Car and Driver gets a deeper look at the 2014 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG

Jonathon Ramsey — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 13:28:00 EST

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Sedan, Performance, Videos, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury

It's still under a suit of camouflage, but Mercedes-Benz brought an E63 AMG to Southern California and invited Car and Driver columnist and former Editor-in-Chief Csaba Csere to ride shotgun. Before clicking in, Csere does a walkaround and notes the changes, most of which we've seen on the refreshed standard E-Class. He then takes a ride with the head of AMG, Olla Källenius, and asks questions that Källenius spends much of his time not exactly answering.

Things get more informative when Csere hops in the car with Tobias Moers, AMG's head of vehicle development, to find out exactly what separates the AMG E-Class from its less-heated brother. Csere especially wanted to know if the addition of 4MATIC killed the sporting intentions of the AMG sedan, and was pleased to find out that that wasn't - well, not exactly - the case.

Car and Driver also puts numbers to the coming sedan, pegging the 5.5-liter, twin-turbo V8 at 550 horsepower and 531 foot-pounds of torque, for 32 more horses and 15 more torques than the outgoing model. In Csere's written piece for the magazine, he predicts a sub-3.5-second time for the 0-to-60 mile-per-hour sprint (in the video it's predicted to be 3.3 seconds), with the run to 100 mph needing another 4.3 seconds. The quarter-mile is estimated to take 11.7 seconds, and gas mileage is expected to remain the same: 16 miles per gallon in the city, 24 mpg on the highway. For context, Car and Driver's split for the 2012 E63 AMG was 3.8 seconds for the sprint from naught to 60 mph, and a 12-second quarter mile.

The super-sedan will go on sale next summer, with more official specs being revealed at the Detroit Auto Show. In the meantime, there's the video below.

Continue reading Car and Driver gets a deeper look at the 2014 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG

Car and Driver gets a deeper look at the 2014 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 26 Dec 2012 13:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: 2009 BMW X5 xDrive35d delivers obsolescence to gasoline-powered sibling

Michael Harley — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:57:00 EST

Filed under: SUV, BMW, New Car Reviews, Diesel, Luxury

2009 BMW X5 xDrive35d - Click above for high-res image gallery

BMW heralds its X5 sport utility vehicle as a "Sport Activity Vehicle." The tactic is designed to focus attention on the vehicle's on-road handling and driving dynamics, but it's also an attempt to eliminate any need for the automaker to apologize for the X5's limited cargo space and restricted off-road capabilities. Regardless, consumers don't seem to mind, as they've been snatching up the SAV since its introduction in 1999.

BMW delivers the goods with three capable gasoline-fed engines, including a new 555-hp twin-turbocharged X5M, that keeps the ute's fun-to-drive factor higher than nearly every SUV on the road. So with on-road performance such a high priority, why has BMW decided to fit the 335d's 3.0-liter turbodiesel into its biggest SUV? More to the point, how does the fuel-efficient oil-burner fit into the mix and does it affect drivability and performance in the process? All that and more after the jump.

Gallery: Review: 2009 BMW X5 xDrive35d

Continue reading Review: 2009 BMW X5 xDrive35d delivers obsolescence to gasoline-powered sibling

Review: 2009 BMW X5 xDrive35d delivers obsolescence to gasoline-powered sibling originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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