C63’s snarly, brash, properly entertaining
The C63 S is hardly new, but having undergone a minor nip/tuck last year, this gofast version of the otherwise milquetoast C-class is as ferocious as ever. Technically, it’s a victim of downsizing — gone is the snorty, normally aspirated 6.2-litre V8, replaced by smaller but twinturbocharged 4.0L V8 – but there’s nothing small about 503 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque at your disposal. All that kick is sent to the rear wheels via Mercedes’ nine-speed Speedshift MCT transmission.
But it’s not just any ninespeed transmission. Sure, it’s a traditional automatic in the sense that there are two pedals, a (clumsy) PR-N-D shifter, and if you leave it in D, it shifts for you. Yet it doesn’t have a torque converter, and it isn’t a dualclutch gearbox, either: Mercedes-benz calls this sorcery a multi-clutch transmission that “uses a wet startup clutch and magnesium casing to save weight and improve performance.”
No matter what you’re doing — whether it’s steady cruising on the highway, merging in a spirited manner, tooting around town, or passing an 18-wheeler on a two-lane road in the sticks – the C63 S always seems to be in the right gear. Shifts are lightning-quick, and you can step down a handful of gears if you really need to go fast.
Speaking of going fast, the S is really good at that, too. Zero-to-100 km/h arrives in about 3.9 seconds, and if you keep the go-fast pedal pinned, it tops out at an electronically limited 290 km/h. You definitely won’t tap into that performance on a daily basis, but there’s hardly a lick of turbo lag and you’ll certainly appreciate the soundtrack: turbochargers may be the replacement for displacement — the six-cylinder BMW M4 now plays in the 500-horsepower club — but the speedy Benz simply sounds better than anything in the segment, Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio notwithstanding. It’s fairly reserved and muted in Comfort, but anything beyond Sport and the Benz properly snarly and rabid.
Unfortunately, the C63 S loses some of its lustre in terms of suspension tuning and ride quality. Let me preface this by saying, regardless of the drive mode in which you find yourself — be it Comfort or Race — the C63 S sticks to the pavement like dried-up tomato sauce from the lasagna that used to be on your dinner plate, and it corners flatter than the sheets of plywood currently making up
your sub-floor.
But that capability comes at the expense of ride quality, which no matter how you slice it, is harsh and loud on anything that isn’t fresh, glass-smooth pavement, again regardless of the drive mode you’ve selected. I’ll give the C63 some remedial brownie points for its steering: as far as electric and powered racks go, the C63 S’ steering is well weighted and offers good feedback. A limited-slip diff is also standard.
Part of the C63’s updates for 2019 included a whole host of cosmetic tweaks inside and out, and all that carries over into 2020 (and 2021). Outside, the C63 S now wears AMG’S so-called Panamericana front grille and sets itself apart from standard C-class models with more aggressive front and rear fascias, wider fenders, and larger wheels. This particular C63 S was fitted with optional staggered forged wheels and an aero kit, and while the matte paintwork (a $2,500 option, by the way) may not be everyone’s cup of tea, the Benz is by and large more subtle and fetching than the M4. If the coupe isn’t your thing, Mercedes also offers the C63 as a convertible and a sedan, the latter of which obviously more practical, but also surprisingly lighter than the coupe.
The cabin sees the most tweaks. It’s largely the same basic layout as we first saw in 2015, and that’s not a bad.
The C63 S isn’t running MBUX yet, but the infotainment is still intuitive enough (it’s operated by a rotary knob that, at the very least, eliminates fingerprints on the screen) and the upsized 10.25-inch display offers crisp graphics. That, by the way, is part of the $5,500 Premium Package that adds a bumpin’
Burmester sound system as well as other bits that should really be standard, like Apple Carplay and Android Auto connectivity, a power trunk, and a 360-degree camera system, to name a few.
One option that’s definitely worth it is the 12.3-inch alldigital instrument cluster. It’s part of the aptly named Technology Package that also adds a pair of very smart adaptive LED headlights. It’s also slick, highly customizable — you can set it up to show as much or as little info as you want, a pair of traditional analogue gauges, or a full map — and well worth the $1,900. The steering wheel is updated, too: it’s the same wheel found in the AMG GT Coupe and four-door, among other models, but if you want it finished in Alcantara/ultrasuede/dinamica or whatever it’s called, that’s another $650. The $2,700 Intelligent Drive package rounds out the laundry list of options on this particular C 63 S, adding the requisite active safety features you’d expect from a car built in this day and age.
Bottom line? It’s possible to throw a lot of money at a C 63 S. The coupe starts at $86,200, but this tester topped out at a hair under $110,000 — and there are even more options that could drive up the price even further.