Mercedes-AMG E63 review (2010-2017) – ride and handling

Despite the huge power at its disposal, the E63, even in S form, is intuitive and approachable. Its steering has a natural weighting and the front axle’s dart for the apex is proportional to the steering input.

There’s turn-in bite too, but enough traction to give you confidence as you feed in power on the corner exit. There’s good balance and plenty of grip at both axles, so you can lean on the car much harder than you might expect.

It’s also surprisingly agile for a car on the far side of 1800kg, even if that agility isn’t matched by particularly sharp throttle response, regardless of the driving mode you choose. The slightly lazy feel actually suits the car’s ‘executive express’ vibe, but does mean you have to use quite some throttle travel to bring the rear axle into play.

That isn’t an issue for the E63 S 4MATIC, though. With all-wheel drive, it’s hugely effective at covering ground. Unfortunately, it’s also limited to markets outside the UK – but you can read our first drive review here.