Not the latest addition to the PH fleet...
Back in 1997/8, some people would tell you the Mercedes-Benz C43 AMG saloon had pretty much everything it took to be the only car a petrolhead might ever really need.
Having driven it then, I was about to write I'd discovered the same thing for myself within 5 minutes of getting behind the wheel, when a memory came flooding back. It was as the C43 erupted volcanically out of the Hyde Park Corner underpass on the night I got to play with it, that it was promoted to 'my favourite car in the world, ever' status. Happy days!
A dozen or so years ago the C43 made the perfect Q car,
and it probably still does
. With unremarkable and understated looks (unless you were tuned into the AMG thing), it offered four door practicality, and had a deliciously raucous V8 shoe-horned under the bonnet. It even made do with a pair of relatively small tailpipes, leaving the 17ins AMG alloys as the major visual giveaway.
AMG performance is more overtly expressed via styling tweaks these days, and the performance is more 'overt' too. Indeed, by today's standards the C43's numbers are as understated as its styling. It made a little over 300hp and about the same in lb ft from its 4.3 litre V8, and took a positively lethargic 5.8secs to reach 60mph. Top speed was limited to 155mph.
But back in its hey-day, the C43 was a beast. And although out-pointed dynamically by BMW's M3, it had for me (as a dyed-in-the-wool Merc man) the added advantage of that three-pointed star on the nose. So it stayed 'my favourite car in the world, ever' for longer than most.
Say 'hi' to our new AMG C63
Times change though, and with advancing years have come family commitments and a mucky flatcoated retriever, so the C43 saloon simply wouldn't measure up today. No, as a prerequisite for successful contemporary 'lifestyle', you've got to have a much bigger engine, apparently. Like the one in the new PH fleet C63 AMG Estate.
Yes, we know there's a face-lifted version of the C63 just around the corner, in fact deliveries start this very summer. But when the Mercedes-Benz press office suggests PH HQ might like to add a delivery miles C63 wagon to the long term test fleet for a few months, PH HQ does not (as you can probably imagine) pull back said gift horse's whiskery lips to check on the condition of its teeth.
Nope, PH HQ does what everyone else would do, and runs round in excited circles shouting whoopee and other expletives, before settling down to check the spec list of our new arrival.
Or more likely 'good-bye'...
£71,365 is the 'stat' that jumps off the page first, this being the amount AMG enthusiasts would part with for a new car spec'ed up to the level of KN60 UUT.
It breaks down like this: £55,875 for the basic machine, which includes the AMG tweaked bodywork (check out our 'powerdomes', baby), a 6.3 litre V8 engine, 7G-Tronic Speedshift auto, sports suspension, huggy sports seats, and most other major hard- and software items.
To which has been added: a reversing camera £385; an AMG drivers package to increase top speed £2,275; side airbags at the rear £325; front cupholder (we kid you not) £20; hands free phone prep £285; DAB tuner £325; auto climate control with split driver/passenger function £480; AMG exterior carbon trim package £1,225; 19ins AMG alloys £615; Active cornering lights and headlamp wash £205; AMG floor mats £70; COMAND multimedia/satnav/DVD etc £1,980; Surround sound by Harman/Kardon £625; privacy glass £305; load securing kit £175; carbon interior trim £1,605; AMG Performance Pack Plus - brake upgrade, 30hp power upgrade, forged pistons and revise crank, painted manifold (grey), painted brake calipers (red), performance steering wheel in nappa/alcantara - £4,590.
...thanks to a monster under the bonnet.
Grand total £71,365, and a C class that - you might be surprised to learn - looks and feels as though it's money well spent. We know it looks that way, because white van drivers tend to pull alongside us on the motorway to give the car the thumbs up before making 'accelerator' gestures. (That AMG V8 sounds fantastic from inside the car, but it's even better if you're following.) We know it feels that way, too, because the AMG mods have turned the car into a tactile delight - partly because the seats are so supple and 'huggy', but mainly because the alcantara sports steering wheel is just a delight to hold on to.
But back to the stats, and once you've swallowed the price these are the ones that count:
Engine |
|
No. of cylinders/arrangement |
8/V, 4 valves per cylinder |
Displacement |
6208cc |
Bore x stroke |
102.2 x 94.6mm |
Rated output |
487hp @ 6800 rpm |
Rated torque |
600Nm @ 5000 rpm |
Compression ratio |
11.3 |
Performance/fuel consumption |
|
Acceleration 0-62 mph |
4.5secs |
Maximum speed |
155mph |
Fuel cons. NEDC Urban |
13.8mpg |
Extra urban |
29.4mpg |
Combined |
20.8mpg |
CO2 |
316g/km |
We'll tell you what 'our' C63 is like in action over the coming months, starting with a report by Riggers soon on the road trip to the Geneva motor show with snapper Steve Hall. They're en-route today, in convoy with our PH competition winners in the SEAT Cupra R, and something tells us they're having fun...