With BMW's new M5 waiting in the wings, Mercedes-Benz has shown its answer in the latest incarnation of the E63 at the New York Motor Show last week.
Under that bonnet sits the carmaker's 5.5-litre twin-turbo V8 - the same engine powering the new CL63 AMG. It replaces the previous 6.2-litre naturally-aspirated V8, and according to Merc in standard guise makes the same 386kW as before.
But order the Performance Pack and you're in for a whopping 410kW and a claimed 0-100km/h sprint time of 4.2 seconds. Add on the drivers package and top-end goes from 250 to 300km/h.
The new engine is also lighter on fuel with a claimed consumption figure of 9.8l/100km.