RE: Mercedes-AMG C63: Driven

RE: Mercedes-AMG C63: Driven

Thursday 26th February 2015

2015 Mercedes-AMG C63 (W205) | Review

AMG makes a 510hp RWD saloon feel an entirely sensible option - is that what we wanted though?



The first real test for the all-new Mercedes-AMG C63 comes before it's even turned a wheel. In fact, it comes when you first twist the key. Twin turbos, complex multi-configurable driver modes, engine downsizing - all of this we can cope with. But if it doesn't sound right it's over before it's begun.

Chu-chu-chu-BOOM! OK, there it is. Refinement in this new C-Class is, of course, excellent. But in AMG's hands bass-led NVH has been turned into a positive attribute that fizzes and tingles from the tips of your fingers to the base of your gut. Suffice to say, it's not coming from the speakers either.

Some stats before we pull away and head to the Portimao circuit where, in a handy coincidence, we first drove the BMW M3 and M4 not that long ago. We'll try and keep this as brief as possible... From a base price of £59,795 in standard 476hp trim the C63 saloon has already landed a pretty hefty blow to the M3's chin. But it's the 510hp punch to the gut of the £66,545 C63 S that'll really leave it reeling. Yes, that's nearly £10K more than the starting price of an M3. But just look at the numbers.


An M3 has 431hp and 406lb ft of torque. And never does it feel anything other than rampant. But even in 'entry-level' form the C63 has 476hp, 479lb ft of torque and the benefit of another litre of cubic capacity, not to mention a couple of extra cylinders. Go all-in and opt for the S and it gets even more serious, 510hp and a frankly ludicrous 516lb ft of torque instantly settling any Top Trumps disputes before they've even started. It's a 'don't even try it son' swagger that has served AMG well over the years, even at the risk of appearing a little one-dimensional.

Yes, it's expensive. But the cachet of sharing an engine with a proper supercar - as the previous C63 did with the SLS - is the kind of emotional appeal that sets the C63 apart. And has ensured AMG C-Classes have been at the heart of the tuning division's range since 1993's C36, its very first official model since being taken in by Mercedes-Benz proper.

Worries for this new-age AMG would centre on its new focus on configurable gizmos and high-tech gadgetry. The W204 generation car was a master of simplicity - sod-off engine, passive dampers, put it into D and let rip. As in the GT though you can't go anywhere in the new C63 without first navigating your way through five driver modes - one a fully configurable combination to mix and match your choice of the other four - before shrugging your shoulders and deciding 'Comfort' is probably the best appetiser for the initial motorway hack.


We've bagged an S Wagon for this first stint, gold calipers behind black wheels revealing a first for an AMG C-Class in the shape of ceramic brakes. A £4,285 option, these can be added to an already impressive standard spec that includes dynamic engine mounts, three-way adjustable dampers, a fully active electronically controlled locking diff and a bunch of other gadgets and gizmos. The only other box you really need consider on the options list is the optional sports exhaust for an additional £1,000.

If the previous C63 was an unreconstructed muscle car first impressions of this new one are that it is ... very refined. And sensible. It rides well. The interior is swoopy and stylish and, yes, has that much derided tablet-style central display. There's bags of kit, it's comfortable and all very, well, Mercedes.

Portuguese motorways are characterised by sudden and vicious bumps and compressions but in comfort mode the dampers gobble them up, vertical movement present but expertly contained with only a hint of secondary undulation. The steering - a linear rack chosen specifically for the 63 - is smooth, positive and well weighted and with the exhaust in quiet mode it wafts along pretty much as smoothly as any well-specced C-Class.


Which is a bit of a worry for those of us fond of the previous car's shameless thuggery. Tinkering with modes and set-up while attempting not to crash into toll booths reveals, varyingly, sharper throttle, more assertive containment of vertical body movements, more engine noise and a greater interest in shuffling around the gearbox's seven ratios for maximum thrust.

As the roads become single carriageway and twisty an Individual mode of comfort dampers but Sport+ engine and gearbox and the more relaxed ESP setting seems appropriate. Before exploring what this inside-out, 'hot-vee' turbocharged V8 is made of.

Discussion with engineers reveals that disguising the forced induction power delivery was a fundamental development goal. Sure enough, while you can feel just a hint of lag and swelling boost when accelerating in a higher gear, in all other scenarios it pulls with a linearity that'll sooth fans of the previous big cube V8.


Given the engine has been cleverly configured to feel like the old one the more fundamental change in character between this and the previous C-Class is the way it puts that power down to the road. Like the GT, the C63 puts a greater emphasis than ever before on traction. An LSD was an option on the old car and very aggressive in operation - great for those ready with the corrective lock, possibly a bit intimidating for everyone else. The non-S car gets a mechanical LSD as standard but the S gets a fully active electronically controlled one and it's this more than anything that transforms the car's character and makes 510hp through the rear wheels feel like an entirely rational proposition. Sure, the ability to neutralise understeer with the throttle is still there and the correction that follows is smooth and well telegraphed through your palms. But where the old car would happily continue the rotation as far as the lock stops would go this new one simply shuffles the power across the rear axle, chomps down into the tarmac and goes, no drama.

But hang on, isn't drama what we liked about the old car?

Possibly. Switching to an S saloon for the track work the traction advantage is underlined. It might have a lot more grunt than the M3 but by backing off the torque in the lower gears to avoid overwhelming the rear axle doesn't feel as rampantly oversteery as the figures might suggest. It's also a little softer at the front end, a comforting pillow of understeer awaiting those who push a little too hard, more exciting cornering stances requiring a degree of determination to unleash. Once it does hook up toasted tyres are very much on the menu and it'll happily hold big angles on the throttle. But this isn't its default attitude any more.


Revved out to its soft limiter the engine has a commendably consistent and linear power delivery but, at the extremes, still can't quite compete with the utter mentalism that lurked in the higher reaches of the 507 tune 6.2. It's damned close but the new C63 treads dangerously near to being too clever for its own good, those endearing rough edges smoothed over and gentrified.

At the request of AMG boss Tobias Moers the gearbox engineers have been told to man up and stop being so cautious about supplying downshifts on demand and the familiar auto-plus-clutch seven-speeder is an effective partner with the new V8. It's not as crisp as the M3's optional DCT, or even quite as quick as the better applications of the all-conquering ZF eight-speeder. But it's far from an Achilles' Heel.


As a road car that works a treat, the C63 a very much more rounded proposition than the M3/M4 and a car you could live with much more readily. It also manages to satisfy at the civilian speeds the BMW seems disinterested in but can't hide the fact it's a little softer at the ragged edge.

We end where we began though, which is to say it's all about the V8 and the authenticity of that sound. It underpins everything, dominates the character of the car without ever overwhelming it. And proves decisively that AMG can adapt the things we've always loved about its cars to the new tech obsessed age. Arguably it's done a better job of this than M, probably because these were seemingly development goals from the off rather than papered over the top of the tech as an apparent afterthought. It might have backed off a little of the sharpness in that final 10 per cent of its performance envelope. But in the 90 per cent in which you spend most of your time it's brimming with confidence, character and sensory delight.


SPECIFICATION | 2015 MERCEDES-AMG C63/C63 S SALOON (W205)
Engine:
 3,982cc twin-turbo V8
Transmission: 7-speed auto with lock-up clutch (MCT), rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 476@5,500rpm/510@5,500rpm 
Torque (lb ft): 479@1,750-4,500rpm/516@1,750-4,500rpm
0-62mph: 4.1sec/4.0sec
Top speed: 155mph (limited)
Weight: 1,715kg/1,730kg (EU, with 75 kg driver/luggage)
MPG: 34.5mpg (NEDC combined)
CO2: 192g/km
Price: £59,795/£66,545

SPECIFICATION | 2015 MERCEDES-AMG C63/C63 S ESTATE (W205)
Engine:
 3,982cc twin-turbo V8
Transmission: 7-speed auto with lock-up clutch (MCT), rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 476@5,500rpm/510@5,500rpm 
Torque (lb ft): 479@1,750-4,500rpm/516@1,750-4,500rpm
0-62mph: 4.2sec/4.1sec
Top speed: 155mph (limited)
Weight: 1,785kg/1,800kg (EU, with 75 kg driver/luggage)
MPG: 33.6mpg (NEDC combined)
CO2: 196g/km
Price: £60,995/£67,745












Author
Discussion

joe1145

Original Poster:

198 posts

120 months

Thursday 26th February 2015
quotequote all
Heres what Chris Harris thought
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4XUTu2lzTo


Blackpuddin

16,409 posts

204 months

Thursday 26th February 2015
quotequote all
great report Dan

hussein

54 posts

221 months

Thursday 26th February 2015
quotequote all
Those wheels are delicious.

kambites

67,461 posts

220 months

Thursday 26th February 2015
quotequote all
It sounds like, at least as a road car which is what 99% will be, it makes the M3 look rather silly.

Mermaid

21,492 posts

170 months

Thursday 26th February 2015
quotequote all
kambites said:
It sounds like, at least as a road car which is what 99% will be, it makes the M3 look rather silly.
yes Delighted, car is on my short list. A great package.

chelme

1,353 posts

169 months

Thursday 26th February 2015
quotequote all
Really like this model. Love the exterior design, as well as the quality of the interior. Makes the M3 seem like a pastiche of its former self.

Dave Hedgehog

14,541 posts

203 months

Thursday 26th February 2015
quotequote all
chelme said:
Really like this model. Love the exterior design, as well as the quality of the interior. Makes the M3 seem like a pastiche of its former self.
why do BMW struggle so much to make their M cars sound even half interesting when AMG and Audi have no problems what so ever

I would never get bored of the C63s V8 warble biggrin

TNH

559 posts

146 months

Thursday 26th February 2015
quotequote all
Strange, whilst I think normal C-Classes look great, I just don't think this looks like a full fat AMG. Just a bit boring. The wheels are lovely but the rest is a bit rep mobile. Nice to see that turbo charged engines can still sound great though.

I would still go M3/4. Hopefully they'll take note of the engine noise of this and sort out a proper performance exhaust that does away with the need to pump sound into the cabin.

patch5674

232 posts

111 months

Thursday 26th February 2015
quotequote all
Watched the Harris vid, this car in wagon form in some sort of grey, de-badged...

I also think much like the Huracan, that this is the first of the lineage, and whilst the 507 is obviously fresh on peoples minds, it was a run out special of a model taken to the limit. I feel this car is an extremely promising foundation on which, facelifts and hyped up specials shall be built.

markwm

144 posts

219 months

Thursday 26th February 2015
quotequote all
Shame about the giant TomTom(or 3 year old iPad) atop the dashboard

Studio117

4,250 posts

190 months

Thursday 26th February 2015
quotequote all
article said:
Chu-chu-chu-BOOM!
Stopped reading after this point.

Utter drivel as usual.

Great job guys.

Burwood

18,709 posts

245 months

Thursday 26th February 2015
quotequote all
Dave Hedgehog said:
chelme said:
Really like this model. Love the exterior design, as well as the quality of the interior. Makes the M3 seem like a pastiche of its former self.
why do BMW struggle so much to make their M cars sound even half interesting when AMG and Audi have no problems what so ever

I would never get bored of the C63s V8 warble biggrin
Because they are lazy and think their customers are thick.

moffat

1,020 posts

224 months

Thursday 26th February 2015
quotequote all
I don't think it looks as good as the W204 C63 (I loved my Coupe), but I still think it is an epic car. It's top of my next car list, C63S Estate in red with some carbon gubbings and the performance exhaust.

Just wait until MCL and Eurocharged get a hold of one!!! 600bhp remap??

em177

3,127 posts

163 months

Thursday 26th February 2015
quotequote all
joe1145 said:
Heres what Chris Harris thought
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4XUTu2lzTo
20 mins that made me not bother reading the PH article hehe

Burwood

18,709 posts

245 months

Thursday 26th February 2015
quotequote all
moffat said:
I don't think it looks as good as the W204 C63 (I loved my Coupe), but I still think it is an epic car. It's top of my next car list, C63S Estate in red with some carbon gubbings and the performance exhaust.

Just wait until MCL and Eurocharged get a hold of one!!! 600bhp remap??
The 4.0 engine has the internals to safely reach 750hp, so says the guy who designed it. Forged pistons

Rahul uk

235 posts

149 months

Thursday 26th February 2015
quotequote all
All the reviews so far seem very positive. Excellent news. As a current W204 owner I expected the new car to be a marked improvement in all performance areas. However, I am not convinced it looks that much different from a regular C class with the AMG sport bits. Will see one in the flesh and make my mind up. Defo on the list when my car comes up for a change in a few years. Having said that I find the W204 a joy to own and might just keep it past the 3yr point and treat it to some Eurocharged tuning that will take it into the 500hp range.

As for the comments on the M3/M4, I think it looks better than the new C63 with the flared arches and squat stance. Once the BMW discounts and 0% finance start to come through, it will be tempting as well. Get a big discount, stick a well made sports exhaust on it and off you go. Will be interesting to see what Jag do with the new XE in R form as well.

joe1145

Original Poster:

198 posts

120 months

Thursday 26th February 2015
quotequote all
patch5674 said:
Watched the Harris vid, this car in wagon form in some sort of grey, de-badged...
Looks so much better in estate form. In S Spec with the grey paint in the pictures would be lovely. cloud9


Patrick Bateman

12,143 posts

173 months

Thursday 26th February 2015
quotequote all
Looks like a proper sleeper for this day and age.

jamespink

1,218 posts

203 months

Thursday 26th February 2015
quotequote all
An estate version for my work van in dark grey/tan leather please... Whats not to like???

jamespink

1,218 posts

203 months

Thursday 26th February 2015
quotequote all
markwm said:
Shame about the giant TomTom(or 3 year old iPad) atop the dashboard
Good point! Why don't manufacturers provide a mount for an i-Pad (just the space not the unit) so that the new and subsequent user can just slot in £400 worth of the latest pad. Just don't see why MB (along with everyone else insist on using 3/4 year old teck in their cars. An i-Pad would have great navigation (way better than the ancient MB effort) full vehicle readout (OBD2 bluetooth for £5) Internet access etc, the list goes on. Instead you have to pay thousands for last gen kit...