Mercedes

Mercedes

has announced that the 6.2-liter V8, as seen in this 2010 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG, will be dropped in late 2010. In its place will be a twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter V8. The same thing's happening to the BMW M5, which is slated to lose its 5.0-liter V10 also in favor of a twin-turbo V8.

So 2010 is a special year for performance sedans

, and especially so for the E63 AMG, which is hot off a redesign and destined to become collectible. It's also hugely expensive in Benz tradition, with an MSRP of $86,625 that balloons to six figures with shocking ease. But you get what you pay for, right?

Then again, you could get into a Cadillac CTS-V for thousands of dollars less. You'd still get a 6.2-liter V8, albeit with pushrods and a supercharger, and you'd come away with even more horsepower and torque in a rear-drive midsize sedan of similar weight. No, you wouldn't enjoy the prestige and out-and-out refinement of a Mercedes, but this is IL Track Tested so we aren't smelling the leather or