Posted by Piers Ward at 10:00AM on Wednesday 30 January, 2008 3 Comments
I never thought I'd say this, but this C63 AMG makes the BMW M3 feel soft. I'm not surprised because the BMW is especially hardcore. It's not. But I am surprised because this is a Merc, and a Merc being more ferocious than a BMW is a rare thing in recent history.
And this thing is. There are weaknesses here. I don't especially like the throttle response - there isn't that linear delivery off it that you get in an M3, especially low down in the rev range. I don't like the gearchange - it's not quick enough in manual and it's a bit clunky in auto. Drop it into Sport in auto and it'll drop into gear with a real savagery.
But the rest of it? Simply awesome. Whether it's got the measure of an M3, I can't tell you - they're so close to call that if you don't drive them back to back, it's impossible to tell. But I know which engine I prefer: the V8 in this C63 sounds fantastic.
Massive slugs of acceleration, all accompanied by a really raw V8 noise. The M3 sounds a little tame in comparison, a wee bit muted. Dare I say it, even a bit civilised. Neither of these would disappoint, but make sure you've got a clean licence before you buy.
As Charlie Turner, TG magazine's Creative Director, eloquently put it: "In the C, you run out of room in this country."
3 Comments for "Mercedes C63 AMG"
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I think that the Merc looks totally awesome and I'd much rather have one of those than the more common, less exciting M3. Gimme gimme.
I'd take the C63 over the M3 simply because it's more practical, more powerful, and if you actually learn how to drive it, it can get around corners with as much ease as a M3.
Mercedes does have a knack for getting magnificently big engines into smaller than sensible cars and making the resulting monster work for its living. What I don't understand is why anyone would want a car of this class that doesn't sound awesome? Surely it would be like driving an electric-powered AC Cobra!