What is your idea of doing away with mid-week woes? Thumping the accelerator pedal of a big bad AMG, with the grin on your face growing wider as you slide is surely one way of doing it. Don’t believe me? A stint in the new Mercedes-AMG C63 S should change your mind. The previous W204 C63 AMG was an iconic car. It sold around 40,000 units worldwide making it the best selling AMG model. Now, there is a new one. It comes with new badging and a smaller engine with turbocharging. The 6.2 litre naturally aspirated motor in the older car was known for its raw power and the noise. Does the new car take the legacy forward? Or has forced induction spoilt the C63 recipe? Let’s find out.
The C-Class is a very beautiful automobile and is a best seller in the Indian market. I really like Mercedes’ current design language. Take a look at its AMG cousin and it feels as if the C-Class went through a heavy workout at the gym. The C63 S looks more muscular while retaining the classic lines of the standard car. First up, there are large air intakes in the front bumper and a thick single slat front grill with AMG badging. The bonnet comes with bulges that look imposing when viewed from the driver’s seat inside. The C63 S has a wider track and the front end of the car is longer by 54 mm to accommodate the turbo V8. The car gets flared wheel arches as well. The front fenders are widened by 14 mm and get prominent ‘V8 BITURBO’ badges. Also check out the ‘Carl Benz’ signature on the right hand side bottom of the front windshield. The rear is less muscular when compared to the front end but there is a sporty rear bumper with a carbon fibre diffuser and fake square quad exhaust pipes. The actual pipes are further inside. The boot gets a subtle lip spoiler and the C63 S gets 19 inch forged alloy wheels as standard. The test car came with matte grey alloys that looked stunning with brake callipers sporting a gold finish lending an awesome contrast.
The C63 S shares interiors with the regular C-Class, of course with AMG treatment. The dashboard has a top notch finish with carbon fibre trim for the centre console. The brushed aluminium finished bits on the dash and the door pads feel premium. An analogue clock on the centre console adds a nice touch. Old school has a different charm altogether. The free standing tablet style screen for the infotainment system sits above the AC vents. It’s amazing how a few touches can make the cabin sporty from what is actually a luxurious one in the standard C-Class. There is a flat bottom steering wheel wrapped in the leather and Alcantara and white contrast stitching. Even the paddle shifters have a fantastic finish.
The highlight of the cabin are the new sports seats. They are very comfortable, have fantastic support and come with bolstering, trust me you need that to hold you in place when you give the C63 S the beans. There are red seatbelts too and they only add to the sporty character of the car. Also note the Affalterbach AMG logo in the headrests. The front seats are electrically adjustable and come with memory function. The rear seats also have adequate comfort for two. There are separate AC vents with blower speed and temperature control for the rear passengers along with red seat belts too. Other features include a 360 degree camera with front and rear parking sensors, a sweet sounding 13 speaker Burmester audio system and a panoramic sunroof. Boot space is more than adequate for weekend luggage but there is no spare wheel. A spacer saver should have been provided.
The 4.0 litre twin turbo V8 that powers the Mercedes-AMG C63 S makes 503 bhp at 5500-6250 rpm and a massive 700 Nm torque coming up between 1750-4500 rpm. This motor also does duty in the AMG GT sports car. Mercedes-AMG claims a 0 to 100 kph sprint in 4 seconds and top speed is a restricted 250 kph. All concerns whether the turbo engine will match the noise of the naturally aspirated counterpart disappear as soon as you turn the key. The engine bursts to life in a typical AMG growl. Transmission duties are entrusted to the 7 speed AMG SPEEDSHIFT gearbox, that delivers power to the rear wheels. You get five drive modes: Comfort, Sport, Sport+, Individual and Race mode that comes only on the C63 S.
The C63 S drives well in Comfort mode, the adjustable dampers being on their softest setting. The car soaks in rough road patches decently for the 19 inch alloys that it rides on. It is only on very bad patches that every undulation on the road is felt inside. Apart from that, it does drive around well like a regular C-Class, the best part is that even at low speeds, the burble from the engine can be heard reminding you of what’s under the hood. Okay, enough of the comfort talk. Switch to Sport or Sport+ and that is where the C63 S turns hooligan. The gearbox, throttle, steering and suspension go into performance mode. The acceleration is mental even if you don’t give it the pedal to metal treatment. Even half throttles are enough to get the tail out. Go flat out and the motors revs all the way to almost 7000 rpm before changing gears. Every gearshift gives out a pop sound from the exhaust and adds to the madness. And did I say anything about the noise? The howling as the car goes through the gears is so addictive, that I hardly put the fabulous Burmester sound system to any use. For best noise results, I would recommend a flat out dash through a tunnel with the windows rolled down. While you are at it, you might want to press a button on the centre console to open the exhaust flaps and give you the full AMG theatrical experience. Upshifts from the gearbox are super quick. Its only the downshifts that are a bit slow at times and that’s perhaps where you miss the dual clutch tranny. Tyre noise also makes itself heard inside the cabin at high speeds. The C63 S also comes with a Heads Up Display that shows your speed and the gear you are in projected onto the front windshield.
The C63 S is quite an agile machine. The electro mechanical steering is direct and inspires a lot of confidence when you take corners. The car comes with an electronic locking rear differential which helps control traction thereby letting you get adventurous with the beast. It also comes equipped with three stage ESP too. However the ESP off mode is recommended only if you are on a race track. Grip levels are fantastic and the C63 S gets a staggered tyre setup. It has 245/35 R 19 tyres at the front and 265/35 R19 rubber at the rear. The test car came with the optional AMG carbon ceramic brakes which offer excellent stopping power. If you plan to take your car to the track often, be sure to tick this off on the options list.
The Mercedes-AMG C63 S is everything and more than what its predecessor was. The twin turbo V8 has loads of performance on tap and the car is also civilised to use as you daily driver or be chauffeured around on normal days. It has a boot big enough to carry home the groceries and shopping and at the same time do laps at the track too. The gearbox could have definitely been better though, but that’s the only grouse I have. If you are the kind who doesn’t like too much attention, the C63 S is perfect. It won’t grab eyeballs unless one really knows his/her cars well. To sum it up, the Mercedes-AMG C63 S is a fantastic package and very tempting, even at the 1.3 crore rupee sticker price.
Mercedes-AMG C63 S photo gallery:
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