Mercedes-AMG C63 saloon (2015) review

This is the new 2015 Mercedes-AMG C63, the second generation of the most popular AMG model in history – 5000 examples of the last model were sold in the UK from 2009. The spec will send shockwaves through BMW M Division. The big news is the gorgeous 6.2-litre naturally aspirated engine has gone, replaced by a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 – the BMW M3/M4 has a 3.0-litre twin-turbo straight six. Performance, torque and fuel efficiency all improve. Both saloon and estate models are available. The C63 saloon goes on sale from April 2015 priced at £59,795, the estate from July 2015 priced at £60,995. Tell me about that engine in the new 2015 C63 Codenamed M1777, the 4.0-litre V8 is hand-built at Affalterbach, and is smaller, lighter, more powerful and more efficient than the engine it replaces. Featuring an iron block with aluminium heads, the V8 is effectively a pair of 2.0-litre four-cylinder engines from the A45 AMG on a common crank. The turbochargers are packaged in the vee, helping compactness, while the intercoolers are nestled behind the air scoops in the chunky front bumper. If you’re worried the turbos will mute AMG’s goose-pimple soundtrack, you might want to spend £1k on the optional sports exhaust. We’ve had special-edition C63s before with increased power outputs – the excellent DR520 and Edition 507, for instance, while Performance Packages have previously been offered – but this is the first time a choice of power outputs are available from launch. The C63 offers 469bhp and 480lb ft torque, while the C63 S boosts that to 503bhp and 516lb ft – but you’ll pay almost £7k for the privilege. At least there’s more kit too, more of which later. Either way, the C63 easily bests the BMW M3/M4’s 425bhp and 406lb ft torque. Both C63 and C63 S claim the same 34.5mpg and 192g/km C02, while the S saloon’s 0-62mph time drops a tenth to 4.0sec. All of those figures make for a very small – but crucial in the Top Trumps stakes – advantage over the BMW. AMG don’t just put an engine in and close the bonnet these days, do they? No, those days are long gone. The C63 sticks with electro-mechanical steering, but ditches the weird variable-rate rack you’ll find in lesser Mercedes C-class models. The front and rear tracks are both wider, there are unique springs and dampers and anti-roll bars, and 360mm-diameter discs all round. Just like the BMW nemesis, you can also specify carbon-ceramic brakes for the first time, which add £4285 to the sticker – pricey, but much more palatable than the £8-10k often charged on higher-end cars. Long overdue is a standard-fit limited-slip differential. The base cars gets a purely mechanical set-up, while the S adds electronic control to the same unit – it measures various parameters including throttle position and steering angle to pre-empt the best response. Other S-specific goodies include 19-inch alloys (18s on base cars), dynamic engine mounts (they stiffen up when you cane it for a more connected response, but soften off when you’re cruising for better refinement), chunkier 390mm front brakes and AMG Performance Seats. How does the new C63 AMG drive? The first thing you notice is the noise: the C63 sounds amazing as soon as you turn the ignition key, a proper V8 explosion – and that’s even with the standard exhaust. The 4.0-litre V8 is a great engine, and one – thank the lord – that retains much of the character of AMG’s naturally aspirated engines. I just don’t think anyone has quite mastered downsizing and turbocharging to the level of Mercedes-AMG. There’s a tiny little bit of lag, but it’s neither here nor there in the grand scheme of things, and the throttle response and the way it pulls is fantastic. Is it better than the 3.0-litre six in the M3? Yes it is. With electro-mechanical steering, some of the magic of the old steering is undoubtedly lost. This isn’t bad steering, far from it, but it self centres a little too keenly, and just can’t match the old rack for fluidity. The gearbox is much improved, and didn’t once baulk at a downshift to second on track, which is a first for me in an AMG. There’s no doubt, however, that the M Division dual-clutch units are sharper and more incisive. The M cars have better traction too. The C63 is a very tail happy car, and you need to be patient on the throttle to put the power down cleanly, but then that’s part of the fun. Light up the rear tyres and you’ll find it hilariously playful and incredibly adjustable. And it’s a mark of how well sorted the front end is that you can throw it at corners at ludicrous angles and it still doesn’t lose its excellent steering precision. Even when you’re not sliding it, it’s still exceptionally good. Go hard into a corner and the front end feels very well tied down, giving a consistency to driving through long, fast corners that really imbues confidence, whichever driving mode your in. Verdict The C63 is a proper bit of kit, one that delivers a killer blow to BMW M Division mainly courtesy of its incredible V8 engine. I can’t emphasise this enough – the V8 is an absolute peach, and worth the price of entry alone. But it handles superbly, stops and steers well, shifts gears with improved precision and plays the hooligan when the mood takes you. It does feel like a relatively heavy car, and an M3 is a more precise handler, thanks mainly to its vast reserves of traction. The truth is, it’s swings and roundabouts here, but if, like me, you’re mourning the passing of the M3’s naturally aspirated V8, the C63 provides a much more compelling replacement for displacement. Statistics How much? £66,545 On sale in the UK: Now Engine: 3982cc 32v twin-turbo V8, 503bhp @ 5500-6200rpm, 516lb ft @ 1750-4500rpm Transmission: Seven-speed MCT automatic, rear-wheel drive Performance: 4.0sec 0-62mph, 155mph, 34.5mpg, 192g/km CO2 How heavy / made of? 1640kg/aluminium and steel How big (length/width/height in mm)? 4756/1839/1426mm