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Reviews April 29, 2008, 9:12PM EST

2008 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG

The C63 AMG adds $20,000 and hundreds of horsepower to the basic C-Class for otherworldly speed and grip

by Marty Padgett

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German supersedans. Bah! Who needs them?

Me, it turns out. Badly.

In the past few weeks, I've been coddled by the likes of BMW's grabby, forceful M3 and Audi's no-prisoners RS4. (You can understand how coming home to drive a big-ass truck from the Big Three has left me big-time disappointed at my new lot in life.)

But there is hope--hope that I'll get a second chance at driving the new Mercedes-Benz C63. Journos are testing it this week in Arizona, and it goes on sale in April, but I drove it last fall around the time of the Frankfurt auto show and came away amazed.

I drove the C63 in the hills to the west of Frankfurt, Germany, from Autobahn to quintessential cobbled streets, on a brisk morning. And even having been drawn in by SL65 and SLK55 AMGs in the past, I wasn't prepared for the fluid ride, spot-on handling and shrieking power of what is easily the most bad-ass C-Class Mercedes ever has built.

The C63 isn't the first baby Benz to get the AMG treatment--but in general, the smallest four-door AMGs, ever since the first massaged C-Class set foot on earth in 1993, have been quieter, slower creatures than the fierce four-door fighters from BMW and Audi.

Consider this the counterpunch. The C63 AMG adds $20,000 and hundreds of horsepower to the basic Benz C-Class--and brings with it otherworldy speed and grip, and a flashy makeover to boot.

Like the other members of the holy trinity of European supersedans, the C63 makes sense at Autobahn speeds. But is it useful and entertaining in the land of 80-mph speed limits? And is the C63, the sleeper of the bunch, the best?

STYLING

Step up beside the C63, and it's clear that something wicked has overtaken the C-Class, muted its sometimes awkward look with out-there fender flares, louvered grille inserts, and capped it off with a new hood bubbling with twin bulges. Unlike, say, an old Mitsu Eclipse, those ridges aren't of porno proportions. They're more primeval--like ritual scars. if you look closely, you can almost see the ur-C intent beneath.

A deep chin spoiler tucks under the front end, punched out with big air intakes and outlets and chrome-circled fog lamps; the fenders are studded with AMG 6.3 badges. Following the deep character line that rises to the tail, the rear skirts and tri-finned air diffuser are there, in theory, to help with airflow, and not just to intimidate anyone behind you in the left lane. Twin pipes LED taillamps and a small spoiler on the decklid make the AMG transformation complete.

The AMG body kit comes in all its glory, but Europe's 19-inch wheels on the C63 don't make the trip Stateside. Instead we get 18-inchers.

Clamber into the C63's cabin and special, coddling sport seats nestle up about perfectly. Multi-adjustable and bolstered in the right places, the seats are stitched with a special pattern, I think for better butt grip. The C63's steering wheel is flattened on the bottom -- a gimmick that I kind of like, also found on Audi's S5 and R8 -- and shift paddles ride behind the three-spoke wheel, which frames a set of red-needled AMG-specific gauges.

The fun gauge is a slice of the central display that includes a lap timer under the "Race." When you see it, that's your cue to decide if you really meant to hop into that nice GL550 sport-ute instead, because from there on, it's a blur of a ride.

PERFORMANCE/FUEL ECONOMY

The C63 AMG is powered by the first engine developed entirely by AMG - a 6.3-liter V8 that produces 451 horsepower and 443 lb-ft of torque for breathtaking acceleration times of 4.3 seconds from zero to 60 mph. If you're ballparking the competition, the Audi RS4 sedan checks in at 4.6 seconds and the BMW M3, at roughly 4.8 seconds. Top speed is 155 mph, but a special option on the order form for the 2009 model year that will remove the limiter and let the C63 drill its way through the troposphere at 186 mph. (That package also adds an Alcantara steering wheel, composite brakes and a locking rear differential.)

Mercedes' captive AMG engineers penned the V-8 engine in the C63 with nothing but hellraising in mind. A rigid engine block made of aluminum alloy gets four valves per cylinder, variable valve timing, a variable intake manifold, and a special lining for the cylinder chambers that cuts down on power-sapping friction. The rippling soundtrack? That's a natural V-8 noise unfettered by much of anything. It makes me feel more like a man. I believe it would make even Playboy Playmate Kendra Wilkinson feel like a man, but my texts aren't being returned.

The AMG engine is teamed to a seven-speed automatic with shift paddles, a regular shift lever, and special programming that gooses the gas a bit before it changes down a gear. Smoothing out downshifts, this also makes it more sure-footed on the track. In manual shift mode, the transmission won't automatically shift at redline like most other transmissions of its type--it hangs on to gears, as if to see what you have in mind. It also operates in "Comfort" and "Sport" mode, which offer slightly slower shift responses, and a chance to catch your breath.

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