2008 C63: 457HP 443lb-ft of torque (Edmunds Test pg. 2)
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The rear taillights do nothing for me, but otherwise it looks awesome! The new C Class design has a classic Benz look to it, so that certainly helps too. To be honest, I expected the C63 to have a bit more power than 457HP. Either Benz understated the figures, or they detuned the engine.
As for the IS-F, some of you seem to be making a lot of assumptions. We don't know the specifics or details for the IS-F yet, nor how it drives. We don't even know the full power figures it will have.
As for the IS-F, some of you seem to be making a lot of assumptions. We don't know the specifics or details for the IS-F yet, nor how it drives. We don't even know the full power figures it will have.
#47
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Autoweek
MERCEDES-BENZ C63 AMG
ON SALE: Spring 2008
BASE PRICE: N/A
DRIVETRAIN: 6.2-liter, 457-hp, 442-lb-ft V8; rwd, seven-speed automatic
CURB WEIGHT: 3650 lb
0-60 MPH: 4.3 sec (est)
FUEL ECONOMY: N/A
![](http://www.autoweek.com/graphics/aw_spacer.gif)
![](http://www.autoweek.com/graphics/aw_spacer.gif)
The new C63 is meant to change all that. It has been engineered in a program that its director of development, Tobias Moers, promises will challenge BMW’s new M3 for outright driver appeal. “We have left no stone unturned in efforts to provide our new car the necessary qualities to lift it above the competition,” he says, adding that the C63 has more development miles than any other car in AMG’s 40-year history.
The wholesale change in philosophy is no better exemplified than by AMG’s decision to equip the C63 with an electronic stability program (ESP) that can be switched off completely. There’s no cop-out like the system employed on the old C55, which intervenes above a predetermined threshold even when it is supposedly disabled. Hold the button down for longer than three seconds and you disengage the electronic safety net. It continues to operate under braking but disappears under load, setting the scene for lurid oversteer as well as an arcane ability to light up the rear tires in first, second and third gears.
“It was the one thing I really pushed hard to incorporate into the car from the beginning,” says Moers. “It is essential our customers can choose to use every last bit of their cars’ performance.”
The appropriate word here is choose, because as well as being able to turn off the ESP, there is also a special sport mode that sees it continue to operate in the background but at a newly developed threshold that permits you to tease the rear end out without prematurely robbing power from the engine and applying the brakes.
So the C63 is unshackled. The question is, does it make any difference? Oh, yeah. With this car, AMG has achieved a tremendous balance between power and poise. As well as being seriously fast, it also responds intuitively to your actions. Modifications to the third-generation C-Class’ rear-wheel-drive chassis deliver the sort of confidence-inspiring feedback over winding roads that soon prompts you to make the most of the switchable ESP. We can’t remember a more entertaining, more dynamically rounded Mercedes model since the original 190 2.5 Evo.
It starts, as always, with the engine. Out goes the old 5.4-liter V8, its place taken by AMG’s latest 6.2-liter V8. The engine is mounted a half-inch farther back than the regular C-Class engines. The complete front-end structure has been redesigned around a series of radiators—a total of six crammed in on top of each other behind the front-end bodywork where they compete for air fed through liberal openings. (Note to self: Keep the expensive- looking nose away from guardrails.)
The big V8 kicks out 457 hp at 6700 rpm along with a tumultuous 442 lb-ft at 5000 rpm. Central among the chassis changes is the adoption of the front axle from the CLK63 Black Series. Up in length by 1.3 inches over the standard C-Class and boasting redesigned wheel bearings, it adds true precision to the steering, imbuing the C63 with sharper turn-in and greater feedback than any other AMG model.
The suspension, a four-link front and five-link rear arrangement, is related in principle to the standard C-Class but uses more aluminum to keep unsprung weight down. It supports 18-inch wheels shod with 245/40 front and 255/35 rear Pirelli P-Zero Corsa tires.
It’s all clothed in an aggressive-looking body that turns the C63 into a real head-turner. One thing’s for sure: You’ll never mistake it for an ordinary C-Class. There’s a deep front bumper punctuated with enormous cooling ducts and vertically stacked blades at each side to extract air from the oil cooler. The car also has a twin-slat grille, titanium-colored headlight inserts, a restyled steel hood with a pair of power domes and widened front fenders with bulging wheel arches. It looks menacing but contemporary. Added to all this are chiseled side sills, a trunk-mounted spoiler, darkened tail-lamp lenses and a retroflex rear bumper.
The changes continue inside, with contoured sport seats offering electronic cushion adjustments, a terrific flat-bottomed steering wheel with remote shift paddles for the C63’s seven-speed automatic gearbox and new instrument graphics.
Fire the ignition, still activated via an electronic key rather than a starter button favored by some rivals. Ba-ba-ba . . . boom! The engine draws breath before erupting to life with a deep bellow through the exhausts, extinguishing any remaining doubts you might have had about AMG’s mission with the C63. Dial in the manual mode for the gearbox via a button on the center console, draw the stubby shift lever back to engage drive and ease away smartly with a determined stab of the throttle and the sound of rubber straining against the pavement.
There are no cantankerous theatrics from the driveline, just one linear surge of acceleration. The engine responds with alacrity to every request, igniting power and then dousing it as your right foot demands. For all the apparent athleticism, it is smooth, running up to the 7000-rpm redline without any strain. And it is addictive: We found ourselves dropping back a gear at almost every opportunity, just to experience the sheer explosiveness concentrated in the upper reaches of the rev range. All the while the heavy-metal soundtrack hardens in concert with the V8’s howl.
The relentless acceleration is as mind-blowing as the epic exhaust note. Mercedes-Benz claims 0 to 62 mph in just 4.5 seconds. That’s 0.3-second inside the time BMW quotes for the new M3 and becomes all the more impressive when you realize you are hauling 3650 pounds. Top speed is nominally capped at 155 mph, however, customers who specify the C63’s optional performance package receive a remapped ECU that extends it to a rather more fitting 174 mph. “It’s geared to do more . . . much more,” says Moers, “but we’ve got to consider the stresses being placed on the tires.”
So it is no lightweight, but it has legs. Having seven gears to divvy up the power helps, of course. Even so, sixth and seventh are heavily overdriven to ensure fuel consumption remains semi-sane. On the early example we drove, however, the C63’s gearbox didn’t do the engine justice. Despite being reworked to provide a satisfying blip of the throttle on downshifts, it was slow to respond to upshift requests. AMG admits it needs work and says a fix is in the pipeline prior to North American sales early next year.
While its engine plays a major role in defining the new Mercedes, it is the determined and entertaining way its chassis deploys its substantial reserves that sets it apart from previous AMG models. It is responsive, communicative and adjustable on the limit—hardly how we’d describe its predecessor, whose bold engine dominated proceedings in such a way that it was to the detriment of the overall driving experience. Pushed hard, the C63 reveals a multifaceted purposefulness we can’t wait to measure against the new M3.
For all its inherent tautness, the ride is acceptable even on pockmarked pavement, with excellent rebound control helping to quell any nasty vertical movement. The front end is superbly damped, too, allowing the C63 to track faithfully without too much unsettling movement over bumps. Before long, you find yourself making big demands on the chassis, marveling at the directness and body control.
It takes a special road to extract its best—better, still, a track where the new AMG’s high limits can be explored in safety. With the new ESP system switched to Sport, oversteer can be dialed up at will. Barrel into a corner hard on the brakes, tap the shift paddle to engage a lower gear and . . . WHAM! A big application of throttle gets the rear swinging out wide. But rather than premature surrender to the commands of the electronics just as the real action commences (as in other AMG models), the C63 follows your instructions. It is terrifically adjustable, the slip angles controlled via the throttle. If all this is not enough, you can switch the ESP off completely, at which point it becomes an even more willing sideways companion.
We won’t see the C63 on these shores until next spring, and prices haven’t been set. We can’t emphasize enough just how much more invigorating AMG’s latest performance hero is to drive. It operates on a much higher level than its predecessor, in terms of performance and overall dynamic prowess. With the M3 waiting in the wings, the scene is now set for a battle royal.
#48
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I guess 3650lbs isnt to bad considering it has a HUGE 6.2L V8 engine under the hood. I also dont think MB is known for making relatively light cars and it seems to undercut the RS4 by about 300 or so pounds and basically weighs the same as the new M3.
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So according to Autoweek, it looks like the transmission may be the weak point of the car. Compared to the IS-F and M3, it sounds like AMG did not focus as much on the transmission. And seeing as North America does not get this car until next Spring, and Europe does not get it until late this year presumably, seems rather odd that preview drives are already being done so early. Could be that Mercedes is desperate to take away any attention from the M3, or the other competition in the field.
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I've found this same phenomenon on several cars I've driven. Not sure I understand the hesitation built into these transmissions. It makes them unusable. When done right, they're amazing. The FXX and Enzo have <100ms shift times (I think the FXX is 50ms). The rumor is that other purchasers of the transmission are only given versions programmed with ~150-200ms shift time. Why some manufacturers have 1-2 SECOND shift times built in is mind boggling to me.
Hopefully, for their sake, Mercedes will sort that out before delivery.
Hopefully, for their sake, Mercedes will sort that out before delivery.
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This to me sounds like you are also guilty (just like I am) of making assumptions about the IS-F. How do you know this for a fact about the tranny when nobody has driven it yet?
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I would rather lower expectations & be surprised IF it compares favourably (or at least very close) with the competition in performance & feel, rather than build it up & be disappointed if it doesn't live up to expectations.
You still remember what a Lexus exec. said before the launch of the 3GS ? "We are going after BMW", & it end up being just another Lexus (not that it's bad at all) & not sporty enough . . .
You still remember what a Lexus exec. said before the launch of the 3GS ? "We are going after BMW", & it end up being just another Lexus (not that it's bad at all) & not sporty enough . . .
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From this thread (https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...IS-F+PR+europe) using information directly provided by Lexus, we know that the IS-F's 8 speed is supposed to have gear shift speeds of 100ms, throttle blips during downshifting, and a lock-up torque converter.
The big difference here is that the C63's torque converter apparently does not have a lock-up mechanism.
From the limited information we have on the C63 and IS-F, we can reasonably assume that more attention and focus was put on the IS-F's transmission, and certainly on the new M3's transmission, than compared to the C63's transmission.
#56
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I can't recall a production TC that didn't have lockup in the last 25 years. Lock up converters started hitting the scene in the 50s and became real popular in the 70's gas crunch as I recall.
FWIW: A TC isn't strictly considered to be part of the transmission.
The only "innovation" around the converter AFAICT is that they have it programmed to aggressively lock (aka "early and often"). My "other" car, a Ford product, does the same thing and I'm not fond of it. Hopefully the Lexus implementation is better than that one.
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Correct me if I'm wrong, but most modern transmissions do not keep constant lock from 2nd to 8th gear.
If I understand the Lexus Europe PR correctly, then the IS-F's transmission is in constant lock from 2nd to 8th gear, and it almost acts like a manual transmission as the engine is connected to the lock-up clutch.
If I understand the Lexus Europe PR correctly, then the IS-F's transmission is in constant lock from 2nd to 8th gear, and it almost acts like a manual transmission as the engine is connected to the lock-up clutch.
Last edited by TRDFantasy; 07-05-07 at 12:52 PM.
#59
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Your initial statement about the MBZ transmission is incorrect. The statement about the Lexus one seems correct.
What I find odd about the Lexus statement is that there are also some really good reasons for a TC to be unlocked. We will all have to wait and see if Lexus and/or MBZ got it right.
What I find odd about the Lexus statement is that there are also some really good reasons for a TC to be unlocked. We will all have to wait and see if Lexus and/or MBZ got it right.
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Its a absolutely gorgeous car better than my future IS-F! No regret though! I can't afford a much expensive C63 with higher maintenance cost
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