First Drive: 2012 Mercedes-Benz C 63 AMG Coupe

C-plus

Mercedes wastes no time adding honking AMG model to its new C Class Coupé By John LeBlanc CIRCUITO MONTEBLANCO, Spain – If you gauge social trends by what’s new on television, there seems to be a political correctness backlash occurring. Inspired by the excessive drinking, groping and smoking from the 1960’s New York City advertising world of TV's Mad Men, this fall will see the debut of the similarly retro-themed Pan Am (a series based on swinging sixties stewardesses, described by its creators as “Passion, jealousy and espionage... They do it all—and they do it at 30,000 feet”), as well as The Playboy Club, based on the legendary den of debauchery Chicago nightclub from the same era. Which leads us to the current 2012 Mercedes-Benz C 63 AMG Coupe, the first of two AMG models (a Black Series C Coupe is also on the way) in the all-new two-door, 2+2, rear-wheel-drive C Class Coupe family, and—more specifically—its old school 6.2-litre V8 that buxomly fills its engine bay. As automakers kowtow to tree-hugging governments, introducing engines with less cylinders, smaller displacement and wheezy forced-induction systems, the new C 63 AMG is one of the last performance cars you can buy with a large (6.2-litres), high-revving (up to 7,200-rpm), very powerful (451 horsepower) and torque-rich (443 pound-feet) naturally aspirated vee-friggen-eight engine. Just the type of testosterone drenched, muscle mill Mad Men’s Don Draper would be proud to drink and drive in. In theory, the new AMG C Coupe replaces the previous CLK 63 AMG, last seen in 2009. That high-performance CLK had the same hammer-and-tong 6.2 engine, but not the new AMG Coupe’s more sophisticated hardware or power-to-weight ratio to take on class leading rivals like the 414 hp $71,700 BMW M3 Coupe or upstart 556 hp $71,425 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe. Wallflowers need not apply for C 63 AMG Coupe ownership. On top of the rather conservatively styled base C Coupes, the AMG version has gained some of the German touring car championship-styling from the limited-edition 2009 CLK 63 AMG Black Series, including a quartet of chrome megaphones the AMG folks call a “sports exhaust system”. And those tailpipes aren’t just for show. I may as well have fired up a smuggled Cuban cigar during a Sunday mass, what with the chastising looks from the locals, when I turned the ignition key of the C 63 AMG Coupe. Even at idle, the engine’s low-frequency burble warns there’s a devilish of an engine underneath its power-domed hood. Based on its BMW and Cadillac competition, and the fact the sedan version costs $63,900, expect a starting price nearer $70,000 when the C 63 AMG Coupe goes on sale this fall. Opt for the yet-unpriced AMG Performance Package (Mercedes says most buyers do) and you’ll receive—among other details—donated from the SLS AMG super car a lighter crankshaft, connecting rods and pistons that remove over 3 kg of internal engine mass, letting the mill rev to a high 7200-rpm redline, and a fulsome 481 hp. As equipped, its maker boasts claims of a 4.3 seconds zero to 100 km/h time and a top speed of 280 km/h—both quicker and faster than an M3. Also inherited from other AMG models is the C 63 AMG Coupe’s Speedshift Plus Multi Clutch Technology seven-speed automatic. Despite its long name, the Speedshift’s hydraulically actuated wet clutch (that replaces a fluid-filled torque converter) pops off shifts off in as little as 100 milliseconds, dependent on which of five modes (Controlled Efficiency, Sport, Sport +, Manual, or RaceStart) is selected. My favourite was S+ mode. It gives the throttle a blip on downshifts and delivers snappy upshifts, which eliminates the need to use the steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters. Compared to its cooking C Class Coupe siblings, the AMG model is an overtly more engaging car to drive. Feedback from its steering, brakes and suspension loudly pronounce you are piloting a driver’s car that excels as a highway missile. The most immediate road impression is how planted the two-door feels in corners. For good reason: Mercedes engineers have given the car’s Continental ContiSportContact 3s (235/40ZR-18 front; 255/30ZR-18 rear) aggressive (-1.8 to -2.0 degrees at the front, -2.0 to -2.2 at the back) toe camber angles (i.e. the bottom of the tires are angled outwards more than the top). Along with its AMG-exclusive suspension, the coupe sticks like the proverbial gum-on-hot-asphalt. At the private Monteblanco race course, just outside of Seville, in vain, we writing hacks in C 63 AMG Coupes chased an SLS AMG Gullwing coupe driven by Mercedes race driver Susie Stoddart. Now, as much as Mercedes wants you to equate the C 63 AMG to some of its real race cars, the compact coupe isn’t the track-day weapon the M3 is. Too much weight (the ‘Benz weighs in at 1,730 kg, or about 50 kg more than the Bimmer) and not enough rear tire made the Mercedes looser (i.e. oversteer) than a 1960s ad intern at a Christmas party. Fast, loud and a bit out of touch with the times, the new C 63 AMG Coupe is a modern day muscle car. When we’re all driving hydrogen-powered appliances, the C 63 AMG’s politically incorrect V8 almost guarantees it’ll fetch a good price at the 2050 Barret-Jackson auction. In the meantime, though, (and save for the SLS AMG) the two-door C 63 AMG steals the trophy from its four-door sibling as the most overall balanced driver’s road car in Mercedes’ lineup. First Drive: 2011 Mercedes-Benz C 63 AMG Coupe WHAT I LIKE: World-class engine matched to sharp-shifting autobox; superlative on-road performance; bang-for-your-performance-dollar value WHAT I DON'T: Rivals are more fun-to-drive at the track; relatively conservative styling; rivals offer manual transmissions, convertible tops, and all-wheel-drive Est. base price: $70,000-plus Type of vehicle: RWD, four-passenger, compact coupe Engines: 6.2-litre V8 Power: 451/481 hp Torque: 443 lb-ft E.U. Fuel Economy L/100 km Combined City/Hwy: 12.0 Transmission: Seven-speed automatic Competition: Audi RS5, BMW M3, Cadillac CTS-V, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, Dodge Challenger SRT-8, Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, Infiniti G37 IPL

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