It is encouraging to see cars like the 2014 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG S-Model 4Matic Wagon make it to production. This is a car so excessive, so utterly unnecessary, so counter to the pervasive focus on fuel economy, that its mere existence is a surprise.  No one needs a station wagon that goes 186 miles per hour. People buy wagons to haul kids and sporting gear. Not to drag race. Yet here it is, and what a beauty.  The E63 AMG S-Model 4Matic Wagon, which Mercedes unveiled at the Detroit auto show, might have a clunky name only an automaker could love. But the car itself is the perfect antidote to millions of boring appliances rolling down the road, a reminder that life is to be enjoyed.  In Pictures: The 2014 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG S-Model 4Matic Wagon  Think about it: This is a station wagon that can best many sports cars. Its specs are mind-blowing: 577 horsepower, 590 pound-feet of torque, 0 to 60 miles per hour in 3.6 seconds. That’s more power than a Ferrari 458 Italia and Porsche 911 Turbo S.  For a large hauler to do such things would be inconceivable a few decades ago, considering how U.S. station wagons, with their faux wood paneling and gangly proportions, were basically ridiculed out of existence.  AMG, the performance division of Mercedes, is adding the S-Model as a new line. The first S-Models are being introduced with its 2014 E63, which goes on sale this summer. Eventually other AMG vehicles will get S-Models too, though not all of them.  In terms of hierarchy, the S-Model ranks just below the top Black Series line, which is the most exclusive that AMG offers and is only available on a few select models. (Read a review of the C63 AMG Black Series here.)  Demand from buyers for fully loaded cars prompted the decision to add the S-Model specifically for them, says Ola Kallenius, the chairman of AMG, during a one-on-one interview at the Detroit auto show. Essentially it replaces the former AMG Performance Package.  “You could in the past buy a whole range of performance-enhancing options, and the take-up rate on these was so good that we decided, ‘Why don’t we create in our performance hierarchy almost like another class?’” Kallenius says. “The E-Class starts a new era in that sense.”  The S-Model line offers more power and subtle visual changes, such as unique wheels and a special AMG logo that incorporates an “S.”  The E63 AMG S-Model, available as both sedan and wagon, has 27 more horsepower and 59 pound-feet more torque than the base E63 AMG, which only comes as a sedan in the United States.  The 2014 E63 AMG S-Model comes as a sedan or wagon. These new additions to the E-Class, announced at the Detroit auto show, go on sale in the summer. (Credit: Mercedes-Benz)  The S-Models also get a limited-slip rear differential to provide better traction when accelerating out of turns.  On the outside, 10-spoke matte gray wheels, high-gloss black trim, and red brake calipers help distinguish the S-Model from the base E63 AMG. The differences in the S-Model interior include contrast stitching, silver seat belts and faux-suede Alcantara on the steering wheel.
What do you get when you meld a station wagon with a sports car? Mercedes-Benz is ready to show you, with the launch of its new souped-up, fully loaded S-Model line.