First drive: Mercedes C63 AMG car review

Auto Driven: Mercedes C 63 AMG
Models tested: Mercedes C 63 AMG Saloon, Mercedes C63 AMG Estate
Price as tested: £51,425
Range price: £51,425-£52,675
Insurance group range: 19A
Date and place tested: May 2008, Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground, Leicestershire
Road tester: Adrian Higgins

“We’ve got a spinner” says the voice on the walkie-talkie. I know. I’ve just spun it.

I’m sitting in the driver’s seat of a Mercedes C63 AMG, thirty metres from the test track and wheel-arch-deep in “the rough”.

Thirty seconds earlier I had been approaching the course’s first significant corner with the drivers’ aids switched off and a film of water coating the way ahead.

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The Mercedes PR team wanted to give journalists the opportunity to experience the role its electronic stability programme (ESP) plays in keeping drivers on the road in adverse conditions – and the fun that can be had turning it off under safe conditions on the track.

They didn’t necessarily want to see one of their £50K-plus flagship Mercedes C-Class AMG models careering off the track - but it certainly makes the point.

The location was Bruntingthorpe proving ground and aerodrome, in Leicestershire.

This is the venue for all manner of road tests with manufacturers and journalists alike attracted to its super-wide circuit, incredibly long straight and run-offs which generally ensure mistakes are met with nothing worse than embarrassment.

Sheepishness

And my sheepishness was soon brushed aside by a Mercedes team eager to show why they think the latest Mercedes C Class to undergo the AMG treatment is the best yet.

AMG is Mercedes' own tuning division, which has fed models from the Three Pointed Star's range for more than four decades.

The outgoing C 55 AMG’s 367 bhp 5.5-litre V8 engine had a 0-62mph time of 5.2 seconds.

The Mercedes C 63 AMG ups the stakes considerably with its 457bhp 6.3-litre engine covering the sprint in 4.5 seconds – and that’s partly due to a new way of working.

Mercedes used to deliver its finished product to AMG but this time the tuning specialists were involved in producing the car from the ground up – giving AMG greater flexibility to deliver supercar performance.

And it is perceived as an essential part of Mercedes’ bid to attract BMW and Audi customers who perceive the Mercedes brand a little mature for their tastes.

The day begins with a simple series of avoidance manoeuvres: weaving in and out of cones, swerving to avoid an obstacle and taking bends at a fair lick to show off the car’s responsiveness, firm chassis and powerful engine.

Paddle shifts cut gear change times in half

And this pretty much forms the pattern for the day – with instructors gradually increasing the driver involvement to reveal more of the car’s ability.

The C 63 AMG boasts a seven-speed automatic gear box offering comfort, sport and manual settings and we work our way through each through the course of the day.

Comfort mode supplies swift, effective gear changes. Sport mode makes those changes 30 per cent quicker with a double-declutching function blipping the throttle when shifting down. (This both sounds good and carries safety benefits as stability is enhanced – in particular when entering a corner).

Paddle shift gears cut comfort gear change times in half and are great for the track – though switching to automatic means I am able to concentrate more on the steering and handling.

There are three ESP settings and we start the day with full ESP which ensures the car’s technology “steps-in” any time loss of control or stability seemed likely.

Incredible traction

ESP Sport ensures accelerating briskly out of a corner kicks the tail out and as for turning the ESP off… well, I think I mentioned that.

Talking to my instructor afterwards he praised my quick and correct response in turning into the skid.

However, talking me through it, he identified I had not been prepared for how quickly and positively the car’s incredible traction had taken hold of the grippier dry tarmac after the water-soaked corner.

The result being I didn’t re-correct the steering speedily enough to prevent a sharp exit, and a bumpy foray across the grass.

It was a pointed reminder that turning off the ESP requires a safe environment and talent in equal measure. Well, at least I had one of them.

The instructors possessed the talent and to finish off the day they showed us exactly what the car can do in the hands of an expert.

Being driven by a pro can be as much or even more fun than being at the wheel and the instructors, based at the German manufacturer’s flagship Mercedes-Benz World, in Surrey, took almost as much delight in performing ridiculously ambitious (but perfectly executed) drifting manoeuvres through hairpins and chicanes as I did in experiencing them.

I was very impressed by the car’s performance and the earlier involvement of AMG – responsible for sharper steering, improved suspension and the seven speed 7G-tronic gearbox - has clearly been beneficial.

On paper the estate version’s performance is marginally less impressive than that of the saloon, but in reality, once behind the wheel it is easy to forget which you are driving.

Red-needled dials

And it’s worth mentioning the 475bhp is only 13bhp less than the German DTM touring car which inspired it – which, among other things, makes for a superb roar when the car is revved.

AMG has also put its mark on the car’s styling, including power domes for the bonnet, 18-inch alloy wheels as standard, honeycomb grille, flared wheel arches (with air vents just in front), side skirts and two chrome twin tailpipes.

AMG branding features on the car’s exterior and inside within the red-needled dials of the instrument cluster. The flagship model also comes with AMG sports seats and aluminium-finish sill panels.

It leaves the car still very much recognisable as a C Class but also identifiable as the performance version.

The car’s incredible performance is coupled with practicality which includes a 475-litre boot (the estate boasts an extra ten litres with up to 1,500 litres available with the rear seats flattened).

Safety first

And in terms of safety, as well as ESP and Brake Assist there is a broad array of passive safety features under Mercedes’ Pre-Safe umbrella to reduce the effects of an accident by measures including tightening seat belts if an impact seems inevitable.

Any downsides? Insurance (group 19), car tax (band G and a £400 a year bill) and fuel consumption (21.1mpg average for the saloon and 20.6mpg for the estate) will all hit the wallet pretty hard. However, to some extent that goes with the territory of owning a car with this level of performance.

The Mercedes C 63 AMG is a monster of a car clothed within a respectable business suit – albeit one which gives fairly large clues as to its true identity.

I loved driving this car and being shown its performance and manoeuvring capabilities.

But it also provided a sobering lesson that the safety features on a performance car – especially if you’re not a professional driver – are an essential part of the mix.

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