Is 518 HP Enough? 2010 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG Fails To Disappoint

Consider that the 2010 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG is nowhere near as quick as the 2010 Porsche Panamera Turbo and you might be disappointed. With four doors and a power figure beginning with the number five, the E63 should be capable of a toe-to-toe showdown with the sedan from Stuttgart, right? But it's not even close, because the Porsche is 0.7 second quicker in the quarter-mile and embarrasses the Benz to 60 mph by a merciless 1.1 seconds.

Porschephiles, however, would do well to rethink their number-loving zealotry for a moment. The Panamera is certainly impressive, but it will never cover itself in glory by means of a big, honkin' powerslide or even a measly burnout — ever. The Porsche, in all its stiff-collared precision, is to tire smoking what Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is to jokes about inflation.

The big Benz, however, is happy to oblige with both powerslides and burnouts. In fact, tire smoking is an AMG specialty, a dynamic ability in brilliant contrast to the otherwise civilized Mercedes-Benz ethos. Accordingly, the E63 will smoke its tires with enough grace to make you forget all about the whipping you'll take on the Internet's numerous bench-racing forums about the Panamera's edge in speed. Plus the E63 AMG is also about $45,000 less costly than the Porsche and it doesn't look like an overstuffed 911, both big perks in the ass-hauling-sedan-for-grown-ups market.

For these reasons and many more, the 2010 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG can never be called a disappointment.

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