E63 AMG Opinions?

[seech]

I've recently had my F10 M5 stolen and am now in the market for another car. The M5 sounded pretty dull which really ruined the experience. So no more BMWs until they sort out their terrible security and V8 sound. If Merc and Audi can produce a 4.0 turbocharged V8 that sounds great, why do BMW struggle with their 4.4?

Anyway. Narrowed it down to either of the last two iterations of the W212 E63.

Off to look at a performance pack one (square front end) and a standard one, last facelift with the curved front end.

I'm currently tempted by the perf pack one as it has the locking diff (which is a must for me) and 550 bhp not 525. However, I'm concerned the **** will fall out the pricing when I come to sell it. The E Class doesn't seem to have favourable depreciation.

So...

Is there anything to look out for/be wary of? It's from a Merc dealer so should have a 2 yr warranty.

Can anyone let me know if the non-LSD cars can slide/move around as well as the LSD cars?

and do you think I should be trying to get the last facelift W212 with no toys rather than the earlier model with Perf Pack? I previously had a C63 PP Plus and the ride was quite firm and crashy, but it drove really well.

Sorry for the vague post, I'm not really as well read on the E63 as the C.

Thanks in advance

 

[Alps]

Id go for the facelifted standard one (biased ) for that very same reason of the depreciation.

The power can be tweaked to far outway what you gain from a performance pack model, but you do miss out on the redcalipers, illuminated sills and diff , which can all be retrofitted afterwards

 

[st13phil]

I've had a pre-facelift PPP car, and currently own a facelift standard car. The PPP car was absolutely loaded and was a great car. The facelift car has the most important options (for me) on it, and I added a Quaife diff within the first few weeks of ownership.

Overall, the facelift car feels more responsive and "alive" than the PPP car did, so out of the two I rate it as the better drive - by a whisker. I do sometimes miss the opulence of my old PPP car though.

If you're worried about depreciation then neither car is for you. Both cars will hurt badly if you decide to bale out in a year or less as they have a relatively large gap between trade and retail price. Keep either for two or three years and in pound notes terms, assuming the older car costs less initially then it will be cheaper in terms of what you'll lose.

BTW, for the Biturbo cars both the pre-facelift PPP car and the standard facelift car are the same 557bhp, but the facelift car loses 80Nm of peak torque at 720Nm vs the PPP car's 800Nm. And no, my "bum dyno" can't tell the difference!

 

[st13phil]

Just thought of something else relevant: If you do much night driving then the LED Intelligent Lighting System on the facelift car is streets ahead of the Xenon-based ILS system on the pre-facelift car.

 

[seech]

Thanks for your responses.

I'm waiting on a call back from the dealer but have decided the pre-facelift PPP is the one for me. Mainly thinking in money terms that although I'd prefer a facelift, I'd want the S model and you're looking at £10k on top. I just don't feel it's worth the additional.

I'm glad you've confirmed my web findings as that was another reason. The face has to make do with 550bhp & 530 lb ft, whereas the PPP has the same bhp and 590 lb ft. I've just test driven it. Hard to get a good feel for it. I think I scared the dealer when I put it in S+ and let the tyres loose.

Are these cars ok with a remap? It'll come with a 2 yr Merc warranty so am nervous but like the idea of more power.

 

[seech]

One more question... On the C63 PP+, the rear wheels were toe in at 0.42 deg or something which meant I'd get 3-4,000 miles from a set of Conti Sport 5s. Is the E63 the same?

 

[st13phil]

I'm waiting on a call back from the dealer but have decided the pre-facelift PPP is the one for me.

Excellent! I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

Are these cars ok with a remap? It'll come with a 2 yr Merc warranty so am nervous but like the idea of more power.

The M157 Biturbo responds very well to mapping and there are a number of examples currently owned by people here. MSL Performance have lots of experience mapping this engine and have an excellent reputation around here.

One more question... On the C63 PP+, the rear wheels were toe in at 0.42 deg or something which meant I'd get 3-4,000 miles from a set of Conti Sport 5s. Is the E63 the same?

No, the rear suspension geometry on the E63 is much more "normal" and it doesn't cause rapid wear like the C63. Both my cars have been/are daily drivers and I've run Pirelli PZeros (great until it's cold and wet and then useless - avoid), ContiSport 5P's (excellent but a bit noisy) and am now using Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3's (as grippy as the Conti's and much quieter). I use the performance of the car and light up the rears whenever it takes my fancy, but I don't rag it. I get circa 12k miles out of my rear tyres. If you leave number elevens everywhere, you'll obviously get less