To put it politely, the question is this: Has Mercedes-Benz finally learned that power alone is not enough? For years now, M-B’s celebrated AMG division has been turning out exciting cars with outputs to match their breathtaking price tags. Big, bold and brassy, there is no doubting their sheer firepower. But while they have all boasted incredible straight-line speed, they have tended to lack an intimacy that would set them apart from the competition.
The new C63 is meant to change all that. It has been engineered in a program that its director of development, Tobias Moers, promises will challenge BMW’s new M3 for outright driver appeal. “We have left no stone unturned in efforts to provide our new car the necessary qualities to lift it above the competition,” he says, adding that the C63 has more development miles than any other car in AMG’s 40-year history.
“It was the one thing I really pushed hard to incorporate into the car from the beginning,” says Moers. “It is essential our customers can choose to use every last bit of their cars’ performance.”
The appropriate word here is choose, because as well as being able to turn off the ESP, there is also a special sport mode that sees it continue to operate in the background but at a newly developed threshold that permits you to tease the rear end out without prematurely robbing power from the engine and applying the brakes.
So the C63 is unshackled. The question is, does it make any difference? Oh, yeah. With this car, AMG has achieved a tremendous balance between power and poise. As well as being seriously fast, it also responds intuitively to your actions. Modifications to the third-generation C-Class’ rear-wheel-drive chassis deliver the sort of confidence-inspiring feedback over winding roads that soon prompts you to make the most of the switchable ESP. We can’t remember a more entertaining, more dynamically rounded Mercedes model since the original 190 2.5 Evo.
It starts, as always, with the engine. Out goes the old 5.4-liter V8, its place taken by AMG’s latest 6.2-liter V8. The engine is mounted a half-inch farther back than the regular C-Class engines. The complete front-end structure has been redesigned around a series of radiators—a total of six crammed in on top of each other behind the front-end bodywork where they compete for air fed through liberal openings. (Note to self: Keep the expensive- looking nose away from guardrails.)
The big V8 kicks out 457 hp at 6700 rpm along with a tumultuous 442 lb-ft at 5000 rpm. Central among the chassis changes is the adoption of the front axle from the CLK63 Black Series. Up in length by 1.3 inches over the standard C-Class and boasting redesigned wheel bearings, it adds true precision to the steering, imbuing the C63 with sharper turn-in and greater feedback than any other AMG model.
The suspension, a four-link front and five-link rear arrangement, is related in principle to the standard C-Class but uses more aluminum to keep unsprung weight down. It supports 18-inch wheels shod with 245/40 front and 255/35 rear Pirelli P-Zero Corsa tires.
The changes continue inside, with contoured sport seats offering electronic cushion adjustments, a terrific flat-bottomed steering wheel with remote shift paddles for the C63’s seven-speed automatic gearbox and new instrument graphics.
Fire the ignition, still activated via an electronic key rather than a starter button favored by some rivals. Ba-ba-ba . . . boom! The engine draws breath before erupting to life with a deep bellow through the exhausts, extinguishing any remaining doubts you might have had about AMG’s mission with the C63. Dial in the manual mode for the gearbox via a button on the center console, draw the stubby shift lever back to engage drive and ease away smartly with a determined stab of the throttle and the sound of rubber straining against the pavement.
The relentless acceleration is as mind-blowing as the epic exhaust note. Mercedes-Benz claims 0 to 62 mph in just 4.5 seconds. That’s 0.3-second inside the time BMW quotes for the new M3 and becomes all the more impressive when you realize you are hauling 3650 pounds. Top speed is nominally capped at 155 mph, however, customers who specify the C63’s optional performance package receive a remapped ECU that extends it to a rather more fitting 174 mph. “It’s geared to do more . . . much more,” says Moers, “but we’ve got to consider the stresses being placed on the tires.”
So it is no lightweight, but it has legs. Having seven gears to divvy up the power helps, of course. Even so, sixth and seventh are heavily overdriven to ensure fuel consumption remains semi-sane.
We won’t see the C63 on these shores until next spring, and prices haven’t been set. We can’t emphasize enough just how much more invigorating AMG’s latest performance hero is to drive. It operates on a much higher level than its predecessor, in terms of performance and overall dynamic prowess. With the M3 waiting in the wings, the scene is now set for a battle royal.
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