ROAD TEST
24 APRIL 2 019 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 35
n 1966, Hans Aufrecht
and Erhard Melcher
left Mercedes-Benz to
begin a new business
creating racing engines. Humbly
headquartered in a former mill, their
departure nevertheless quickly paid
of f, not le a s t w he n a n A MG -Me r c e de s
300 SEL 6.8 crossed the line an
astonishing second at the 1971 Spa 24
Hours, trouncing far nimbler racing
c a r s f r om BM W a nd A l f a R ome o.
In the years since, it’s not difficult
to imagine Aufrecht and Melcher
(the ‘G’ in ‘AMG’ is for Großaspach,
the town where Aufrecht was
born) witnessing the growth of
their tuning outfit with wide-eyed
astonishment. The Mercedes-AMGF1 team has now secured five
world championships, but even if
your name isn’t Lewis Hamilton,
ownership of an AMG road car has
ne v e r b e e n mor e a c h ie v a ble t h a n k s t o
t he i nt r o duc t ion of mor e m a i n s t r e a m
models such as the four-cylinder
A35 hot hatch. In fact, AMG now
bu i ld s c a r s i n a l mo s t e v e r y b o d y s t y le ,
of fe r i n g 70 mo de l s i n t ot a l , i nc lud i n g
an entirely bespoke sports car.
AMG has vast commercial clout.
To d ay, mo s t A s t on Ma r t i n mo de l s a r e
AMG-propelled, and Aff laterbach,
where AMG has been based since
1976 and where its larger engines
are hand-built to the ‘one man, one
engine’ philosophy, is now not only
c r uc i a l t o Da i m le r AG’s b ot t om l i ne
in terms of sale but also a marketing
wunderkind for the entire business.
One in every 10 Mercedes sold bears
those famous initials, making it
arguably the most potent ‘halo’
sub-brand in the business.
AMG has diversified and dulythrived, which only serves to make
t h i s w e e k ’s r oa d t e s t mor e p e r t i ne nt.
Touting eight cylinders and rear-
wheel drive, the C63 S is an AMG of
the old-school, just like the 300 SEL
6.8. Since its introduction in 2015, the
W205-generation car has won high
praise from this magazine, but with a
new BMW M4 on the horizon, AMG
has updated the recipe with greater
chassis technology and a new digital
array. Has it future-proofed what is
perhaps the finest super-coupé of this
generation? Let’s find out.
DESIGN AND ENGINEERING
AAAAB
As a mere facelift, the updated C63
S Coupé’s appearance has changed
little. Not that this is a criticism.
O f t he c u r r e nt c r op of c oup é s a ndsaloons at the more exciting end of
the compact executive class, none
i s mor e i mp o si n g or a gg r e s si v e i n
stature than Affalterbach’s mad-dog
version of the C-Class.
The visual cues are familiar: the
wheel arches retain greater flare
t h a n a pa i r of R ob e r t Pl a nt ’s t r ou s e r s ,
while a rear track wider even than
this car’s saloon and estate siblings
amplifies its assertive stance.
Meanwhile, the squared-off quad-
exhaust covers provide telling clues
to the firepower that lies behind the
new ‘Panamericana’ grille.
z Small bootlid spoiler isn’t unique to
the C63 S, or, indeed, the C63. You’ll
also find it on the V6-engined C43
models, although they do without the
swollen wheel arches and wider track of
the V8 models.
z No fewer than four AMG-
monogrammed exhaust outlets are
separated by a relatively subtle rear
diffuser. Look closely and from certain
angles you’ll see these tips are just
superficial, however, with the true
outlets hidden well within the bodywork.z Test car’s two-tone alloys are larger
at the front than the rear (20in vs 19in)
and redolent of the over-powered,intimidatingly styled AMG models of
yesteryear. In this case, the red brake
calipers have been swapped for gold.
z ‘Panamericana’ grille is new and
replaces the more subtle dual-slatted
design of the pre-facelifted C63. It’s a
hallmark of all AMG models except the
35-badged four-cylinder examples.
I
AMG’s 300 SEL 6.8 won at Spa in 1971
That firepower comes courtesy of a
4.0-litre V8 that remains unchanged
and customarily places its brace of
turbochargers between the cylinder
banks. In the standard C63 Coupé,
it pr o duc e s a s muc h a s 4 69bhp a nd
479lb ft; for our C63 S test car, those
figures rise to 503bhp between 5500
and 6250rpm, with 516lb ft from only175 0 r pm. O n out put a lone , t he BM W
M4 Competition and Alfa Romeo
Giulia Quadrifoglio both appear a
touch casual by comparison.
A new nine-speed multi-clutch
transmission replaces the original
seven-speed gearbox, although as
b e for e it de l i v e r s t he e n g i ne ’s e f for t s
exclusively to the rear wheels. With
this set-up, a wet start-off clutch
is employed instead of a torque
converter, to both save weight and
hone the transmission’s reaction
to varying throttle inputs. An
electronically controlled limited-slip
differential is standard here (non-S
models make do with a mechanical
differential), and the S also benefits
from dynamic engine mounts that
a r e s a id t o he lp r e duc e v i br at ion a nd
improve turn-in response.
Su s p e n sion i s b y w ay of a mu lt i-
link arrangement at each axle, with
coil springs and AMG’s Ride Control
adaptive dampers, which have been
subtly retuned. Naturally, there is acomprehensive range of driving ◊
We don’t like
We like
z Thunderous powertrain wants
nothing for performance – or
personality.
z Improved road manners
merged with an even more
exploitable chassis.
z Rolling refinement leaves too
much to be desired for a luxury
coupé-cum-GT.
z Expensive compared with
rivals, and the interior fails
to justify the price.
ENGINES POWER FROM
C180 154bhp £35,285
C200 181bhp £37,945
C200 4Matic 181bhp £39,545
C300 255bhp £40,705
C220d 192bhp £40,455
C220d 4Matic 192bhp £42,055
C300d 241bhp £41,510
C300d 4Matic 241bhp £43,420
C43 4Matic 385bhp £52,290
C63 461bhp £69,044
C63 S 503bhp £78,023
Some £48,738 separates the
humble C180 from our C63 S, which
goes to show just how much variety
there is within the C-Class Coupé
range. There’s a choice of petrol
and diesel engines – the majority of
which are four-cylinder units – while
certain models are also offered
with four-wheel drive. All non-AMG
models make use of a standard
nine-speed automatic gearbox, as
does the C43. Below the genuine
43- and 63-badged models, the
C-Class trim line-up consists of just
one grade: AMG-Line.
Range at a glance