Random Car Wednesday: 2014 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG S Wagon

I have a soft spot for German performance divisions. Audi's RS lineup, BMW's M Division, and especially Mercedes-Benz's AMG. I also like station wagons. Thus, today's RCW is the best of both worlds. Seen in the parking lot just outside the Roundup, this handsome machine is the 2014 Mercedes Benz E63 AMG S Wagon. That's a lot of nomenclature, so let's condense it to this: A very fast luxury wagon. Fast isn't a relative term, either. This car packs 577 horsepower, and 590 pound-feet of torque. This means you can do 0 to 60 in 3.4 seconds. In a wagon, no less. A five-passenger vehicle with a huge trunk space for groceries or sporting equipment or perhaps extra gasoline. All that performance comes from a twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 32-valve V8 with an aluminum block and heads, plus direct fuel injection. AMG really gave this one a once-over. The transmission is a seven-speed automatic, but there's an option to shift manually built in. Find yourself a particularly straight stretch of tarmac and you'll find the E63 AMG has a electronically-limited top speed of 174 mph. That's impressive when you consider this thing weighs close to 5,000 pounds. Naturally, a car like this has some setbacks. Fuel economy is pitiful at best, and the price is staggering. The base price is about $103,000, but options drive the price up higher still. Not for the common man, is it? Nevertheless, it's a devilishly attractive machine with an incredible performance profile. This particular car is a rather nice gunmetal blue that I find quite enticing. Not many people can buy a car like this, but everybody should admire it. It's simply wonderful.

2014 Mercedes Benz E63 AMG S Wagon