And by power, I mean a 6.3-liter, 450-horsepower V8-engine. But sadly, we have speed limits here and I don’t possess such a get out of jail card, so I was never able to really let those horses run. But you could certainly hear the power of that engine from start to finish. Just turning the ignition was exhilirating and usually drew some looks from anyone who was nearby.
The 32-valve naturally-aspirated AMG engine features a dual-flap variable intake manifold and four chromed-out exhaust ports in the back. All of this is standard on C63 models, but my tester took it a step further with the P31 Development Package, which included AMG’s compound braking system and revised engine management system which adds an extra 30 HP to this speedster. Mercedes-Benz said that max speed tops out at 174 mph. I can assure you that I did not personally test that.
What I did test was the acceleration, as Mercedes claims a 0-60 time of 4 seconds. I put that to my own test and can tell you that the C63 definitely gets there quickly and effortlessly. It was hard to imagine a car this quick with this kind of handling coming from a nearly 4,000-lb., 4-door sedan. Kudos to the engineers at AMG on this marvel.
With these kinds of speeds, it’s important to have the proper control and Mercedes offers the Slip Differential Lock system for an extra $2,000. This is a well-worth it feature.
Inside my tester was just as much luxury, thanks to the AMG Leather Package (an additional $3,000), which featured race-inspired leather seats and a telescopic steering column with memory feature. Sitting in those seats, with the growl of that engine, and you almost feel like a race car driver.
The back seat, which offers room for three, provides enough comfort and leg room for your passengers to enjoy the ride themselves. The C63 has plenty of standard features including a power sunroof, dual-zone climate control, 8-speaker sound system with auxillary input, Sirius satellite radio and Bluetooth hands-free calling.
For a luxury vehicle with a high sticker price, it would be nice to see leather and the multimedia package included in the standard models, instead of as additional packages.
And, because of the powerful engine, the C63 is subject to a gas guzzler tax of $2,100, as this car averages only 15 mpg. But, you’re not buying it for family vacations, now are you?
With a base price of $58,200 (my tester with all the extra packages had a price of almost $78,000), the C63 uses all the technology available to Mercedes and AMG to give its rivals like the Audi RS5 and the BMW M3 a run for their money.
When it was time to return my vehicle, I was glad to have been given the opportunity to test drive this vehicle and was sad to say “auf Wiedersehen” to it.
Jimmy Dinsmore is the Wheels editor at the Dayton Daily News and may be reached at (937) 225-2115 or jdinsmore@coxohio.com
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