Fast, robust, spacious and beautiful. I could finish right there about what makes the Mercedes E63 such a gem of a machine, but there is more. This delight in German engineering has everything you could ever desire in a load lugging estate car. There’s room for 7 people with the added rear facing pair of seats, and if these aren’t required, and with the main rear seats folded, you have a load space comparable to the hold of cruise ship. I think I may have mentioned that it’s fast too with the lusty 6.3 litre V8 pushing its 507 hp through a 7 speed Tiptronic gearbox. And there’s the noise that the 6.3 creates when it’s on song, you would buy it for that alone.

You only have to look around this glorious thing to realise that it has been well cared for during its life. Shiny black paintwork and a black leather interior doesn’t hide misuse well and there is certainly no tell-tale evidence that it has been anything other than cherished from day one. There are some previous invoices showing some history and there are a selection of past MOT certificates displaying the mileage undertaken.

The cabin on any Mercedes is a nice place to be, but in this AMG version it is especially nice. Leather body hugging front seats will keep you both comfy and secure. They are heated and air cooled at the front with electric memory adjustment, even the rear seats are heated. To maximise passenger capacity, a pair of rear facing seats can be deployed.

They do compromise luggage space but a real boon for family excursions. The seats still look good and only possess a modest amount of wear but seem to be free of burns or tears. All the instruments are clear and the LCD displays are bright. There’s a nice stereo upgrade from the factory in the form of a 12 speaker Harman Kardon system that incorporates a DVD/TV facility. The door cards hold the seat adjustment controls and both are clean with only minor entry marks.

If you want a car that exudes class and style it almost certainly needs to be black and shiny, and this one certainly is. Add glossy metallic black paint to a V8 powered Mercedes and you have the perfect recipe for a quality Executive vehicle. The paintwork still possesses a deep gloss finish despite being 16 years old. After all gloss black will display any defects easily and yet this car is reassuringly free of any obvious damage.

The wheels are factory fit 18inch AMG badged alloys which are all in good condition with only minor lacquer blistering. The passenger front is the only wheel displaying obvious kerb damage. The headlamps and light clusters are all bright and clear as is all the glass. The car has not been raised for inspection, but the photographs obtained at ground level appear to show the underside free from damage and the plastic guards still in place.

The incredible 500 bhp V8 in this low flying Executive machine coupled to the 7 speed semi-automatic gearbox can certainly push this car to some impressive speeds. So, with impressive speed comes the need for impressive brakes and this Merc has been blessed with a set of Carbon Metallic brakes from AMG which can bring things to a halt far quicker than standard. It’s comfortable too with AMG’s automatically controlled air-suspension arrangement that keeps things on an even keel when cornering, or just to iron out those bumps to give a surprisingly cosseted ride. A regular service schedule has kept things working well and a host of invoices show it has wanted for little over the years.

In short, this AMG Estate has everything for everyone and anyone. It has grace and poise as an Executive machine, it has space and luggage room for a family, it can comfortably cover the miles and waft along with effortless ease or can be given a little more right foot for a more than spirited drive. It is just one of those outstanding machines to come out of Germany. Yes, it may be 16 years old and there are newer versions available, but everything works, and it looks absolutely fabulous and sounds even better. Did I happen to mention that it’s fast as well? Yes, I’m sure I did.

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