The Mercedes-Benz E 63 AMG will have 550 CV and all-wheel drive

After Mercedes-Benz officially unveiled the facelift it gave its mid-size saloon, the E-Class, the mechanical specifications of its most sporty, fast and radical variant, the E 63 AMG, have been confirmed. It will reach the market in spring 2013 and is expected to be presented at the next Motor Show.

The Mercedes-Benz E 63 AMG 2014 will continue to use the current 5.5-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine, but on this occasion it has been uprated to 550 CV, an increase of 25 CV over the previous generation. Torque has also risen by 20 Nm, reaching an impressive 719 Nm.

The major innovations of this AMG are not its increase in engine power but what connects the powerplant to the wheels: the drivetrain. For the first time on a production AMG, a 4MATIC all-wheel drive system will be offered as an option in Europe and as the only option in the United States. This adds 59 kg to the saloon’s weight, making it one of the heaviest in its segment.

Weight takes away performance, worsens fuel consumption and ultimately spoils cornering, but on this occasion those drawbacks could turn into a positive, as the RS models of Audi and most notably the new RS6 can attest.

Torque will be split 67% to the rear axle and the remaining 33% will go to the front of the vehicle, improving handling and making it easier to drive compared with rear-wheel-drive versions, although purists will likely not like the idea.

With all these improvements, a 0 to 100 km/h time of 3.5 seconds is expected, a spectacular figure for any supercar and even more so for a saloon of this kind. The quarter mile will be covered in 11 seconds at a speed above 200 km/h.

Via | WCF