I absolutely consider myself a die hard BMW fan, but have to say MB/AMG have put together what seems initially to be something rather special. That being said, if I had the fortune of needing to pick between the this and the E9x M3, it would be a tough decision. Sorry RS4/5 fans, drove the RS4 and its wonderful, but AWD just kills everyday driving fun for me, even with the 60:40 split. Nothing like takin a quick corner and slidin the tail around and fish tailin a lil bit (tire companies love me ). There are things I love about both the M and this new C63 from what I've seen, and some not so much.

Immediate initial turn off for me on the C is the transmission. Yes I know autos are getting better and better, but I just find stick to be so much more engaging. A true automated manual gearbox a la Ferrari may have been a good choice as well. The new autos and various dual clutch jobs are actually too good at what they do now. Way too smooth. I like that feeling of raw connection to my car. Its like we're working together. Nothing like chirping those tires as you roll through the gears. If I could make the following analogy between transmissions:

Auto trannys in this level of car are like making love to your long time wife/husband, or whatever. Smooth, predictable and ultimately satisfying. Manuals are more like mile-high club with the hottie you just met sitting in 4A, you both can't fall asleep and there's still 6 hours before you land in wherever.

quote from article: "And it’s no coincidence that our first drive in one has come along just days before we get our first go in a new, V8-powered BMW M3. It is, in fact, a statement of serious intent; Stuttgart’s in-house tuner AMG says it’s taken a big step up with the C63... "

"...But there’s no doubt about it; when pushed hard, the C63 reveals a multifaceted purposefulness that poses a real threat to the supremacy of BMW’s performance icon."

This is great news for consumers. As the manufacturers work to raise the bar, we all benefit. Let's just hope our wallets can keep up with their ambitions.

just look at this thing,how does it look bad or overdone.It looks superbly brilliant.

I like the car a lot. but I CANNOT wait to see the M3 and the C63 next to eachother side by side in real life.

I am 100% sure a lot of the M3 haters here will come to their senses again then. Only the hardcore MB fans will keep on hailing the C63 as the next best thing since sliced bread.

The car looks good, but that has a lot to do with photoshopped lighting on it and extremely nice shots of the car, something BMW sure as hell didn't deliver with the press shots of the M3.

In terms of driving, the MB cannot beat the BMW. that is just impossible.

most cars look better in real life than photos so i dont think the C63 will disappoint in real life looks.

it will be 5% better if at all,the C63 will be faster in a straight line,so it evens out.I dont believe there are many drivers out there who can extract that 5% from the M3.

Yeah ......it's not overdone ......but it's not flawless either -- I love the power, I love what I'm reading about its dynamics ....I just can't love its looks -- but I am having trouble loving the styling of all of Mercedes recent cars actually.

For the most part this is true

I find the new front body kit quite "interesting". A nice differentiation from the "predictable AMG front looks".

I'm sorry people, if the M3 sedan had this interior I'm sure there'd be a lot less hating going on!
I believe it's almost to Audi's standards, but not quite!

I'm sure you can get that interior in any trim and color you want,wood,aluminum etc.CarbonFibre i dont think so,that will be for the BS.