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| Aussie C63 Rvw #3
This review has me thiking I may have been a bit hasty w/ the premature decision on an E90 M3 over the W204 C63... afterall, the Benz does have the better steering. Who would have guessed???  Quote:
Jumbo jets take off at 250km/h, but at the same speed the new Mercedes-Benz sports sedan, the C63 AMG, feels anchored to the road.
We got to find out first-hand just how quick the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG was on the speed-unlimited autobahns of Germany last week, ahead of the car’s arrival in Australian showrooms in March 2008.
The Mercedes C63 AMG reached maximum velocity twice. And both times the built-in speed-limiter wouldn’t allow us to go beyond the indicated 254km/h on the digital speed readout.
Like all Mercedes passenger cars the C63 AMG is limited to 250km/h – unless you ask for the performance pack which, we’re told, unleashes more power and a top speed in excess of 300km/h.
But 254km/h was certainly enough to sample the potential of this amazing car.
In fact, what’s more incredible about the C63 AMG is how quickly it reaches its top speed. It can accelerate from rest to 100km/h in 4.5 seconds – that’s faster than a Porsche 911.
Not only is the C63 AMG seriously quick, we reckon it’s the fastest car for the money.
Pricing for the Mercedes C63 AMG is yet to be confirmed, but expect the new model to cost about $160,000 – the same as its predecessor.
And to think the C63 AMG starts life as a small executive sedan. Based on the new C-Class, the C63 is prepared by Mercedes-Benz’s fast-car division, AMG.
It is powered by a 6.2-litre V8 (yes, we know the badge says “63” but it’s actually a 6.2-litre) mated to a seven-speed automatic transmission.
It has an incredible 336kW of power and 600Nm of torque. Car spotters among us will have noticed that these numbers are lower than the output from the exact same engine in the C63’s bigger brother, the E63 AMG, which has more grunt (378kW and 630Nm).
There are a few reasons for this. The C-Class is smaller and lighter, so arguably doesn’t need as much power. The air intake on the C-Class is slightly smaller than it is on an E-Class. Sucking more air translates to more power.
AMG officials at last week’s C63 AMG launch in Frankfurt also admitted they didn’t want to give the C63 too much power straight away.
“We knew how much power Audi had with the RS4 and where BMW was heading with the M3,” said Volker Mornhinweg, the executive director of AMG. “The beauty of this engine is that we can adjust the power as we need it.”
So it has 336kW – for now. “We already have 50 per cent more torque than the BMW M3 engine, so we didn’t need to give our car too much.”
Unlike previous AMG cars, which can feel quite heavy over the front wheels, the C63 feels much more balanced and better suited to corners than its predecessors.
AMG cars have a reputation for being a bullet in a straight line but can be a little unwieldy in corners. This criticism appears to have been addressed with the new model.
When BMW launched the new M3 it hired a race track to demonstrate that car’s awesome potential. Mercedes, on the other hand, chose a location in close proximity to an autobahn, and some winding mountain roads.
It’s a subtle but significant difference. Most cars turn to muck on a race track, but after sampling the C63 we reckon Mercedes should not have been so shy.
The steering, brakes and balance of the overall car are significant improvements over previous AMGs, and yet there is still a strong emphasis on comfort.
The sound of the C63 has to be heard to be believed. It has a deep, V8 rumble that only the Germans seem to know how to perfect. There is even a discreet “blip” sound from the throttle on downchanges (the gears can be manually selected via levers behind the steering wheel). The sound is so addictive you find yourself changing gears unnecessarily – or driving in fourth gear when seventh would easily do.
Incredibly it meets noise and emissions regulations. Hallelujah.
For hardcore enthusiasts, there is a sport pack option that includes F1-style carbon-ceramic brakes and a limited-slip differential (which improves tractability in tight corners).
All Australia-bound cars will come well-equipped with leather sports seats, dual front, side and curtain airbags and stability control. Standard wheels are tyres are 18-inch, but there is a 19-inch option.
Significantly, on this AMG the stability control can be switched off completely.
Previously the sensitivity of the system was blunted but it was never turned off completely. Now, you’re on your own, if you so desire.
We weren’t game to try it, but a colleague certainly put the system to the test from a standing start. There are now two black lines on a road outside a small town in Germany to prove the system can be disabled.
So, how does the C63 compare with the new BMW M3?
Although we’ve driven both cars about a month apart on foreign roads, that’s a question we won’t be able to answer for certain until early next year when we do a back-to-back test on home turf.
Previously, BMW versus Mercedes performance-car tests ended predictably: the BMW was better around corners and the Mercedes had more straight-line grunt.
The new Mercedes C63 AMG is so impressive that, when these cars do eventually meet on Australian soil next year, we reckon the outcome of a back-to-back test won’t be so clear cut.
For Mercedes, it seems, has finally delivered a car with enormous grunt that can also go around corners.
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09-29-2007, 12:10 AM
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