ALGARVE, PORTUGAL – You probably just want to know whether the new Mercedes-AMG C63 is a match for the BMW M3, right?
The answer is an unequivocal, enthusiastic yes … the Benz is very much a true M3 rival.
And yet the reality is far more layered than what’s implied by that humble three-lettered answer. Because, while Affalterbach’s newest fire-breather represents a significant threat to the M3’s crown and in some aspects is the better product, it is also a very different prospect.
Planted; playful
One crucial difference is the immediate ease with which the C63 lures you into a sense of security. Where the BMW requires commitment, time and patience in order to learn its ways, mere minutes after taking command of the C63’s three-spoke leather-and-micofibre steering wheel, I manage to repeatedly light up the ESP warning graphic in the instrument panel. On the Algarve’s sinuous, camber-rollercoaster country passes, the AMG feels planted, composed and at ease, allowing me to push the grip levels of the driven rear axle. The nose darts into corners with more precision than before, the electro-mechanically assisted steering – devoid of the standard C-Class’s soulless variable-ratio system – informs and guides, and the livewire throttle response, one of the best on a turbocharged vehicle, means the engine is ready to fire you into the next sequence of curves.
With that we’ve arrived at another difference over the M3, and one that may just prove a clincher. The BMW’s 3,0-litre biturbo-petrol is hugely powerful but aurally inexpressive. It needs clever (artificial) engineering to sound interesting, and even then its industrial grumble can at times sound anguished.
The Benz, however, mimics a machine gun on full-throttle upshifts and during heavy braking into corners. It’s loud – perhaps a touch too much so for urban use when the driver opens the exhaust flaps with a tactile little button on the transmission tunnel – angry and characterful. The 4,0-litre V8 sounds as good as the 5,5-litre used in larger AMGs and nearly as wonderful as the old 6,2-litre from the outgoing C63.
V8 magic
And what an engine! Delivering a stout 350 kW and 650 N.m from a mere 1 750 r/min through to 4 500 r/min in this standard C63, it bests the old car’s figures by 14 kW and 50 N.m (the maximum of which is produced a whole 3 250 r/min earlier in the rev range). And that after losing 2,2 litres in displacement… Credit goes to the two turbochargers that are nestled in the engine’s V to aid compactness – though this hasn’t been enough; the V8’s size has required Benz to lengthen the nose by 54 mm in order to package it – responsiveness and efficiency.
Piping the power to the rear wheels (18-inch items on the C63; 19s on the C63 S) is AMG’s Speedshift seven-speed automatic transmission. Previously a disappointment in terms of response, the engineers who attended the launch were quick to emphasise the revised ‘box offers faster shift times and improved response in manual mode. Certainly, when left to its own devices in sport+ mode, on the Mediterranean country’s challenging mountain passes the transmission managed to hook the right gear every time. However, select manual mode and it still won’t offer your desired gear if the ECU thinks it’s cleverer than you. That said, later on the Portimao racetrack it proved fluid and responsive, though no match in terms of urgency for the M3’s dual-clutch ‘box.
Inspiring huge confidence, however, were the immense 390 mm composite front brake discs and very firm pedal, allowing us to shrug speed deep into corners before again jumping on the throttle and hearing the V8 roar to the red line. For the first time on a C AMG, Benz will offer a carbon-ceramic braking option. Considering what these things usually cost, R85 000 for this item seems like reasonable value.
Subtle to the extreme
Returning to the road the following day allowed more time to absorb the subtle changes that have been wrought to the C-Class interior. The instrumentation features a carbon-fibre-like background, there’s an IWC clock on the facia as in larger AMGs, Dinamica microfibre (a suede-like material) wraps the optional, extremely comfortable yet supportive Performance seats and stitched leather-look trim lines the dashboard and door tops of the S iteration. As an aside, those seats (a R34 500 option) are thinner than the standard chairs, freeing up extra legroom at the rear and further aiding Benz’s brief that this should first and foremost be a practical family vehicle. To this end, there is also an Estate version of both C63 models, but we won’t be getting those.
The external changes are equally subtle and include flared arches in front to create more room for the V8; twin power bonnet domes above a deep front valance that sits in front of the intercoolers for the two blowers; a number of different alloy-wheel designs; and four exhaust outlets that are dummy ones this time round.
Portugal’s coarse highway tar did highlight large amounts of tyre roar at cruising speeds, while the ride proved a tad punishing on rougher sections. That said, the new model is undoubtedly a more refined everyday vehicle.
C63 or M3?
So, to return to that question petrolheads have been pondering since first reviews of the M3 filtered through and Benz announced details of the C63… A definitive verdict on which vehicle is the best sport sedan will have to wait until we get a chance to test both back to back following the C63’s local launch at the end of May. But, I will say this: the AMG is a benign, friendly sedan that telegraphs its limits clearly, allowing its driver frequent opportunity to explore its dynamic ability on the road. Conversely, it feels a little out of its element on the track.
That’s different from the BMW, which shone at Aldo Scribante during January’s Performance Shootout. Also made clear on that trip was that the M3 required concentration on challenging roads. I suspect the BMW might be the more stimulating vehicle over an extended ownership period, but judging by this first encounter, I prefer the AMG’s approach of instant gratification as a result of its approachable nature and ferocious, sonorous powerplant. It’ll be a fascinating battle.
Get the April issue of CAR magazine for a more extensive driving impression, including our thoughts on the 375 kW/700 N.m C63 S and how it behaved on the technically challenging Portimao racing circuit.