Mercedes-AMG South Africa chose the Simola Hillclimb to reveal its trio of all-new sportscars, the CLE53; E53 and GT63 S E Performance Coupe.
For 15 years, tens of thousands of petrolheads have descended upon on the coastal town of Knysna to witness performance cars tackle the 1,9-kilometre stretch of tarmac. It’s the perfect backdrop to showcase a trio of performance cars from Affalterbach, including the most powerful and fastest accelerating production AMG ever made – the mighty Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance Coupé.
The other two sportscars revealed were the E53 and the CLE 53 models, each of which brings a different approach to the performance equation. TopGear SA was lucky enough to be part of the team that drove this trio of cars down to Knysna from Johannesburg, with Mercedes Benz SA opting to also use us and these cars to give their VIP customers a Simola Hillclimb experience, a spirited drive up the hill.
Whilst these cars haven’t officially been launched in South Africa, I’ve had first-hand experience of the E53 and CLE53 both on the long road at leisurely speeds as well as up the hill at full chat. Time wouldn’t allow of me to drive the mad cap AMG GT 63 S E Performance but we’ll bring you a full review of the car at our track in the next few weeks.
The Class Act - E53 HYBRID 4MATIC+
I’ve had the pleasure of driving the E53 almost from brand new, slowly easing the car into its own, running the car in before it got to Simola to be unleashed in all 430kW of fury. Running in this stately saloon means never allowing the revs to climb over 4,000rpm and never running over a top speed of 135km/h. Doing this until the odo touches 1,500kms allows you to consider the E-Class in perhaps its best behaviour. It’s a genuinely smart vehicle, brimming with tech and built within Mercedes' most modern interior architecture. There’s a real measure of sensibility with this car, often leaving you in awe as to why people still choose SUV’s over the saloon options. Nothing rides with the comfort and ease of a well put together saloon.
The E53 is the first new performance E-Class, with the advent of a more powerful E63 on the cards at some point in the near future. This E53 is powered by a hybrid combination of an inline 3.0-litre, turbo petrol mill and a synchronous battery that, together, output a mega 430kW and 750Nm of torque. This output is increased by 20kW when you launch the car in RACE START. The electric motor on the E53 is housed within the 9-Speed transmission and its powered by a 28.6kWh battery pack that is packed below the rear boot floor. Of course, this means the plug-in hybrid model can do some electric mode cruising at speeds of up to 140km/h and it is possible to achieve approximately 100-kilometres in EV mode. Thankfully, the E53 can be charged with both AC and DC chargers.
As an all-out cruiser, the E53 delivers a harder ride than its lesser-powered siblings, yet still within the comfort and luxury you’d expect. NVH levels on the drive down to Knysna were very impressive. As you dial up the performance, the E53 is truly sensational as far as power delivery goes. Because of its weight, it masks its true speed and I was occasionally shocked at how quickly it is able to accelerate without nary a hint of any lag. With rear-axle steering as standard on the car, AMG Speedshift transmission and that wollop of power, the E53 does a good job of hiding its extra kilos. It’s only at the absolute limit of cornering that you will feel the rear become a little unsettled but that takes some doing.
The E53 is an excellent business sportscar. Its technology and creature comforts combine with a really usable and smart powertrain to offer the sort of driving experience envelope that allows you to do almost anything you want. Electric driving, efficient cruising and all out thrashing around a mountain pass, the E53 will do it all in some excellent measure.
And it looks good too, with a well balanced design and proportions with an illuminated grille, power lines on the bonnet and signature Mercedes 3-pointed Star taillights that display a great touch of modern lighting design.
Mercedes-AMG CLE 53 4MATIC+ Coupé
The new CLE 53 4MATIC+ Coupé is the sporty sweet spot between the C-Class and the E-Class. The coupé in this 53 opens entry into the AMG sportscar range with the CLE offering a 48V mild-hybrid assisted powertrain. It uses the same inline 3.0-litre, turbocharged petrol mill as on the E class but without the added battery and e-motor assistance. The 48V system here is used primarly to power the electrical system and to occasionally feed in a brief boost of up to 17kW and 200Nm of torque to the system using a starter generator motor fed by an electric compressor. Overall, power output is 330kW and 560Nm of torque, with an overboost delivering 40Nm more for up to 12-seconds.
The CLE53 is the car that I was privileged to drive up the Simola Hill and so my experience behind the wheel is predominantly in full attack mode. It’s the car that I used to get familiar with the course and it’s the car that I could gradually open up more and more as the runs were repeated. It’s certainly the most usable and dare I say it, ‘normal’ of the trio of cars that Mercedes-AMG revealed. It’s not weighed down by batteries and feels very familiar in terms of the powertrain and layout. Its shorter stance and its overall size means it’s nimble and direct, with an excellent steering and 4MATIC system. Depending on the mode you’re in, the system feeds power between the rear and the front wheels, choosing a more rear-biased approach in Sport+ / Race mode. Given the bumpy surface of the Simola tarmac, I found that the best yield of performance came when all of the modes were in their hardest or most aggressive setting, except that of the suspension which worked best in Comfort or Sport mode. This allowed the CLE to soak up the bumps with less aggression and therefore the car was more settled even at the edge of the grip limit. The CLE is an excellent model in terms of agility and ease of driving quickly. Whatever your thoughts of the power output, the CLE’s ability to put power down must also be commended with a vicious yet intoxicating launch control and a beautifully linear power command and a listening manual transmission should you opt to switch into manual mode and use the paddles behind the wheel. 0 – 100km/h is delivered in 4,2-seconds. How Mercedes-AMG has achieved this is, in part, by increasing boost through larger turbochargers.
CLE53 sits with a widened stance, flared wheel arches, power domes on the bonnet, rear spoiler and quad-tailpipe arrangement and a taut coupe body type. It’s a sexy design with a good mix of being aggressive and classy all in one. It’s certainly the car that turned a lot of heads with so many people up and down the pitlane at Simola commenting on how good it looks.
The Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance
This car is a stunning development in the AMG GT story. It’s the all-new AMG GT hero model(for now) and its numbers, at the very least, should leave your eyes squint. From an AMG-famed 4.0-litre twin turbo V8, this engine is then coupled with an electric drive system that altogether outputs a whopping 600kW and 1,420Nm of torque through a 4MATIC+ smart all-wheel drive system. Top Speeds of 320km/h and a 0 – 100km/h time of 2,8-seconds leave you in no doubt that Mercedes-AMG have thrown a lot into creating this small, ultimate AMG.
I didn’t get the opportunity to drive this car, but it was one of the cars that Mercedes Benz South Africa entered into the production car category at Simola to compete against anything and everything that could be thrown at it. I was able to witness it tackle Simola with a ferocity that was fantastic to behold, and with Clint Weston behind the wheel, the AMG GT 63 S E Performance was crowned the overall winner of Simola’s production cars with a time of 43,174-seconds.
Spending time with the AMG Team, I got to witness, first hand, just how complex this car is. It’s brimming with performance technology that allows you to confirgure and set up the car in no small measure. From how your electric power delivery is fed, through to how your boost is built-up, the AMG GT is a car that allows you to build upon your performance using its own technology to do so. From uploading race track layouts and sectors, it will help you discover where you’re lacking in pace and where you can improve, showing staggering amounts of data and telemetry. I was astounded at how much data you have access to, simply from the onboard system. And that’s just on the telematic data.
Further advancements in tech mean the AMG GT 63 S E Performance also features active underbody aerodynamic systems and AMG’s Active Ride Control, a semi-active stabilisation programme that keeps the heavier body flatter and more stable through corners. Rear wheel steering is also a standard feature on the halo model from AMG and it’s truly a marvel of tech in terms of what is possible for production cars at the moment.
The powertrain layout places the V8 at the front with an electric motor that sits on the rear axle with a two-step transmission. The system also features a four-tier recuperation programme for faster battery recuperation when you’re driving.
It’s an eye-catching design both in an out, and despite its 2-ton+ weight and its immense power, its systems are so intuitive that you can drive it within the confines of what is comfortable and possible at your level.
Expect the official launch of these cars to the South African market within the next few months. Mercedes Benz SA is currently finalising local pricing and packages. We’ll be sure to announce pricing as soon as it becomes available.
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