RE: C63 AMG vs new M3: PH Blog
Tuesday 13th May 2014
So the plane back from the M3/M4 launch on Saturday was delayed for several hours meaning I didn’t get home until 3am; hearts bleed for me across PH I’m sure. Anyway, this gave me plenty of time for reflection about how I’d feel about the C63 waiting for me in the Gatwick multi storey at the other end of the journey.
For once Dan's mind not focused on the C63...Even as a C63 fanboy I was a bit concerned. It was pretty obvious the new M3 (look, can we just get on with using this as the generic term for both cars? It’d save a lot bother…) has left it looking pretty much prehistoric. Which is fine; the AMG is an old stager and we’ll see its successor later in the year. And the foundations for one helluva twin test against a resurgent M. Looking forward to that one already!
Yeah, tech-laden cars are so remote and boring...The genius in the new M3 is in the calibration. No one element exists to dominate in isolation; it’s just a collection of very thoroughly engineered components – both mechanical and electronic – working in perfect harmony to put a fat grin on your face. And bolster Michelin’s share price, given the enthusiasm it shows for vapourising the fancy Pilot Super Sports painstakingly optimised for the car.
Next C63 in final development stagesI needn’t have worried. The crackle of revs echoing around the car park as the V8 flared into life didn’t need any help from the stereo for starters. And within a few hundred yards all was well in my world, the confidence and transparency from the C63’s more analogue controls a fascinating contrast to what I’d just experienced in the M3. Can these more traditional values survive in the turbocharged rival currently undergoing final shakedown at Affalterbach ahead of an unveiling this autumn? I hope so. BMW has done a hell of a job with the tech. But this philosophical difference is what keeps rivalries like this so interesting. Exciting times!
C63 AMG vs new M3: PH Blog
So, the PH Fleet C63 must feel like a bit of a dinosaur after driving the new M3, right?
For once Dan's mind not focused on the C63...
But yes, having very much enjoyed the new M3 on road and on track I was preparing to eat a few of my own words about the abilities of ‘my’ C63 in comparison. But then M3s have always been quite heavy on the gadgets and gizmos, from the multiple-modes on the SMG gearbox and Variable M Differential introduced on the E46 to the configurable gearbox/throttle/DSC/gearbox settings and ‘hot key’ favourites M button on the E92.
Yeah, tech-laden cars are so remote and boring...
Though it achieves similar ends the old C63 couldn’t be more different, at least on paper. Sodding great normally aspirated V8. Mechanical locking diff. Passive dampers. Hydraulic steering with a nice, predictable linear rack. The M3 is a single generation on in comparison to the outgoing C63 but with the pace of development it reads like they’re from different ages entirely. And I was a little afraid the Merc would feel like a bit of a relic.
Next C63 in final development stages
Dan
Discussion
Really interesting article...I had a C63 507 coming to the end of a lease deal a few months back.....
so I test drove a new M5 and felt exactly the same things....
No doubt the M5 is a massively fast comfortable dual purpose car...but it feels a bit numb and slow of response by comparison to the C63....and previous generation M5s. The throttle and steering on the C63 are FANTASTIC, and allow you to drive like Chris Harris everywhere.....the M5 maybe only on track days as car really feels its size...(more even than the E39 and E60 M5s I owned prior to the C63) I handed the M5 back feeling a little saddenned in an "end of an era" kind of way.... i got back in my C63 and thought...yep I prefer it and drifted out of the BMW car park with a smile on my face....
Turbos are the way forward...but it doesnt feel like progress yet....maybe the next generation of M cars will be hybrids which will give us back the razor sharp throttle responses..."torque fill" required..
so I test drove a new M5 and felt exactly the same things....
No doubt the M5 is a massively fast comfortable dual purpose car...but it feels a bit numb and slow of response by comparison to the C63....and previous generation M5s. The throttle and steering on the C63 are FANTASTIC, and allow you to drive like Chris Harris everywhere.....the M5 maybe only on track days as car really feels its size...(more even than the E39 and E60 M5s I owned prior to the C63) I handed the M5 back feeling a little saddenned in an "end of an era" kind of way.... i got back in my C63 and thought...yep I prefer it and drifted out of the BMW car park with a smile on my face....
Turbos are the way forward...but it doesnt feel like progress yet....maybe the next generation of M cars will be hybrids which will give us back the razor sharp throttle responses..."torque fill" required..
mlhj83 said:
Could somebody correct an error in the article? Active M differentials were introduced on the F generation cars; the E46 and E92 M3 had the passive M variable differential not the Active ones.
Done, and you're right to pull me up on this. In my research the BMW material was a little vague and mentioned a 0-100 per cent locking ability in the E46 diff replicated in the new active diff. I failed to make the distinction that on E46 and E9X this was not 'active' as it is in the new one. Cheers!
Dan
ManOpener said:
Chalk and cheese (even the E90 and equivalent C63 were) and doubtlessly both brilliant, but I can't get over the way the Mercedes looks. I can't even put my finger on what I particularly dislike; I just don't like it. Plus the absence of a manual would kill it for me.
I can't get over the way either look, TBH.Modern cars are increasingly all ugly to look at.
The C63 seems to be let down by the 'slow' shifting auto and the lack of extended rear arches (with the exception of the C63 Black).
However - the thunderous sound alone is something to make you think twice over an M3, old or new.
Also, is the new C63 not a down-sized V8 albeit turbocharged? I'm sure it would make a better noise than the new M3 if that was the case.
Lastly - what about the new RS4 which has managed to retain it's V8 and reduce fuel consuption to achieve "28mpg"? Surely you'd have the one with the V8 in this case? No?
However - the thunderous sound alone is something to make you think twice over an M3, old or new.
Also, is the new C63 not a down-sized V8 albeit turbocharged? I'm sure it would make a better noise than the new M3 if that was the case.
Lastly - what about the new RS4 which has managed to retain it's V8 and reduce fuel consuption to achieve "28mpg"? Surely you'd have the one with the V8 in this case? No?
ManOpener said:
Chalk and cheese (even the E90 and equivalent C63 were) and doubtlessly both brilliant, but I can't get over the way the Mercedes looks. I can't even put my finger on what I particularly dislike; I just don't like it. Plus the absence of a manual would kill it for me.
Agreed on the looks of the Mercedes however that AMG sound with the E92 looks ... ohhh my!!!!!M7NDP said:
Lastly - what about the new RS4 which has managed to retain it's V8 and reduce fuel consuption to achieve "28mpg"? Surely you'd have the one with the V8 in this case? No?
try 16mpg if driving with noise and much lower when going for it, there pretty gutless below 4k as well unlike the AMG next RS4 is a biturbo V6
Crusoe said:
Give it a manual and a normal handbrake and I'd be interested, epic engine but that rules it out for me. Waiting for a manual E90 M3 to drop a bit more.
Out of interest, why the dislike for the footbrake? Personally I think it's great (when mated with an Auto, for obvious reasons!).Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff