2021 Mercedes-AMG E 63 S gets visual update and not much else

With the 2021 Mercedes-Benz E-Class getting a mid-cycle refresh, it’s only natural it would extend to the highest-performance Mercedes-AMG E 63 S in sedan and wagon form. The model year update is effectively just a visual refresh with mechanical and technology features unchanged.

At the front, the sedan and wagon share a more aggressive fascia with a main grille that opens up more at the bottom. The headlights are lower and wider at the bottom edge, too to accentuate the aggressive look. The lower outboard grilles have been opened up more for additional cooling capability, though Mercedes didn’t put a number on how much more cooling they provide.

The tail of the E 63 S is only really changed on the sedan. It gets the thinner, wider taillights of the other sedans that stretch into the trunk lid. These help it match the wagon, which always had taillights of that design. The wagon does get new internal lighting elements, though.

The inside of the E 63 S is also pretty much unchanged except for a new steering wheel with three sets of two spokes. There’s a new black and “titanium” leather upholstery option for the interior, and three new paint colors are available: Graphite Grey, Cirrus Silver and Brilliant Blue, the latter of which is matte.

Mechanically, the E 63 S continues to use a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 making 603 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque, which is less powerful than the BMW M5 Competition, but provides more torque. It does top both the Audi RS 6 Avant’s power and torque. It’s coupled to a nine-speed automatic and an all-wheel-drive system that can operate in fully rear-wheel-drive mode. It has adaptive air suspension as standard and an electronically controlled mechanical limited-slip differential.

Pricing hasn’t been announced for the E 63 S. We expect it will be close to the current sedan’s base price of around $108,000 and the current wagon’s base price of about $112,000. Both versions go on sale later this year.

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