The upcoming new Mercedes-AMG E63 performance car will feature 4Matic four-wheel drive as standard. It will also have a newly developed Drift Mode function as part of a series of features aimed at ensuring it retains the traditional rear-wheel-drive handling characteristics of its predecessor, as confirmed by company chairman Tobias Moers.

Set to make its world debut at the Detroit motor show in early January, the new Mercedes-AMG E63 will receive a four-wheel drive system as standard for the first time, consigning the rear-wheel-drive layout used by earlier incarnations to the history books. The fully variable setup, which is capable of apportioning up to 100 percent of drive to the back wheels, has been developed. According to Moers, this setup will provide a distinctive rear-wheel drive bias that will see the new E63 continue to offer power oversteer traits despite the move to four-wheel drive across the model range.

“It is a four-wheel drive and we’re going to have a Drift Mode,” Moers revealed to our sister publication Autocar UK at the unveiling of the new Mercedes-AMG GT Roadster and GT C Roadster at the Paris motor show. The AMG chairman confirmed a program included in the E63’s standard electronic stability control system, which provides added torque to the rearward bias of drive to create a slide, will be called Drift Mode. The combination of 4Matic four-wheel drive and Drift Mode, is claimed to elevate the handling of the E63 to a new level. He added, “It’s faster on the (Nürburgring) Nordschleife than ever,” said Moers. “It’s going to be under 7min 50sec [when fitted with] the standard tyres.”

The previous E63 was offered with the choice of either rear- or four-wheel drive. Moers also hinted at least one version of the new E63 line-up will offer more than 608hp. “It’s going to be below and above 608hp,” he said, indicating the new Audi RS6 and BMW M5 rival will follow the lead of other recent AMG models by offering two different states of tune for its new twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 petrol engine. Moers claims a 0-100kph time of “three-point-something” seconds for the new four-door AMG model, which will launch internationally sometime in mid-2017. “It’s the biggest step we’ve ever made with the E-class,” said Moers.

Despite the focus of performance, Moers rules out an R version of the E63, “The R is dedicated for GT. There is no intention to use it for the E63.”