Vehicle: 2008 Mercedes C63 AMG with Premium Pkg and Navigation Pkg
Price as tested: CDN$69500

Handling: We already impressed enough with standard C-Class’s dynamic abilities, especially in Sport guise. Give AMG engineers a twist and they really transformed the garden-variety C-Class into a monster. As with all Mercedes, the foundation is already soild and stiff enough. AMG engineers have recalibrated the sports suspension and springs for them to hold onto the the monsterous V8, which we will tell you later on. The result is a performance sedan that Mercedes has never gone before. Previous AMGs are rocketship on straight line but got handful on black top twisties, save the CLS and CLK63 Black Series. This C63 is as capable as anything from Audi’s RS and BMW’s Motorsport division. The steering is sharp and precise, with plenty of feedback both on and off-center. However, there is one dynamic trait that is typical of Mercedes remains intact. That’s the slightly numb off-center during high cruising speed. Its a godsent from AMG to offer 3 different threshold of ESP. The highest setting is the most instrusive one, which is highly recommend for daily driving. Even if its the highest setting, its already less intrusive than all the Mercedes ESP has come before. The 2nd threshold is the setting that allow a bit of instrusiveness when the car rears its ugly heads. This is best for those who haven’t got used to its monsterous horses when first experienced on track. The lowest setting means no matter how hard an enthuisast wants to press this AMG, it won’t step in. All come down to the driving skill of the driver. This system’s desired effect is to give the driver total control over how much understeer and oversteer they want when pushing on track. Speaking on track driving, this C63 is truly a blast-to-drive. With near perfect 50/50 rear-drive weight distribution, it creates a balanced drive that is equally forgiving as entertaining. Thanks to the adaptive damping which adjusts to all driving situation, this supersedan’s ride is firm but far from harsh. It also dials out 99% of all body rolls. That explains its flat cornering through the turns on the racetrack.

Performance: This 6.3 liter “one man one engine” AMG 32-valve DOHC V8 slots into a sedan that weights in at near 4000 lb has created a monster. The throttle response is amazing. Its level of acceleration can easily broken your neck when not used to the little instant response of the throttle. Its engine note is Teutonic-like solid all around the rev range. Engine refinement, smoothness and NVH are all up to Mercedes’s standards. Certainly, its 443 lb/ft of torque at 5000rpm explains how great its bottom end. While its breathtaking 451 hp would make its top end breathing endlessly. Without an excellent transmission, everything else would be wasted. Thanks to AMG’s 7-speed Speedshift gearbox with paddle shifters, its gear ratios are perfect for C63’s sporty character without losing the cruising ability while on top gears. The 0 to 100 km/h time of 4.5 seconds really explain how this compact Mercedes can outrun anything with a sports car monikor, with practicality to boot.

Brakes: With large 4-wheel discs and ABS, C63’s braking prowess is nothing short of astounishing. The stopping distance is short while pedal feels alive even after a couple of hard stops. It doesn’t have any fades after all those hot laps and aggressive braking on the racetrack. Impressive indeed.

Interior: The single biggest highlight are those bolstered AMG sports seats. The supports are superb when you are really going at it in the corners. Plenty of side, back and thigh supports. They are all covered with nice cowhides, which are supple and soft. The rest of the interior is typical C-Class layout. Great set of white dial instrumentation gauges, excellent auto climate control and tasteful use of aluminum trim.

Conclusion: The new C63 is a truly impressive piece of engineering marvels. It got a great powertrain, handles wonderfully and a nice interior to boot. When you factor in the fully loaded price of just below $70 grand, its also bang-for-the-buck. This is a supersedan that appeals to both rational and emotional side of the equation. The best buy of all supersedan, regardless of price, nevertheless.

OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2008 Mercedes C63 AMG
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Performance: 5/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 5/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 4.5/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 4.5/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 4.5/5
Value-for-money: 5/5

Overall rating: 5/5