2008 Mercedes-Benz C 63 AMG 451hp M3 Killer

[mikeyb]

In the German Touring Car Championships (DTM) the new AMG C-Class ensures exciting motor racing at the highest level, and now its roadgoing sister model is celebrating its debut: the new C 63 AMG. Its AMG 6.3-liter V8 engine develops a peak output of 457 bhp and a maximum torque of 443 lb-ft unrivalled figures in this segment. Accordingly the C 63 AMG accelerates from zero to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds, while its top speed is electronically limited to 155 mph. A combination of expressive design, a decidedly sporty interior and a high level of everyday practicality makes the C 63 AMG a unique high-performance car.

V8 Engine with Thoroughbred Racing Technology

Merely the appearance of the C 63 AMG is impressive enough, with its wide, road-hugging stance. The new bonnet with its prominent power domes conceals the independently developed AMG 6.3-liter V8 engine, which develops a fulminating 457 bhp at 6800 rpm from a displacement of 379 cubic inches. In this respect the C 63 AMG comes very close to the 470 or so horsepower delivered by the AMG C-Class racing touring car in the DTM series. This high output also benefits the power-to-weight ratio, which is a very favorable 3.6 kg/bhp.

The torque developed by the AMG 6.3-liter V8 engine need fear no comparison either. The maximum of 443 lb-ft at 5000 rpm is unrivalled in this class, and the torque curve is equally impressive: from 2000 to 6250 rpm the driver always has more than 370 lb-ft on tap ideal for powerful acceleration in any engine speed range.

Introduced in 2005, the V8 engine is installed in numerous AMG high-performance cars and excels with its thoroughbred motor sports technology.

This high-performance eight-cylinder engine has the perfect partner in the form of the AMG SPEEDSHIFT PLUS 7G-TRONIC transmission. Equipped with AMG steering wheel shift paddles and three driving modes, the seven-speed automatic transmission allows a decidedly sporty or more comfort-oriented style of driving according to the drivers preference.

Distinctive Exterior Design

It is not only in technological but also in visual terms that the new C 63 AMG is more distinctively different from the standard C-Class than ever before. The front end is dominated by the new bonnet with its two pronounced power domes, as well as the trademark AMG radiator grille with a central star and two louvres with chrome inserts. The honeycomb pattern of the grille is also reflected in the large air dams of the new, athletically contoured front apron which forms part of the AMG-specific bodystyling. The side air vents in the front apron serve to expel the hot air from the oil coolers.

Eye-catching features when viewed from the side include the 18-inch AMG light-alloy wheels, the harmoniously integrated "6.3 AMG" lettering on the front wing and the AMG side skirts. At the rear the standard LED rear lights, the AMG rear apron with its black diffuser insert and three pronounced diffuser fins, as well as the AMG sports exhaust system with two chrome twin tailpipes, provide further visual highlights that are hallmarks of the brand. The AMG spoiler lip on the boot lid reduces lift and ensures greater handling stability at high speeds.

AMG Interior with New Sports Seats

This decidedly sporty theme is continued in the interior of the C 63 AMG, which now has special AMG sports seats with integral head restraints for the first time. The standard upholstery in ARTICO man-made leather/AMG fabric is available in a choice of black or reef grey or as an option the interior can be further enhanced with particularly high-grade leather in black, reef grey or black/sahara beige. Perfect handling control is assured with the new AMG performance steering wheel in a three-spoke design, which has a rim diameter of 365 millimeters and a flattened lower section. The upper section is covered in perforated leather, and two silver AMG shift paddles enable the gears to be shifted manually.

The trademark AMG instrument cluster in a tubular design features newly styled dials, AMG-specific lettering and a new night-time design. Eye-catching details include the 320 km/h speedometer scale, AMG lettering, red needles and the "6.3 V8" logo in the rev counter. The AMG main menu in the central display allows numerous settings, with "Warm Up", "Set Up" and "RACE" modes activated via buttons on the AMG performance steering wheel. "Warm Up" displays the engine oil and coolant temperature, "Set Up" the current ESP O mode and the transmission mode "S", "C" or "M". "RACE" mode makes the RACETIMER available, with which the driver is able to measure lap times on a racetrack.

The market launch will commence in early 2008.

 

[tsunami]

i am not a big fan of its looks but the power speaks for itself nice car just a bit to much of a statement for a 4 door for my tastes

 

[mikeyb]

I actually think this is a very good looking car.

 

[L8R]

Looks great. Reminds me of the RS4 to some extent.

 

[jdm4lyf9]

Looks great. Reminds me of the RS4 to some extent.

Its the front bumper. Damn that is a sexy car.

 

[TX Speed 6]

I love the interior, those gauges look great!!!

 

[mikeyb]

Hostile over-taker: Check your blind sport, BMW. The M3's doors are about to be blown off.

With its M3, BMW has owned the C-segment hot-rod market, winning hearts, minds, and comparison tests for decades. Others have competed, few have been competitive. Now Mercedes-AMG is plotting a hostile takeover of this popular niche. Your brows are furrowing, recalling that the last four fat-tired, big-motored C-classes to roll out of Affalterbach have won drag races only to be outmaneuvered by the Bavarian. You're thinking, can the C63 AMG possibly be that good, or has AMG wined and dined this guy into senseless parroting of the PR flack's hyperbole? I claim the Fifth on the subject of alco/gastro inducements, but present the following evidence for my enthusiasm:

This is the first AMG product to be designed from its computer-conception for extreme performance. Its predecessors (like most AMG models) are essentially tuner specials, with bolted-on performance. This time, practically everything forward of the firewall (except for the two energy-absorbing frame-rail stubs) is unique to AMG. The front track is 1.4-inches wider, standard 18-inch wheels permit larger knuckles, and a new engine cradle accommodates longer diagonal links that completely change the geometry. A lower roll center, for example, helps the car corner flatter while preserving ride quality with an anti-roll bar that's only 0.04-inch thicker. New ball bearings offer twice the rigidity of the stock front-axle bearings. Camber increases from 0.5 to 1.4 degrees and caster is reduced by 15 degrees. The steering ratio tightens from 14.5:1 to 13.5:1, and there are new bearings atop the struts. The effect of all this front-end work is vastly improved steering feel and agility with reduced understeer.

The 6.2-liter V-8 weighs about 70 pounds more than the E350's V-6, and it's about four inches longer, but by moving it two inches closer to the firewall, weight distribution remains at a respectable 54/46 front/rear. An all-new front end stretches the nose 3.4 inches. Power output is dialed back to 450 horses and 443 pound-feet-enough to vanquish the M3 without crowding AMG's pricier 63 models. Coaxing the CLK63 Black's 500 horses and 473 pound-feet out of this setup will be child's play for the aftermarket, if AMG doesn't offer power-spiffs of its own. A Performance Package will include a mechanical limited-slip differential (offering 30 percent lockup under power, 10 percent or less on overrun), and compound steel brake rotors with aluminum centers (for vastly improved fade resistance and slightly lower weight). Springs and dampers are stiffened by 10 and 15 percent respectively, and the speed governor is raised to 174 mph. Europe's optional 19-inch wheels and tires won't be offered, as they can't survive urban-America's potholes.

One chink in the C63's armor: there's (still) no manual transmission. But the paddle-shifted 7G Tronic automatic runs with the converter locked except when the car stops, it bangs off shifts as crisply and quickly as the best SMG/DSG/F1 boxes, and its sport-automatic shift programming is incredibly astute. Rev-matched, throttle-blipped downshifts happen exactly when you want them, up-shifts never happen when you don't. Manual-mode shifts are slightly quicker, and you can happily bounce along on the 7300-rpm redline if you so choose. The Black Series's 2.82:1 rear axle is fitted, but without the auxiliary oil cooler-that car is intended for extensive track use, this one isn't. Diff-oil temperature is monitored, and the car will preserve itself with a limp-mode in the event of an extended summer track-day workout.

C-class buyers are AMG's youngest, and-especially in SoCal-they're more interested in making a statement than in keeping a low profile, so the C63 gets extroverted DTM-racer styling cues, like huge front-wheel arches wrapping the 235/40R18 PZeros, air extractors, hood bulges, and aggressive fascias. An edict to preserve all the stamped and welded steel parts leaves the rear-wheel arches looking a bit mismatched with the fronts, and little appliqus are required on the back sides of each wheel arch to fully envelop the jumbo 255/35R18s. Inside, there's a flat-bottomed steering wheel (covered in alcantara suede, on Perf-Pack cars), sport bucket seats with integral head restraints, and AMG gauges with a race-lap timing function in the body computer. It looks mean. It is mean.

An extended photo session put me way behind schedule, with about 50 miles of Maritime-Alpine switch-backs and corniches to negotiate in under an hour. Not a problem. The C63's big-motor-in-small-car formula approximates rocket-propelled acceleration, but the throttle is never jumpy, making it easy to exit corners smoothly. The stability-control system's "sport" mode allows reasonable drift angles (it was programmed so as to allow the car to circulate the Nurburgring Nordschleife just as fast in the ESP-Sport mode as with the system switched off). With ESP switched off, the rear-axle brakes still work to keep the wheels spinning at the same speed, and full ESP functionality returns if the driver brakes hard in the middle of a corner. Where this engine will trump the forthcoming M3's V-8 is not with its 30-plus extra horsepower, but with its titanic 148-pound-foot torque advantage. Musclecar love means never having to wring a car's 8300-rpm neck to pass an RV.

Ah, but Euro-sport sedan love means dancing through esses with the chassis sharing its most intimate secrets via the steering wheel. It's here that AMG takes the most startling swipe at the M3. Turn-in is quick, effort builds naturally with cornering intensity, and the chassis responds in ways that would make a blindfolded Bimmerphile surprised to find a three-pointed star on the airbag cover. There's less of the rim twitching and wiggling that describes road-surface friction in the best Porsches and BMWs, but this may be the best-steering Mercedes extant. The standard six-piston front, four-piston rear, all-steel vented and drilled brakes demonstrated deep reserves of power, and they apply as smoothly as the throttle.

On day two of my drive in one of two AMG development mules, the car was refitted with the Performance Package and race-compound brake pads for hot-lapping at Circuit Paul Ricard. The track's abundant runoff made it an ideal place to test the ESP-off mode, in which the car breaks traction with ample warning and is easy to control. A ride with DTM champ Bernd Schneider at the helm, making liberal use of the FIA curbing demonstrated that the extra-firm (pothole-patrons beware) suspension makes for exceptional body-motion control. It was amazing to watch him sawing at the wheel and applying stabs of throttle and brake to achieve his desired line as friction levels varied around the track. There's clearly no lash in the driveline or steering system. Perhaps the most intoxicating aspect of car is its engine note-pure NASCAR stocker outside (it's impossible to believe this car passes the 75-dBA Euro noise regs), just enough mechanical music inside.

And get this: the base C63 AMG will cost about $63K-that's at or below the anticipated M3 price. Yes, the BMW coupe may be more svelte, its many-tranny more involving, but when you gotta get somewhere mach schnell, and there's pokey tourist traffic to pass along your twisty route, this is the steed for the job. And, Scout's honor, this ain't the Chateau Lafite talking.

- MotorTrend

 

[BradC]

Seats look great!

 

[cable43]

good christ! that's a lot of car

 

[CantCMe]

I like! Just get rid of the hood.

 

[altspace]

Mo money...Mo money...Mo money.

 

[SPEED305]

HAWT!! how can someone not like the styling, it looks much classier than the BMW and the interior kills beamer too.

 

[Newf]

wow...nice

 

[RXMmazdaspeed]

sexy car... love the wheels.

 

[tsunami]

HAWT!! how can someone not like the styling, it looks much classier than the BMW and the interior kills beamer too.

cause we are all intitled to our own opinion and it comes across as boy racerish with that front clip and hideious hood... but thats just my opinion... ill take a new M3 instead please...

 

[mikeyb]

HAWT!! how can someone not like the styling, it looks much classier than the BMW and the interior kills beamer too.

Its Bimmer not Beamer. Beamer are the motorcycles.

 

[FreewheelBurner]

If we're gonna compare looks, I'd take the E90 M3 sedan. The AMG does look very good with four doors though.

This is probably a moot point with these cars, but the Mercs always seem to lack in the the interior styling department. There's also way too much stuff in there to distract the driver. I like BMW's simplistic and more driver focused interior.

 

[mikeyb]

Video

http://www.leblogauto.com/2007/07/la-mercedes-c63-amg-en-video.html

 

[mikeyb]

I would take the E90 M3 over this Merc anyday.

 

[Roocer]

I've always loved Mercedes but never really liked their C-class... until this one. Beautiful the pictures! Thanks!