Mercedes management has finally decided to drop one of the most ill-conceived cars of the decade, the utterly useless R63 AMG. The decision was a no-brainer for the execs, who realized that customers were mainly buying the R-class for its space and comfort, not those after a pseudo sports car/minivan/SUV/whatever. Performance orientated buyers after a roomy vehicle were sticking with the ML63, reports
Autoblog.nl.
The R-class recently came in for a facelift with a new range of smaller engines joining the refreshed lineup. The range now starts with the R280 petrol and R280 CDI models, but still tops out with a high-performance R500 model packing a 388hp 5.5L V8 engine.
The R63 AMG was originally introduced at the 2006 Detroit Auto Show, packing AMG’s hand-built 503hp 6.2L V8 engine. Mercedes was criticized for equipping a people-mover with its awesome AMG powerplant, but the car remained on sale until the R-class model received its facelift earlier this year.
Motor Authority » Mercedes-Benz dropping the R63 AMG