The Mercedes E63 AMG Wagon: Power. Ball.

When my wife finally buys that winning lottery ticket, I’m making a beeline to the local Mercedes-Benz dealership and putting in my order for an E63 AMG Wagon.  Of course, there is no rationale for buying a thinly disguised supercar masquerading as a station wagon. Unless you can afford it. And if you can afford it, a guy or gal should buy it.

The engineers, designers and product team at AMG, the wholly-owned performance subsidiary of Daimler, took a Mercedes-Benz E-Class Wagon and transformed it into a roaring machine that can go from 0-60 in just 3.4 seconds.  Under the hood, it has a handcrafted 603 hp AMG 4.0-liter Bi-Turbo V8, generating 603 horsepower and 627 lb-ft of torque. Hit the gas pedal and see what it feels like to pilot a rocket ship on wheels. 

There are five different drive programs, allowing you to extensively modify the response of the engine, transmission, suspension, power steering, and the AWD system.  I am not a trained race car driver, and there’s no Autobahn in Texas to truly open up the E63 Wagon, so I never fully experienced everything that the car can do.  To really show off all the driving capabilities of the car, there is a “Race” drive program that sets all the car’s parameters for maximum performance for driving on a closed circuit.  

There are several exterior giveaways to distinguish the E63 AMG from the run-of-the-mill Mercedes E-Class Wagon.  The front fascia is more aggressive and muscular and there is no familiar Mercedes-Benz hood ornament. AMG badging abounds, but it is discreet.  

The interior design is futuristic, with an instrument panel that features two high-resolution displays – each with a 12.3-inch screen – that can merge to form one widescreen. You can configure the display to show the information and views that work for you. The AMG performance seats have rigid bolsters which can be uncomfortably firm, but will keep you planted in your seat during (the inevitable) high-speed maneuvers.  

The E-Class Wagon has a base MSRP of $64,200, while the E63 AMG MSRP starts at $108,850. The model I drove had some hefty upgrades, pushing the price tag to $138,000. The priciest option was the High-Performance Ceramic Composite Braking System for $8,950.  If money is no object, it’s worth every penny.

The E63 AMG Wagon will never be a station wagon for the masses, but then, that’s probably the whole point.  It’s a pricey supercar at heart, a practical family car by choice. And when’s the next Powerball drawing?