Not entirely unexpected, the future generation of the Mercedes-AMG E63 may switch to a 4Matic all-wheel-drive system exclusively. The information comes from the Aussies at Motoring, who recently had a chat with Mercedes-AMG->ke8 boss Tobias Moers at the press launch of the new C63 in Portugal. According to Moers, the switch to AWD on every future E63 model in every market would be possible thanks to the versatility of the new MRA (Modular Rear Architecture) platform, which, unlike the current one, is feasible for right-hand drive and all-wheel-drive.
As some of you know, the current E63 AMG and the S-model come with 4Matic all-wheel-drive only in left-hand drive markets – standard in the U.S. and optional in Europe – with RHD countries only getting rear-wheel-drive models. Another reason to change to an exclusively AWD E63 may come from the overwhelming success for this type of drivetrain in countries where it is optional. For example, AWD versions of the E63 and its CLS63 AMG brother account for about 95 percent of sales in Germany, while the standard RWD versions are left to gather dust in showrooms.
Last, but certainly not least, the performance factor is also something to take into account, with Moers saying that the AMG-tuned 4Matic version of the current E63 AMG is faster around the track than the RWD model. Keep in mind that the all-wheel-drive system featured by the E63 and CLS63 AMG is exclusive to these models, in the sense that it has a 33/67-percent front-to-rear torque split for less Audi-like behavior at the limit.
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Why it matters
Set to be launched about a year after the next-generation E-Class arrives in 2016, the future Mercedes-AMG E63 is set to replace the twin-turbocharged, 5.5-liter, V-8 engine with the new 4.0-liter mill found in the new Mercedes-AMG GT->ke4853 and C63. Featuring a so-called "hot inner vee" configuration, with the turbochargers sitting in the middle of cylinder banks, the new powerplant is actually set to replace the 5.5-liter on every V-8 AMG model in the upcoming years.
While its current most-powerful version is found in the new Mercedes-AMG C63 S, where it delivers 503 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque (37 pound-feet more than in the GT S), the future E63 is expected to get a much stronger version, with over 600 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque being easily achievable. Combined with a quick-changing, multi-clutch version of the new nine-speed automatic transmission and 4Matic all-wheel drive, it would put the model at the top of the game in terms of performance. Will it still drift like a lunatic, though? Tobias Moers says yes, courtesy of the rear-biased torque split and an electronically controlled, limited-slip differential.