RE: PH Fleet Update: C63 AMG Estate:

RE: PH Fleet Update: C63 AMG Estate:

Monday 18th April 2011

PH Fleet Update: C63 AMG Estate

Practical performance. Our (very) fast estate car starts to earn its keep



Since our C63 AMG estate joined the PH fleet a couple of months back, I've only been using roughly half its potential. By which I mean the load area has yet to be soiled by a pair of grubby dogs, and - apart from the luggage for Riggers' Geneva trip - hasn't seen much more action than supermarket shopping bags and the project bicycle.


There was a pukka M-B doggie guard installed when the car arrived, but the newness still hasn't really worn off and I haven't been able to bring myself to let our otherwise pampered pooches enjoy the rush of adrenaline you get from unleashing (geddit?) 487hp of AMG goodness through the C63's rear tyres. Anyway, enough humans seem to want to dribble over the car as it is, although pleasingly that's usually just in a metaphorical sense.

But now the sailing season has started, which means the C63's more practical nature is coming to the fore. So the welded-mesh dog barrier has come out, and the seats have been folded to make way for the amazing amount of paraphernalia required to go to sea in a small boat.


To be honest, I don't know whether the regular C class estate is a leader in the practicality stakes - I suspect not, given its rakish rear window and tumblehome. But you can get a damn sight more inside it than a Porsche 911, and there's something oddly rewarding about thrumming up and down the motorway in the er, fast lane, laden to the gunwales with kit and caboodle. (Hopefully this might also explain the old Renault Master van I just 'won' on eBay...)

In fully-laden configuration the C63 is occasionally less rewarding off the motorway, as the sound of an outboard motor sliding around in the boot tends to distract from the pleasure of taking the outside line around slower traffic in roundabouts. Then again it does encourage straight-lining corners when conditions allow. There is an impressive array of straps and shackles under the boot floor (the optional £175 load securing kit) which would probably help in all sorts of meaningful ways, but I haven't worked out where any of it goes yet. And anyway, once the boot is loaded you can't get at it...


Still, it's nice to be able to use the estate as AMG intended. PH colleague Garlick is often heard to muse that 'everyone likes a girl who's sporty and accommodating', and thanks to the C63 it's easy to see what he's getting at. Under different circumstances 'she' could even be a keeper!

Author
Discussion

tom felty

Original Poster:

692 posts

162 months

Monday 18th April 2011
quotequote all
i have always loved these they are really quick and generally want one

hurststeve

101 posts

198 months

Monday 18th April 2011
quotequote all
"tumblehome"? Nice. I had to look that up. Very boaty.

tony h

2,703 posts

245 months

Monday 18th April 2011
quotequote all
did i see you on a3 yday?

CliveM

525 posts

184 months

Monday 18th April 2011
quotequote all
hurststeve said:
"tumblehome"? Nice. I had to look that up. Very boaty.
Ditto smile

rob.e

2,861 posts

277 months

Monday 18th April 2011
quotequote all
"gunwales"

..ahh - I see what you did there!

wink

PhantomPH

4,043 posts

224 months

Monday 18th April 2011
quotequote all
How does being fully laden kill your MPG?

I load my diesel Freelander2 up with a band PA each weekend and with all the extra weight (even driving like a granny) my MPG visibly drops like a stone. The 'estimated range' on the dash tumbles.

I can't imagine the AMG being the most frugal at the best of times, but I bet when fully loaded and off the motorway, you will be doing well to see mid-teens?

P~

Mermaid

21,492 posts

170 months

Monday 18th April 2011
quotequote all
Nice looking wagon.

Chris-R

756 posts

186 months

Monday 18th April 2011
quotequote all
PhantomPH said:
How does being fully laden kill your MPG?

I load my diesel Freelander2 up with a band PA each weekend and with all the extra weight (even driving like a granny) my MPG visibly drops like a stone. The 'estimated range' on the dash tumbles.

I can't imagine the AMG being the most frugal at the best of times, but I bet when fully loaded and off the motorway, you will be doing well to see mid-teens?

P~
I've stopped looking... smile

Actually, it doesn't seem to make much difference - I'm still getting 18 to 22 depending on conditions but my driving style varies so much it's hard to compute. (I spend a lot of time wafting, interspersed with occasional bouts of full-on 'Mr Toad'.)

dave stew

1,502 posts

166 months

Monday 18th April 2011
quotequote all
I clocked you parked up in Southwell yesterday afternoon in the High Street. Nice looking car!

Gizmo!

18,150 posts

208 months

Monday 18th April 2011
quotequote all
I can't help thinking that with the price of petrol ever rising, we have to enjoy these bonkers cars while they last.

There will still be fast cars of course, but a 6.2 V8 in a family estate? I still can't quite get my head around it... woohoo

And they say the Germans have no sense of humour.

sleep envy

62,260 posts

248 months

Monday 18th April 2011
quotequote all
Gizmo! said:
There will still be fast cars of course, but a 6.2 V8 in a family estate? I still can't quite get my head around it... woohoo

And they say the Germans have no sense of humour.
that's what the 6.3 badges on it are for

PhantomPH

4,043 posts

224 months

Monday 18th April 2011
quotequote all
Chris-R said:
PhantomPH said:
How does being fully laden kill your MPG?

I load my diesel Freelander2 up with a band PA each weekend and with all the extra weight (even driving like a granny) my MPG visibly drops like a stone. The 'estimated range' on the dash tumbles.

I can't imagine the AMG being the most frugal at the best of times, but I bet when fully loaded and off the motorway, you will be doing well to see mid-teens?

P~
I've stopped looking... smile

Actually, it doesn't seem to make much difference - I'm still getting 18 to 22 depending on conditions but my driving style varies so much it's hard to compute. (I spend a lot of time wafting, interspersed with occasional bouts of full-on 'Mr Toad'.)
Ahhh, the 'head in the sand' approach. Think I need to try that as it's definitely a wise option. biggrin

Great car. :thumbsup:


pSyCoSiS

3,581 posts

204 months

Monday 18th April 2011
quotequote all
Who said bonkers cars can't be practical?!

I love these quick estates, and this car is simply stunning.

anything fast

983 posts

163 months

Monday 18th April 2011
quotequote all
pSyCoSiS said:
Who said bonkers cars can't be practical?!

I love these quick estates, and this car is simply stunning.
+1
gets my vote everyday of the week over any other superfast estates esp the Audi's...

Chris-R

756 posts

186 months

Monday 18th April 2011
quotequote all
anything fast said:
+1
gets my vote everyday of the week over any other superfast estates esp the Audi's...
+2
Audi er, schmaudi...

Mermaid

21,492 posts

170 months

Monday 18th April 2011
quotequote all
Chris-R said:
+2
Audi er, schmaudi...
Audi ruled the HPE roost for a while, now MB has caught up and passed them...

angusc43

11,435 posts

207 months

Monday 18th April 2011
quotequote all
Gizmo! said:
I can't help thinking that with the price of petrol ever rising, we have to enjoy these bonkers cars while they last.

There will still be fast cars of course, but a 6.2 V8 in a family estate? I still can't quite get my head around it... woohoo

And they say the Germans have no sense of humour.
It all helps when I'm buying my cars. "But, darling, it's the economy 5.0 V8. It's only got 310 bhp. The replacement one has 385bhp. And the supercharged one had 450. And the one after that is a 6.2L. etc".

fluffnik

20,156 posts

226 months

Monday 18th April 2011
quotequote all
Mermaid said:
Audi ruled the HPE roost for a while, now MB has caught up and passed them...
>ahem<


Mermaid

21,492 posts

170 months

Monday 18th April 2011
quotequote all
fluffnik said:
Mermaid said:
Audi ruled the HPE roost for a while, now MB has caught up and passed them...
>ahem<

I do like that, but it's an extremely rare beast - less than a 100?

More than a 1000 RS4's & hundreds of RS6's

tomvcarter

1,087 posts

192 months

Monday 18th April 2011
quotequote all
I have had mine tuned by Kleemann to 555bhp, and it now does 0-60 in 4.1... But 50-150 takes about the same!!! Mental car, mental sound. Eats 911s.