Mercedes-Benz AMG may have boasted that the all-new E Class launched in South Africa recently is a more refined, more solid car, but their recent release in Europe of the E63 AMG is a horse of another colour.

Yes, those rejuvenated, reinvented Merc qualities are all there, but they certainly are hidden behind a far more brash, much wilder facade – and ability in the Bahnstorming AMG version

The heart of the beast is that 386kW 610Nm 6.2-litre atmospheric V8 (7kW up on the old car) that empowers it to rush to 100km/h in 4.5 seconds – and if you order it with that 250km/h limiter deleted, it’ll happily run to a higher 300km/h limited top end.

Another highlight is E63's new wet clutch-equipped seven-speed automatic (rather than a torque converter) not unlike the unit we raved about in the SL65 AMG some months back. That alone brings a huge improvement in control, stability and of course, speed.

If you order an E63 be sure to tick the Performance Pack option box – most significantly that adds an electronically controlled limited-slip rear differential, carbon-ceramic brakes and stiffer spring rates for the E63's quite quaint steel front and rear air spring set-up.

The new E63 gets a totally reworked suspension versus the standard car for the first time – previous E AMGs just had stiffened versions of the standard suspension, but this one gets an all-new front axle and a wider track

E63 also offers three stages of damping control, four gearbox settings to enable you to select a variety of mild to wild driving options with differing severity of gearshifts and throttle response, too. There are also three levels of traction and stability control.

63 AMG continues that new found level of E Class interior feel and quality. Nothing too sensational, just very well executed in that typical Merc way and exuding a sense that if were to sit here again in ten years time, it'll still be quite fresh and functional.

It’s also good to see the gearlever back where to should be in the middle of the car albeit still of an electronic nature, but nicely positioned close to the car’s chassis controls.

Of course E63 bristles with every conceivable bit of safety kit too – from lane departure to imminent collision warnings – although they can become a bit bothersome at times as thy tend to remind you about exactly what you know you are doing in the first place...

E63 fires up to that typical AMG grunt to set the tone for what goes down next. Click it into drive and you immediately notice its awesome response as that noise helps you come to that good old realization that there really is no substitute for cubic capacity.

The car’s current chassis setting is explained by how many LEDs are burning on the switch – the smoothest setting seems quite adept in most circumstances but if you want to press on, you quickly notice the compromise in ride. Somehow we'd prefer a single all-encompassing set-up, but it seems Merc seems to want to please whatever mood you may be in at any time...

Sport plus mode holds gears and blips the throttle on downshifts.and adds add a delightful crackle to the exhaust note on shifting up with manual changes possible via steering-mounted paddles.

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