As the year comes to a close, Bloomberg's Jason Harper sizes up the vehicles he's driven in the past 12 months and chose Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG as Best Executive Sedan in his first ever Car of the Year Awards selection.
As Bloomberg's weekly auto columnist, Harper drove over 100 cars and classified them among seven categories in all, including Car of the Year, Green Car, Economy, All-Around SUV, Sports Car and Executive Sedan. Consideration for selection is a vehicle must be new or significantly revised for model year 2010, and be on sale by the first quarter of 2010. His evaluations of vehicles cover overall performance, intelligent design and smart style, desirability and build quality.
According to Harper's Bloomberg article on December 10th, 2009, the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG rules. He notes the vehicle retains classic E-Class elements such as the upright Mercedes badge, supple ride and ample rear seat, while shedding stodginess with new-age technology like a "drowsiness detector" and headlamps which automatically dim.
The new E63 AMG distinguishes itself from the standard Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedans with a newly developed adaptive AMG sport suspension system with electronically controlled damping, revised front suspension and unique exterior and interior design.
The AMG 6.3-liter V8-engine in the new E63 AMG develops an output of 518 hp and a 465 lb-ft of torque, matching the outstanding figures for the SL63 AMG. The high-performance Roadster has also transferred its AMG SPEEDSHIFT MCT 7-speed sports transmission to the new model.
The finalists in the Best Executive Sedan category are the BMW 7-Series and the Jaguar XFR.
On sale since November 2009, the 2010 E63 AMG MSRP is $85,750.
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