Any more letters or numbers and we’d swear Merc was trying to talk-up their new super-saloon… but it clearly has a voice of its own. The foremost department in which Mercedes E63 AMG defeats BMW’s M5 is in engine sound – the big turbo V8 just burbles, grunts and wails in a way that the M5 falls short of – even when sound is pumped into the interior artificially through the sound system.

The E class refresh has been well received – it smoothes out some harsher edges and makes the car look slippery through the air. The new headlight clusters are a big step up, we never much cared for the previous “4 light” design.

The E63 breaks into uncharted waters for AMG, launching as a 2014 model with all-wheel-drive. Rumour has it that BMW will follow suit with an AWD M5 – we hope this is not the case as the purity of the M5 will be compromised, as will its handling, but we understand the move to appease markets and nonetheless.

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The E63 AMG is powered by a hand-built 5.5-liter twin-turbo V8 which produces 577 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque in the top-of-the-line S-Model. Without fronting the extra cash for the S badge, it makes 550-hp and 531 lb-ft of torque. Power is transferred to the ground through a seven-speed semi-automatic gearbox using proper left-for-downshift, right-for-upshift steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters.

Thus, the new E63 just pipes BMW’s M5 with more power and substantially more torque – though it remains to be seen whether this will transfer into faster acceleration times or faster lap times – we’d love to put them through their respective paces side-by-side in a track comparo.

Expect the new E63 AMG 4Matic to go on sale this summer in NA. As was previously the case, this super saloon will also be available as a super wagon.

Enjoy our gallery from the show floor.

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