Mercedes-AMG C63 S sedan 2016 review

Ewan Kennedy road tests and review the 2016 Mercedes-AMG C63S sedan with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Australians make no bones about the fact that they love to drive, and if their budgets are up to it many will go for the high-performance models in any range. We are the biggest buyers of Mercedes-AMG models in the world when taken as a percentage of all Mercedes-Benz sales.

We have just spent a very enjoyable week in a Mercedes-AMG C 63 S sedan, just the thing for a family man or woman in a hurry.

That’s as a follow-up to our track day testing of the coupe version of C 63 S at Sydney Motorsport Park at Eastern Creek. A race track really is the only place to properly appreciate any Mercedes-AMG model and we had a great day there.

The sound and fury in the super-sports sedan is lovely when you have a chance to drive it hard.

Styling

There’s no visual doubt this is the ultra-sports version of the Mercedes C-Class model range. A major redesign of the front of the sedan sees a 60 mm longer aluminium bonnet with twin power domes. The frontal section has large air inlets and aerodynamic flics. There’s also a low splitter to reduce front-axle lift at speed.

The C 63 AMG coupe has a wider track, by 64 millimetres at the front and 66 at the rear. Larger wheel arches are filled by wider tyres (255 millimetre front, 285 rear).

It has Nappa leather upholstery, heated front seats, digital TV and a panoramic glass sliding sunroof. The latter had seriously dark glass that worked brilliant against the silver paint of our test car.

Features

The central tablet-type infotainment screen is large and easy to use. It gives access to the Mercedes Comand system and the quality of sound from the audio system is impressive. The DAB+ digital radio can be a bit hit and miss but when you do get a full signal it’s well worth listening to your favourite channels.

Engine and transmission

Gone are the naturally aspirated 6.2-litre V8 engines of previous AMG cars we have known and loved, replaced by a 4.0-litre V8 bi-turbo unit producing 375 kW of power and a wild 700 Nm of torque. It drives through a semi-race seven-speed dual-clutch G-Tronic Plus gearbox.

Safety

Active safety features on a car like this mean it will do everything it can to save you from your own mistakes. Passive safety items include a full suite of items including nine airbags.

To really get the best from an AMG, even if you've no plans to go onto a track, we suggest taking part in one of the “Mercedes-Benz Driving Events” programs. Intelligently, there are even courses for young drivers, including those still on P-plates. We can all remember our younger days when we felt we knew everything about everything, if you want to help your teenagers to stay out of trouble on the road these courses are an excellent investment.

Driving

The front sports seats support very well without being overly aggressive in their bolsters to the extent getting in and out is difficult. The rear seats are neatly trimmed in the same sporting manner as the front units. Rear headroom may prove marginal for tall passengers due to the sunroof.

Legroom in the back isn’t too bad, but some compromising will be necessary at times. Those in the back may not like the hard surfaces behind the two front seats if it rubs against their knees.

The AMG C 63 S has Ride-Control sports suspension, active dynamic engine mounts, electronic rear axle locking differential and a performance exhaust system.

The sound and fury in the super-sports sedan is lovely when you have a chance to drive it hard in safe conditions. The engine shrieks under full-throttle acceleration, spits on fast downchange and burbles in a satisfying way even when driving at low speeds in normal day-to-day driving.

The brakes haul off speed hard and during our road driving we never came even remotely close to their limits. However, our previous track testing at Eastern Creek put the brakes under some strain. If you do intend to drive in controlled high-speed areas it might we worth specifying the optional composite brakes.

Comfort is compromised at times, even when using the softer settings on offer. Rough roads can knock the C 63 S a bit off course at times, though it recovers quickly. Some coarse-chip surfaces set up a lot of road noise. This is a sports machine and the compromises will lean in the right direction for most owners.