Review: 2010 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG w/P31 Development Package
10-04-10, 04:58 PM
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Review: 2010 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG w/P31 Development Package
http://www.autoblog.com/2010/10/04/2...iew-road-test/
Summary
Summary
Adding the AMG Development Package to the already stupendous C63 is certainly gluttonous, but in our estimation, it's the best sort of vulgarity. Did Townshend really need to crack up all those guitars and hotel rooms to make such an amazing racket? Did Moon really have to rely so heavily on cymbal crashes for drama or paint his Rolls-Royce lilac with a brush? Did Daltrey really have to swing his microphones on stage or punch up his mates in the dressing room after the show? Of course not. But the rock world remains a richer, more vibrant and memorable place because they did exactly that. So it is with ordering the AMG Dev Pack. Ticking the P31 box on your C63's order sheet might make for some lousy arithmetic, but it also promises to add a welcome bit of danger and bombast to an already legendary performer.
10-04-10, 11:12 PM
#2
Review: 2010 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG w/P31 Development Package
Review: 2010 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG w/P31 Development Package
"As Subtle As Dropping A TV Set From A Hotel Balcony"
Roger Daltrey has gone on record as saying that in the Who's early days, they were paid ₤75 to ₤150 a show, yet they would bust-up around ₤250-300 worth of gear every time they took to the stage. That's bad math. Similarly, Mercedes-Benz asks those willing to pay $57,350 for its least expensive AMG model – the C63 AMG – to pony up a further $5,950 for the new-for-2010 P31 AMG Development Package that adds 30 horsepower, uprated brakes and a passel of miscellaneous hi-po gear.
From the perspective of a rational consumer, this too, fails to add up, as the standard-issue C63 is already a hooligan's hooligan, a car from which no sane individual would walk away wishing for bigger stones. But as with Daltrey's Who, the C63 is a fantastically overachieving beast of rather pedestrian roots, and when it comes down to it, adding the Dev Pack promises to be like dropping off Pete Townshend in the brand-new lobby of a mid-'60s Holiday Inn. With a set of Marshall stacks. Drunk and fresh off a painful breakup. In other words, it might not make a whole lot of sense or be a particularly wise financial decision, but it's also a brave call with the glorious potential for unbridled mayhem.
So what all goes into the Dev Pack? Well, in order to bring the C63's 6.2-liter corral up to a stable-busting 481 horsepower at 6,800 rpm, AMG has fitted lightweight engine internals including new pistons, con-rods and a different crankshaft. When lorded over by an updated ECU, the combination liberates an extra 30 ponies from the V8, though 443 pound-feet of torque resolutely sits at 5,000 rpm. What's more, Benz's boffins have let out the car's top speed to 174 mph, just 'cause they're swell guys. Thoughtfully, AMG has also fitted special two-piece rotors fitted with red calipers and firmer pads to bring the C63's even speedier party to a halt. Oddly, the spidery-spoked alloys from the UK's very similar Performance Package Plus model haven't made it across The Pond, but the fluted 18-inch anthracite five-stars of the standard C63 have always been favorites, so we're not bothered.
Further details that differentiate Development Package cars from lesser C63s include a carbon fiber lip spoiler, titanium-colored intake runners and a suitably *****in' leather and Alcantara flat-bottomed steering wheel. A limited-slip differential lock is also available for a steep $2,000, but you might as well go whole-hog, right?
Let's cut to the chase. We've heard many a reader comment how they never use paddle-shifters in an automatic transmission car so equipped. If you count yourself in that number, you might as well stop reading right here and move on, because you're simply going to miss the point of the C63. The two cold metal flaps on either side of the steering wheel are the quickest way to the Merc's soul. Oh, the seven-cog Speedshift gearbox sluices between gears imperceptibly and efficiently (if a bit slowly) when left to its own devices, but if you're interested in baring the C63's considerable jagged teeth, you're going to want to toggle the small Comfort/Sport/Manual button by the gearlever over to 'M.' While you're at it, you might as well give yourself a longer leash with the three-stage stability control system by thumbing another button between the vents. This is a routine owners will undoubtedly become intimately familiar, as it turns the C63 from a very quick sport sedan into a full-on 7,200-rpm Townshend/Keith Moon face-melter.
It's really hard to overstate this next point: the cooking C63 already sounds brutally sensational, but if anything, the Dev Pack's lighter internals allow the 6.2-liter V8 to jump and bark with even greater finesse. Between the automatic throttle blips on downshifts and the multitude of fierce pops and burbles on overrun, the C63 sounds like Orville Redenbacher is being processed through The Devil's Own popcorn machine.
Don't just take our word for it: A disheveled looking thirty-something holding the door open for patrons at a local coffee shop nodded his head as we pulled up, only to offer this chestnut:
"Man, I heard you comin' from around the corner! I thought you was driving a Corvette – you know, with the trick pipes turned on. I was hoping you'd come this way. That's got to be an aftermarket exhaust."
In Detroit, even the homeless are car buffs.
Our panhandler friend may have wrongly assumed our C63 possessed a modified exhaust, but his appreciation was spot-on. In this car, you will find yourself in third gear on the freeway – already breaking the posted limit – just to hear the engine in its upper reaches. You will drive with the windows open when it's 95 degrees in the city just to hear the spent gasses caroming off of nearby buildings. You will risk confettiing your license on a daily basis, or at the very least, your gas card (EPA estimates: 12 miles per gallon city, 19 highway).
Of course, a big motor is all well and good, but without the suspension, steering and brakes to match, the C63 would be a one-trick pony. But thanks to the firm yet reasonable front strut/rear five-link suspension and Continental ContiSportContact tires that stick like toffee to new bridgework, getting the power down isn't a problem – it's the softheaded lug behind the wheel that's bound to be the weak link in this system.
Thankfully, the C63 is remarkably forgiving (particularly with the ESP set to its mid-level intervention threshold) and there's genuine feel from the speed-sensitive rack to keep even the most ham-fisted of drivers informed. It's not as telepathic as a Lotus, but the steering is highly accurate and incredibly communicative. We had a non-Dev Pack C63 out at Lime Rock last year as part of AMG's Driving Academy, and it was hands-down the most entertaining on-track car we drove that day (and that included more powerful models like the E63, SL63 and SLK55). Some may argue that a BMW M3 is a more exacting tool – especially for trackday work – and they're probably right. But the two Teutons are closer than you might think, and we reckon the C63's vastly superior 443 pound-feet of torque and its accompanying hellfire soundtrack will provide more entertainment for most drivers on a daily basis – even with the automatic. In reality, the closer foil for the C63 in character is the admittedly wonderful Cadillac CTS-V.
Negatives? Hmmm... if pressed we'd say the firm ride can get a bit busy on pockmarked streets, but that's to be expected in a sports sedan of this caliber. More troubling is that its standard C-Class dashboard is drab and rather downmarket in appearance, and – as with seemingly every other German automaker – very few creature comforts are standard equipment. (Our tester's MSRP ballooned all the way to $77,105 thanks to leather, premium and multimedia packages, along with $875 for delivery and $2,100 in gas-guzzler charges). Anything else? Not everyone will find the vice-grip chairs to their liking, but even with our added paunch, we adored their copious support. That said, a universal source of frustration was provided by the seat bolster air bladder controls. They aren't on the door by the rest of the articulation switchgear and the awkward reacharound means they're only found by those familiar with receiving the cold embrace of a policeman's handcuffs. Then again, in light of the C63's propensity to foment illegal speeds, the controls' placement must surely be a cleverly calculated move by Benz engineers to familiarize drivers with 'assuming the position.' These guys think of everything.
Adding the AMG Development Package to the already stupendous C63 is certainly gluttonous, but in our estimation, it's the best sort of vulgarity. Did Townshend really need to crack up all those guitars and hotel rooms to make such an amazing racket? Did Moon really have to rely so heavily on cymbal crashes for drama or paint his Rolls-Royce lilac with a brush? Did Daltrey really have to swing his microphones on stage or punch up his mates in the dressing room after the show? Of course not. But the rock world remains a richer, more vibrant and memorable place because they did exactly that. So it is with ordering the AMG Dev Pack. Ticking the P31 box on your C63's order sheet might make for some lousy arithmetic, but it also promises to add a welcome bit of danger and bombast to an already legendary performer.
Gallery:
http://www.autoblog.com/photos/revie...-pack/#3404029
http://www.autoblog.com/2010/10/04/2...iew-road-test/
10-05-10, 04:32 AM
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For s--ts and giggles, I priced this out at $72K about two months back... it's utterly INSANE!!! Can't imagine driving this anywhere the roads are chewed up... I'd need another $50K for my kidney replacement.... and goofy smile removal 
An absolute BEAST... and the Who analogy... CLASSIC!!!!!
An absolute BEAST... and the Who analogy... CLASSIC!!!!!
11-14-10, 03:23 PM
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First Test: 2011 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG (P31)
For all AMG lovers. MotorTrend's review of the '11 C63 AMG with the Performance Package.
http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...est/index.html
http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...est/index.html
First Test: 2011 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG
One Last Hurrah with AMG's Mighty M156
November 10, 2010 / By Jonny Lieberman / Photography by William Walker
I recently had the pleasure of batting and booting the 2011 Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG with the uncorked Performance Package option around the Hudson River Valley in Upstate New York. The twin-turbo, direct-injected 5.5-liter V-8 brawler of a motor serves up a spine-compressing 563 horsepower and an astonishing 664 pound-feet of torque. The car is so powerful it's silly. Remember, the Cadillac CTS-V makes just 556 horsepower and more than 100 pound-feet less torque (551 lb-ft). But there's something...missing from the new AMG twin-turbo engine. Something...lacking. Something...something that's really hard to place your finger upon. And I think I know what it is, or at least what it might be.
What it is, is what it isn't. Namely, the new hand-built M157 is not the (also) hand-built M156. To refresh your synapses, M156 is the internal code for AMG's 6.2-liter V-8. It's a naturally aspirated natural wonder of an internal combustion engine that's about to ride off into the sunset. The reasons are many, but essentially, the horror-scare of $5-per-gallon gasoline combined with rising federal mileage standards and a corporate mandate to increase efficiency (remember when Mercedes-Benz said it'd be off petroleum by 2015?) all point to one certainty: Large-displacement, race-derived V-8s are not long for this world.
This sort of thing happens--once-cutting-edge technology that gets your blood pumping is crated up and put out to pasture. The world changes, time marches on, and sadly, some of the best stuff gets shunted out of the way. The Concord? Grounded. The moon? We don't go there any more. SR71 Blackbird? Decommissioned, because satellites do a better job/the Soviets called it quits. Speaking of our old enemy, remember the truly awe-inspiring Lun-class Ekranoplan, aka the Caspian Sea Monster? Same basic fate as the Blackbird, though instead of spending retirement in the Smithsonian, "the Duck" now rots in dry dock at an abandoned naval station near Kaspiysk.
The situation is not nearly as grim for car enthusiasts. But still, we'll miss the naturally aspirated AMG V-8. At its best, most potent state of tune, the M156 produced 518 hp and 465 lb-ft of twist. As mentioned, the M157 with the optional Performance Package makes way more juice, but even the "base" M157 is quite a bit more potent than the 6.2-liter object of our desire: 536 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque. Of course there's the M159 found under the hood of the Gullwing SLS, essentially an M156 with better internals and breathing that produces a lofty 563 hp and 479 lb-ft of the torque. However, let's not forget that the new M157 gets about 30-percent better mileage than the M156, the engine it's replacing. Obviously, and to quote Paris Hilton, that's huge. But more power and better mileage do not automatically equate to a more...satisfying engine. To test this theory, we asked Mercedes-Benz to let us borrow an M156-equipped 2011 C63 AMG with the P31 AMG Development Package.
Before we get into the specifics of that car, which we're calling Rote Sau Junior, let's talk a bit more about the M156. Despite its misleading official name (the "6.3" displaces 6.2-liters), the M156 is the real performance deal. The first engine ever designed totally by AMG, it shares very little with other MB engines and features a unique silicon-aluminum block with AMG-specific bore spacing. There's also the magnesium, dual-flap variable intake manifold and the race-derived vertical intake and exhaust ports. All that technology, along with the copious serving of power, makes the M156 just about our favorite N/A motor. We can't say absolute favorite 'cause of things like the 4.5-liter V-8 face-slapper in the Ferrari 458 Italia. But the AMG V-8 is close.
As for the Rote Sau Junior, well, we'll take it. As Editor-in-Chief MacKenzie said, "I could live with this one; I'd own it." High praise, indeed. We could especially live with this example because our C63 has AMG's P31 Development Package, a $6,050 option that delivers all kinds of goodies. Most important are the forged and lightweight pistons, connecting rods and crankshaft that come straight out of the SLS. There's also a revised engine management system, which, coupled with the new internals, bumps the M156's output from 451 hp by 30 ponies to 481 hp. Torque is unchanged at 443 pound-feet. The slightly lowered suspension is also stiffer, with bright red brake calipers and a carbon fiber spoiler glued to the trunk. Add all that to the optional $2,030 limited-slip differential and you have a vehicle that at least three staff members prefer to an M3, your humble author included.
Let's get back to the "we'll take it" part of the story. There are very few production cars on sale these days that produce the following behavior: I left the door open every time I turned the key. Why would I do that? Because the vicious V-8 growls when you fire it up. If you'll permit me to dip my toe into the river of onomatopoeia for a moment, "RARRRR!!" Just a snarling, starving, Hound of the Baskervilles-style bark of a growl. Put another way, I wish all cars made this noise. It's quite... special. And no offense to the new twin-turbo, but there's no growling and no reason to leave the door open when you switch it on.
Now, a big block (or at least, relatively big block) V-8 should sound good. No big surprise there. And like other AMG 6.2-liters before it, the P31 drives magnificently. Check out the numbers we captured: 0-60 mph happens in 4 seconds. Truthfully, in 3.99 seconds, but we rounded up. A remarkable number for any car, let alone a near two-ton, four-door. Perhaps I'm showing my age, but I remember when sub-four-second 60-mph sprints were the provenance of dedicated, frill-less accelerators like the Shelby Cobra or else ultra exotics like the Porsche 959. While this C63 ain't cheap (ours showed up with a $77,105 window sticker), there are certainly dozens and dozens of cars available that cost more -- much more -- and aren't nearly as swift. Rote Sau Jr. dispenses the quarter-mile in 12.4 seconds at 114.8 mph, just a tick off what the 550-horsepower 2011 Shelby GT500 is capable of. To reiterate, this bloody red sucker is fast, and you have the M156 to thank for that fact.
And it's gone. Bye-bye, see ya, nice knowing you, auf Wiedersehen. The world has moved on. Remember, the P31 Development Package is the last hurrah for the M156. Back to why: Mercedes-Benz can't be happy with the $2,100 Gas Guzzler tax the feds slap onto this C63. Nor can AMG easily change the fact that all modern Benzes are borderline obese. This guy weighed down our scales to the tune of 3,932 pounds. That's a hefty serving of bulk to schlep around. Remember, the C63 is the light AMG. Sure, if the C-Class could magically shed a quarter-ton, maybe the M156 wouldn't have to go the way of the Chevy 454 or the Cadillac 472. But since it can't, all we can do is compose a glowing eulogy. Let me leave you with this: When I explained to a Mercedes engineer what this here story would be about, the parting shot of his fantastic, yet obsolete 6.2-liter V-8, he wrote back, "Couldn't agree more." And neither can we.
2011 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG P31 Development Package
Base price $61,175
Price as tested $77,105
Vehicle layout Front engine, RWD, 4-pass, 4-door sedan
Engine 6.2L/481-hp/443-lb-ft DOHC 32-valve V-8
Transmission 7-speed automatic
Curb weight (f/r dist) 3932 lb (53/47%)
Wheelbase 108.7 in
Length x width x height 186.0 x 70.7 x 56.3
0-60 mph 4.0 sec
Quarter mile 12.4 sec @ 114.8 mph
Braking, 60-0 mph 110 ft
Lateral acceleration 0.91 g (avg)
MT Figure Eight 24.9 sec
EPA city/hwy fuel econ 12/18 mpg
CO2 emissions 1.37 lb/mile
One Last Hurrah with AMG's Mighty M156
November 10, 2010 / By Jonny Lieberman / Photography by William Walker
I recently had the pleasure of batting and booting the 2011 Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG with the uncorked Performance Package option around the Hudson River Valley in Upstate New York. The twin-turbo, direct-injected 5.5-liter V-8 brawler of a motor serves up a spine-compressing 563 horsepower and an astonishing 664 pound-feet of torque. The car is so powerful it's silly. Remember, the Cadillac CTS-V makes just 556 horsepower and more than 100 pound-feet less torque (551 lb-ft). But there's something...missing from the new AMG twin-turbo engine. Something...lacking. Something...something that's really hard to place your finger upon. And I think I know what it is, or at least what it might be.
What it is, is what it isn't. Namely, the new hand-built M157 is not the (also) hand-built M156. To refresh your synapses, M156 is the internal code for AMG's 6.2-liter V-8. It's a naturally aspirated natural wonder of an internal combustion engine that's about to ride off into the sunset. The reasons are many, but essentially, the horror-scare of $5-per-gallon gasoline combined with rising federal mileage standards and a corporate mandate to increase efficiency (remember when Mercedes-Benz said it'd be off petroleum by 2015?) all point to one certainty: Large-displacement, race-derived V-8s are not long for this world.
This sort of thing happens--once-cutting-edge technology that gets your blood pumping is crated up and put out to pasture. The world changes, time marches on, and sadly, some of the best stuff gets shunted out of the way. The Concord? Grounded. The moon? We don't go there any more. SR71 Blackbird? Decommissioned, because satellites do a better job/the Soviets called it quits. Speaking of our old enemy, remember the truly awe-inspiring Lun-class Ekranoplan, aka the Caspian Sea Monster? Same basic fate as the Blackbird, though instead of spending retirement in the Smithsonian, "the Duck" now rots in dry dock at an abandoned naval station near Kaspiysk.
The situation is not nearly as grim for car enthusiasts. But still, we'll miss the naturally aspirated AMG V-8. At its best, most potent state of tune, the M156 produced 518 hp and 465 lb-ft of twist. As mentioned, the M157 with the optional Performance Package makes way more juice, but even the "base" M157 is quite a bit more potent than the 6.2-liter object of our desire: 536 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque. Of course there's the M159 found under the hood of the Gullwing SLS, essentially an M156 with better internals and breathing that produces a lofty 563 hp and 479 lb-ft of the torque. However, let's not forget that the new M157 gets about 30-percent better mileage than the M156, the engine it's replacing. Obviously, and to quote Paris Hilton, that's huge. But more power and better mileage do not automatically equate to a more...satisfying engine. To test this theory, we asked Mercedes-Benz to let us borrow an M156-equipped 2011 C63 AMG with the P31 AMG Development Package.
Before we get into the specifics of that car, which we're calling Rote Sau Junior, let's talk a bit more about the M156. Despite its misleading official name (the "6.3" displaces 6.2-liters), the M156 is the real performance deal. The first engine ever designed totally by AMG, it shares very little with other MB engines and features a unique silicon-aluminum block with AMG-specific bore spacing. There's also the magnesium, dual-flap variable intake manifold and the race-derived vertical intake and exhaust ports. All that technology, along with the copious serving of power, makes the M156 just about our favorite N/A motor. We can't say absolute favorite 'cause of things like the 4.5-liter V-8 face-slapper in the Ferrari 458 Italia. But the AMG V-8 is close.
As for the Rote Sau Junior, well, we'll take it. As Editor-in-Chief MacKenzie said, "I could live with this one; I'd own it." High praise, indeed. We could especially live with this example because our C63 has AMG's P31 Development Package, a $6,050 option that delivers all kinds of goodies. Most important are the forged and lightweight pistons, connecting rods and crankshaft that come straight out of the SLS. There's also a revised engine management system, which, coupled with the new internals, bumps the M156's output from 451 hp by 30 ponies to 481 hp. Torque is unchanged at 443 pound-feet. The slightly lowered suspension is also stiffer, with bright red brake calipers and a carbon fiber spoiler glued to the trunk. Add all that to the optional $2,030 limited-slip differential and you have a vehicle that at least three staff members prefer to an M3, your humble author included.
Let's get back to the "we'll take it" part of the story. There are very few production cars on sale these days that produce the following behavior: I left the door open every time I turned the key. Why would I do that? Because the vicious V-8 growls when you fire it up. If you'll permit me to dip my toe into the river of onomatopoeia for a moment, "RARRRR!!" Just a snarling, starving, Hound of the Baskervilles-style bark of a growl. Put another way, I wish all cars made this noise. It's quite... special. And no offense to the new twin-turbo, but there's no growling and no reason to leave the door open when you switch it on.
Now, a big block (or at least, relatively big block) V-8 should sound good. No big surprise there. And like other AMG 6.2-liters before it, the P31 drives magnificently. Check out the numbers we captured: 0-60 mph happens in 4 seconds. Truthfully, in 3.99 seconds, but we rounded up. A remarkable number for any car, let alone a near two-ton, four-door. Perhaps I'm showing my age, but I remember when sub-four-second 60-mph sprints were the provenance of dedicated, frill-less accelerators like the Shelby Cobra or else ultra exotics like the Porsche 959. While this C63 ain't cheap (ours showed up with a $77,105 window sticker), there are certainly dozens and dozens of cars available that cost more -- much more -- and aren't nearly as swift. Rote Sau Jr. dispenses the quarter-mile in 12.4 seconds at 114.8 mph, just a tick off what the 550-horsepower 2011 Shelby GT500 is capable of. To reiterate, this bloody red sucker is fast, and you have the M156 to thank for that fact.
And it's gone. Bye-bye, see ya, nice knowing you, auf Wiedersehen. The world has moved on. Remember, the P31 Development Package is the last hurrah for the M156. Back to why: Mercedes-Benz can't be happy with the $2,100 Gas Guzzler tax the feds slap onto this C63. Nor can AMG easily change the fact that all modern Benzes are borderline obese. This guy weighed down our scales to the tune of 3,932 pounds. That's a hefty serving of bulk to schlep around. Remember, the C63 is the light AMG. Sure, if the C-Class could magically shed a quarter-ton, maybe the M156 wouldn't have to go the way of the Chevy 454 or the Cadillac 472. But since it can't, all we can do is compose a glowing eulogy. Let me leave you with this: When I explained to a Mercedes engineer what this here story would be about, the parting shot of his fantastic, yet obsolete 6.2-liter V-8, he wrote back, "Couldn't agree more." And neither can we.
2011 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG P31 Development Package
Base price $61,175
Price as tested $77,105
Vehicle layout Front engine, RWD, 4-pass, 4-door sedan
Engine 6.2L/481-hp/443-lb-ft DOHC 32-valve V-8
Transmission 7-speed automatic
Curb weight (f/r dist) 3932 lb (53/47%)
Wheelbase 108.7 in
Length x width x height 186.0 x 70.7 x 56.3
0-60 mph 4.0 sec
Quarter mile 12.4 sec @ 114.8 mph
Braking, 60-0 mph 110 ft
Lateral acceleration 0.91 g (avg)
MT Figure Eight 24.9 sec
EPA city/hwy fuel econ 12/18 mpg
CO2 emissions 1.37 lb/mile
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