You activate Drift mode in the new 603-horsepower Mercedes-AMG E63 S 4Matic+ by tapping the dynamic toggle switch to Race mode, turning all the electronic no-fun nets off, placing the transmission in manual mode, and finally pulling both paddle shifters toward you. Supposedly, a prompt then appears and asks if you really and truly, no jokingly want to electromechanically decouple the driveshaft that powers the front differential. I say “supposedly” because Drift mode was disabled in all three of the latest descendants of the original Hammer I drove on the launch of the new AMG E63 around Faro, Portugal.

I should clarify—I drove them on the street. The two examples of the bruising sedan I played with on Portimão’s superlative Autodromo Algarve International Circuit did in fact have Drift mode intact, just like American customer versions will have when the W213 E63 S goes on sale sometime in the summer of 2017 as a 2018 model. The thing is, the red misty mental space of a racetrack seemed like the wrong place to experiment with a feature AMG wouldn’t even let us attempt in public. Why no Drift mode? AMG needed to get around 100 journalists from all over the world testing the cars within a couple of weeks. They couldn’t lose any cars. Do I like the excuse? No. Do I understand it? Sure. How is the new E63, then, sans Drift mode?

I’ll start with the engine because like with all AMGs, that’s the heart of the matter. American buyers won’t be offered the 563-horsepower, 553-lb-ft of torque non-S kiddie version; instead, every U.S.-spec E63 model will be the fully mental 603-horsepower, 627-lb-ft of torque S variant with AMG’s now-ubiquitous 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8, known internally as the M177. For E63 duty, both power and torque are up in part because the comically named “hot inner V” turbos are now twin-scroll turbochargers. In addition to the twin-scrollers, the engine packs new pistons, a new intake manifold, new intercoolers, and updated software. AMG also throws a bone to fuel efficiency; it’s the first time a variant of this engine is available with cylinder deactivation. In Comfort mode only, of course.

A new nine-speed transmission known as the AMG Speedshift MCT is bolted to the potent V-8. Fans of the previous E63 will note that the old transmission was a seven-speed MCT. That MCT stands for multiclutch technology even though there’s actually only one traditional clutch. There is, however, a wet clutch that replaces the torque converter. AMG claims that the new nine-speed gearbox is a touch lighter than the seven-speed one it replaces. The transmission sends power to two output shafts, as all E63s are all-wheel drive. The last E63 we got was also AWD, but it had a fixed torque split with 33 percent to front axle and 67 percent to the rear. The new E63’s torque split is continuously variable depending on what the car needs, hence the somewhat clumsy descriptor, 4Matic+. To illustrate this, we saw a video of an E63 lapping the Algarve circuit with a graphic showing the front-to-rear torque split. Through corners where traction was needed, the torque split was 50/50. By the end of the front straight, 100 percent of the power was being fed to the rear wheels. The front wheels never get more than 50 percent of the power.

I only got to experience the E63 S 4Matic+, which may become the sales leader in the U.S. From here on out, we’ll only be thinking about the S version. The evaluation cars were shod in sticky Pirelli P Zero rubber, 265/35R20 front, 295/30R20 rear. Track is also wider on both axles compared to the standard E-Class. Launch control is Porsche-simple: Push the brake pedal to the floor in Sport, Sport+, or Race modes, bury the throttle, and release the brake. The car is off like a projectile from a main gun. AMG is quoting 0–60 mph in 3.3 seconds for the E63 S (3.4 for the slower version), and their estimate is conservative. The last-generation E63 S we tested in 2014 produced 577 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque, made 60 mph in 3.4 seconds, and ran to the end of a quarter mile from a dead stop in 11.6 seconds at 121.8 mph. It also weighed 4,511 pounds. AMG says that the new car weighs about the same (I’d guess another 100 or so pounds heavier), but the seat of my pants is telling me that the extra power, grip, pop from the new transmission, and smart AWD system will allow the new car to shatter the old E63’s records.