, bonnet and rear wheel arches, and a revised rear bumper and tail-lights like the rest of theupdated E-Class line-up. Standard at all four corners are 18-inch 10-spoke alloy wheels in titanium grey paint, with 255/40 R18 tyres wrapped around at the front and 285/35 R18s at the rear.
Cabin changes are minor, and largely mirror those already seen in the rest of the E-Class range, headlined by the stylish new analogue clock, revised switchgear, remodelled instrument cluster and central screen, and new upholstery and trim materials.
Mercedes has also bolstered the options list, offering customers features like silver seatbelts, contrast stitching, LED sill illumination, a 1200-watt 14-speaker Bang & Olufsen premium sound system, an AMG carbonfibre engine cover and three unique exterior design packages.
The 2013 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG will make its world premiere at next week's Detroit auto show alongside the rest of the updated Mercedes E-Class range, which arrive in Australia from June.
