Mercedes’ storming super saloon

By Couper Nine | May 27, 2008

When it comes to flagship sports saloons Mercedes-Benz models have tended to rank behind those of BMW or Audi. Cars sporting the AMG badge have always had plenty of grunt - but were perceived to be more compromised in terms of handling dynamics and feel than those of their German rivals. Not any more - at least, that’s the message from Mercedes-Benz.

The Stuttgart firm reckons the latest generation of AMG cars is every bit as good as anything from BMW or Audi. It is also in the process of updating its image and wants to target a younger executive market.

These buyers are aged in their thirties or forties and previously might have considered a Merc ‘an old man’s car’. There’s nothing old about the C63 AMG, though. Mercedes has forged a closer relationship with its sporting arm AMG and the new C-Class was the first car which was designed from the ground-up with involvement from AMG.

This has made it a more straight forward matter to add performance features like uprated suspension.

Mercedes has also kept a lid on its prices, meaning that the new C63 AMG - at £51,425 on the road for the saloon -Êis competitive with the BMW M3 and the outgoing Audi RS4. Mercedes laid on a track day at Bruntingthorpe to show off the new C63, which turns out to be a truly formidable piece of machinery.

For a start it looks - and sounds - fantastic. The graceful shape of the C-Class has responded well to being pumped up and the C63’s bulges and side skirts are complemented by beautifully-crafted 18-inch alloy wheels and four giant chrome-plated exhausts.

And when you fire up the Merc’s 6.2 litre V8 engine, these tailpipes rasp out a powerful bark that sounds more dramatic than any of its rivals. The naturally-aspirated engine is supremely powerful.

It puts out more than 450hp and endows the C63 with supercar levels of performance. The sprint to 60mph takes around four and a half seconds and 100mph arrives before you know it.

On Bruntingthorpe’s two-mile straight it was possible to max out the C63 and it felt utterly secure at 150mph plus.

The AMG Speedshift Plus 7G-Tronic automatic transmission offers a choice of three shift modes with Manual being 50 per cent faster, and Sport being 30 per cent faster, than Comfort.

In Sport mode you now get a blip on the throttle when you change down, though I did note that in Manual it occasionally refused to change gear.

The speed sensitive steering feels direct and does not go light on you even at high speeds.

Naturally, this being a Merc, there are masses of safety features, starting with powerful brakes - and they need to be.

There are anti-whiplash head restraints and the Pre-Safe occupant protection system which ‘prepares’ the vehicle when it senses a crash is imminent.

The electronic stability programme (ESP) now has an additional level. Instead of being either on or off it now has a Sport setting which gives the driver more leeway before activating electronic braking and throttle-retarding.

For most drivers this setting should be adequate for most driving conditions, including track work. You can switch the system off completely for some tail-out drifting heroics but it can be a tricky business steering the powerful, grippy Merc on the throttle. You need to know what you are doing.

Don’t expect low running costs with a car like this. Fuel economy is around the 20mpg mark for both saloon and estate, though this plummets to around eight if you’re booting it round a track.

Inside, the look is fairly restrained and conservative. The AMG badging is discreet and if you want carbon fibre trim instead of aluminium you’ll have to cough up £1,500, while the black bird’s eye maple wood package is £155.

Talking of optional extras, AMG buyers can spend up to £20,000 on personalising their cars but perhaps the main packages to consider are the Performance Pack, at £3,250, and the Driver’s Pack at £2,230.

The former includes a limited slip differential, even stiffer suspension, composite front disc brakes and Nappa leather trim; while the latter removes the 155mph maximum speed limit and there’s a track day thrown in as well.

Like the Audi RS6 Avant tested last week, the C63 AMG possesses awesome capabilities which are far in excess of what is needed for the vast majority of UK roads.

Performance Products® - Free Shipping on select Truck/SUV parts. Save up to 20% on Porsche/Mercedes parts!

That, of course, doesn’t make it any less desirable to the sort of people who can afford to drop £50,000 on a new car.

By Peter Carroll

www.ExpressAndStar.com