Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Hyderabad
Merc works more magic
|
The C63 AMG is built on the same philosophy — performance at any cost
|
Whoop with joy Big motor, big space and nil sound
There are performance saloons and then there are Mercedes-Benz cars fettled by AMG, Mercedes’s own tuning division. They take the usually normal Merc that families buy and turn them into something that smokes anything that you’re likely t
o see on the road. The C63 AMG is built on the same philosophy — performance at any cost.
It is powered by a big motor. Not 3000, 4000, or even 5000cc, but a hulking 6208cc V8. Unlike earlier, AMG have dispensed with the supercharging turbos and gone for good old-fashioned cubic capacity. Get under the hood and the motor looks large enough to power a truck; it takes up every inch of available space. And that means serious performance. That’s 456 bhp and an insane 61 kgm of torque.
The C63 is meant to take BMW’s M3 head-on, and so AMG have shown some serious engineering commitment. The seven-speed auto can be locked in a gear, in M mode, there are three stages to the ESP, on-sport and off, and apart from the basic design, the suspension aggregates like the springs dampers and anti-roll bars are all new.
Inside, it’s the steering wheel and seats that are remarkably different. The wheel is a beautifully crafted three-spoke, with beautifully crafted metal gear shift levers; it also features a flat F1 car-like lower portion. It feels as tactile as a Momo racing wheel, but has practical stuff like an airbag and control buttons as well. And the large rally car-like seats, with an integrated headrest are different from your everyday ‘C’ Class too. Again, very sporty, but power- adjustable and practical. But chop, chop! Time to get behind the wheel.
Twist the key and the V8 catches with a sporty but muffled boom. It has that depth and spread of sound only a large capacity motor can expunge from idle. Like comparing the growl of a grizzly to that of a Pomeranian. It sounds effortless and very, very potent all at once.
Step-off from a standstill is well-mannered and the car is surprisingly driveable in traffic. Still, stretch your toes and the presence of all that deep, dark but smooth menace is apparent. Power up from 2000 rpm to 5000rpm and you feel like you’re being yanked forward, with the car running away from you at incredible velocity. The secret weapon here is torque, a mind-numbing 51 kgm from 2000 rpm. This car was brand-new, so I restricted myself to 75 per cent of the powerband, but the manner in which it makes its power, right from the bottom end through to its midrange gave me a taste of things to come.
On smaller roads off the main expressway, the AMG demonstrated its awesome power and performance with incredible effectiveness. A short three or four second stab on the throttle took you from the exit of one corner to the next, even when it was more than 150 metres away, and even short-shifting catapulted the Merc forward relentlessly. Flat out it will do 100 in 4.4 seconds (hello Porsche!) and 160 in less than 10 seconds!
Ultimately, it was the manner in which the C63 handled these crazy speeds that made me fall for the car. This car steers and rides nothing like a normal C-Class. The steering has great feel, the AMG darts into corners perfectly poised, and grip, balance and body control are outstanding. Hooking up a set of corners in this car is probably the most fun thing I’ve done in a long, long time. Enough to make me whoop with joy.
As an exercise in excess that is totally off the page, this car has few equals. It’s one of the best sporting three-pointers ever and strangely enough, Merc have to thank BMW for this.
Oh, the ride, despite the trick dampers, is a touch stiff, memsaab may not like the rear seat and there is the little matter of it costing Rs. 90 lakh, almost S-Class money. But it’s 10 lakh less than a BMW M3 and has four doors. Comparison anyone? Tell us if you’d like to come along for a ride. We’d be happy to oblige.
SHAPUR KOTWAL
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Hyderabad
|
