The C63, more than any other car here, is dominated by its engine.
The thrust that the 478bhp performance pack-equipped 6208cc monster up front delivers is truly relentless, while the angry, gargling V8 exhaust leaves passers-by in no doubt that this is no ordinary junior exec estate.
It's hugely competent in the chassis department, too, but that massive mill, humble rear-drive and a relatively weighty body mean that the laws of physics do eventually take their toll on the handling.
Editor Chris-R calls the C63 'unreconstructed' and I know what he means. It's a simple, muscular hooligan of a fast estate. It's just a shame that the interior isn't more what you'd expect from a £70k car (though that has been comprehensively addressed with the recent C-class facelift that our car just missed out on).
Oh, and should you want to change gears yourself that's a bit of a pain, too. Although the 7-speed auto works perfectly well changing gears on its own, switch it to manual mode and you often find the time lag between you pulling a paddle and the desired ratio actually being selected is frustratingly long. In an age of the near-instant twin-clutch gearchange that's not quite good enough.
Smita: It's odd - for such a modern car the C63 feels a lot less composed than I would have expected
Jeremy: A great motor, shame about the gearbox. But then it's probably exactly what about 99 per cent of customers expect it to be. If it had a manual gearbox I'd seriously consider buying one.
"It's just so fast - ordinary members of the public couldn't possibly expect a Mercedes estate to be as quick as this"
Chris: "The C63 is almost too fast for its own good - I reckon I can enjoy the performance of my MG more without risking my licence"