Mercedes AMG C  S Front right quarter profile

Mercedes-AMG C 63 S Review : Savory Cyanide

Mercedes-AMG C 63 S front right quarter profile(2)

Has it ever occurred to you, when you get a feeling of being late, even when you know that there’s nowhere to be reached? Of competing against ticking hands for no reason whatsoever? When you transport yourself into an make-believe situation because you foresee an event that you know for sure is to be special? It happened to us.

Mercedes-AMG C 63 S front head-on(9)

It was one of those winter mornings, when the crisp breeze ruffled through manes, made bare hands reach out for warm pockets, and added unnecessary velocity to walking speeds. Backed by the chill, we managed to induce a feeling within that made us palpitate and foolishly believe that we had to be elsewhere.

Mercedes-AMG C 63 S IWC Schauffhausen watch(172)

None of us was wearing time on our wrists that day, none of us felt ordinary, because in the confines of a very fast alphabet ‘C’, ticked an IWC Schaffhausen that conveyed just one thing. If we believed we were in a hurry, we had just the machine to get us there on schedule. You see that morning, we had a 503 bhp Mercedes-AMG C 63 S, empty roads, great weather, an induced feeling of hurry, and yet time, on our side.

Image Credits: Chirag Mondal

A ticking bomb

Mercedes-AMG C 63 S engine bay(237)

That classy timepiece nestled in the carbon fiber center console made us feel like a bomb ticked somewhere and we were the suicidal diffusers. Finding it in the usual place, we discovered an 8 cylinder twin turbocharged IED ticking under the C63’s hood and it packed 503 bhp and 700 Nm of explosion, sealed in 4.0 liters of volume.

Mercedes-AMG C 63 S AMG exhaust and carbon fiber diffuser(39)

Not knowing our color coded cables, we managed to activate the explosive, but the damn thing won’t tick or tock like they show you in the movies. It rumbled, sputtered, banged and popped, even before it went off, showing off its sinister intent. And unlike others, the bomb makers at Affalterbach have spent a lot of time and brains to ensure that their explosives sound just as destructive, while they still please environmentalists, funny! Although we can confirm that the previous gen 6.3-liter C63 was a bigger rumble. Anyways…

Mercedes-AMG C 63 S driver's perspective (151)

Cocooned in the skillfully carved front seats, the moment you grab that AMG wheel, things start seeming purposeful. Mash the pedal and the C63 will lunge forward, roaring like a grizzly. If you will, it does the 0-100 sprint in 4 seconds and while you’re pinned into your seat, it goes on to a purposely arrested top speed of 250 kph.

Mercedes-AMG C 63 S motion shots(98)

However, while it gets there, it doesn’t seem like an all locked down leech sucking up to the tarmac, but rather effervescent and sprightly. Mash it too hard and the tail wags, which if you don’t know how to un-knot, will knit the whole car into a disgusting looking sweater. It isn’t surgical, this thing, the way it drives keeps you on your toes and even makes them bend inward in excitement.

Mercedes-AMG C 63 S motion shots(107)

This pandemonium on wheels is controlled by a steering system that makes you want to attack corners like an African wild dog. It is alive and lightning quick. The C63 isn’t a car that you take liberties with, for it is properly fast and a cracker of a machine if you know what you’re doing. It will blur the foliage and create a tunnel as you barrel through, but put one wrong foot forward too far and it will turn cyanide, blow itself, and you, into smithereens.

Mercedes-AMG C 63 S motion shots(97)

Accompanied by a gnarly symphony, as one continues to tear through the scenery, the fact dawns upon pretty quickly that to enjoy a machine this fast, public roads just don’t cut it. You need a proper track that knits itself through fast corners and straights alike to thoroughly enjoy the big ‘C’.

Mercedes-AMG C 63 S HUD(111)

Although you may drive it gingerly and it will rumble through with ease, it constantly urges you to think of the driver’s seat as a Virtual Reality cockpit that transports you into a different world, replete with an HUD that further adds to the event. It even has a damned ‘Race’ mode that sharpens up all the driving elements for you to chase down ghosts.

Mercedes-AMG C 63 S motion shots(89)

Since we were hunting down corners that morning, carrying massive amounts of speed and dancing down the gearbox to brake before entry would make things a little jiggly at the rear. A trait  which some like and we love. We’d have loved to light up the rear and come out on the other side, sideways, but the spectacle of setting fire to one of those massive 265/35 19 inch rear tyres, aided by an electronically controlled rear diff lock had to be reserved for some other day.

Mercedes-AMG C 63 S carbon ceramic brakes(47)

It is seriously easy to put on a show like that in the C63, but putting everyday life on the road at risk is not something we could do. Talking about the optional carbon brakes our car came fitted with, they haul down the C 63 from silly speeds to dead in a jiffy and even after some abuse, they worked like the sun, without any fade.

Mercedes-AMG C 63 S shift levers(130) Mercedes-AMG C 63 S shift levers(129)

This disguised sedan puts its power down to those rear wheels via an AMG SPEEDSHIFT MCT 7 SPEED SPORTS Transmission that along with double-declutching and a race start function, lets you pick between Comfort, Sport, Sport+, Race and Individual modes to suit the color of your thermal brain scan.

Mercedes-AMG C 63 S touchpad and COMAND center controls(175)

The gearbox by itself isn’t the quickest out there, but it isn’t a slouch either. The new engine is a high revving powerhouse, developing its peak power between 5500-6250 rpm, while 700 Nm of massive torque is available from as low as 1750, all the way up to 4500 clicks. Under 2000 rpm, we felt an atomic amount of lag, but all that gadgetry comes into play to dial up the revs when you bury the right foot and post the 2k mark, that twin turbo motor dramatically leaps into a vertical trajectory.

Mercedes-AMG C 63 S rear view(19)

No wonder then, after every dose of speed that we injected ourselves with, we’d come back breathing a little heavy, and things around seemed at a standstill after every single run.

Inside out

Mercedes-AMG C 63 S cabin view (142)

A fast car is bought to go fast and as long as there are proper seats, a wheel and some pedals, that is all you’d want. But Mercedes insists that if you’re going fast, you ought to be a pampered blur on the road. Surrounded in a tasteful ambiance of carbon fiber, the finest nappa and elegant metal, if you sprinkle some of your money on this car, you know you’d be getting a lot more than a piece of fast metal with some rubber glued to it.

Mercedes-AMG C 63 S center console(142)

We love how the center console slides through the center, dividing the space into a core area to the right and a tourist spot on the left.

Mercedes-AMG C 63 S Burmester sound system(205) Mercedes-AMG C 63 S Burmester system(157)

Worthy of a separate review altogether is the Burmester surround sound system that sounds crisp, rich and with 13 speakers, a 9-channel DSP amplifier and a total output of 590 watts, rivals the baritone vocals from the exhaust. This car is a joy for audiophiles we’d say, with or without the stereo. Oh and in case if you like it louder, there’s a switch to make the exhaust scream its lungs out.

Mercedes-AMG C 63 S moonroof(59)

A sunroof will keep those happy who like to gauge the sensation of speed looking skywards, while dynamic seatbelts all around snuggle up and hug you real tight when the going gets fast and keep you in place.

Mercedes-AMG C 63 S (190)

And they’re Red! Makes us think why don’t car makers paint them in such colors on all cars, makes the cabin a youthful place.

A few things we noticed

Mercedes-AMG C 63 S back seat space(222)

Back seat is a fun place to be, especially when the driver’s antics make the seatbelt hug you tighter

Mercedes-AMG C 63 S alloy wheel pattern(45)

That pattern reminds us of the CLK-GTR somehow

Mercedes-AMG C 63 S (186)

Niceties like that are littered across the cabin

Mercedes-AMG C 63 S boot space and split seats(240)

For fast love in a fast car

Mercedes-AMG C 63 S Driver information display (5)

Japan must have something to do with that digital boost gauge

Mercedes-AMG C 63 S Driver information display (2)

It tells you about the pressure on every individual

Mercedes-AMG C 63 S LED lighting system(13)

The future’s bright, the future’s LED

Mercedes-AMG C 63 S Driver information display (20)

Driving this car sure calls for all your attention

Jericho inside an Airbus

Mercedes-AMG C 63 S front head-on(6)

It isn’t funny how the most destructive creations mankind has ever imagined, sometimes end up looking ordinary and deceiving. Like a soft toy that you could’ve cuddled, but moments later you see it being torn apart by a man wearing a bomb suit. So then, almost identical to the everyday C-Class saloon on the outside, the C 63 gets a chunkier AMG grille with lettering, a little bit of badging, an LED lighting system and the quad AMG exhaust at the rear to help one differentiate between a bomb and a cracker.

Mercedes-AMG C 63 S LED lighting system(13)Mercedes-AMG C 63 S V Biturbo badging(51)

If you wish to stand out,  opt for an exterior carbon fiber package that finishes bits like the A-wing in the front apron and the rear diffuser in the super tough material and also some remnants are inserted in the side sill panels.

Mercedes-AMG C 63 S front right quarter profile(4)

The trouble with the new gen C 63 AMG is that it looks too civilized as a design, even by sleeper standards. Maybe getting rid of all the chrome bits and dressing up the car in matte black would change opinions, but even bystanders confirmed in our thoughts, when they would try and look elsewhere to figure where that V8 growl came from. Matte black wheels would’ve made things a little better you think? We too think the same but they are optional.

Tell me Why?

Mercedes-AMG C 63 S front head-on(7)

AMG has been adding a lot of velocity to the ordinary alphabet, and the new C 63 is just as wicked, perhaps a little more polished than the older letter ‘C’ it takes the reins over from. Sure it has evolutionized, but in an age when a visionary word like ‘see’ has been shortened to a visionless ‘c’, the C63 still holds on to its character and we love that.

Mercedes-AMG C 63 S open road backdrop(43)

What you’ve also got to love about all AMGs is that none of them follow, none of them fake. They give you real and it’s all what it takes. The C 63 S stays true to that and true to its belief of being a shy, obedient looking maniac. When no one’s looking, it sets itself on fire and glows in the dark. For anyone who witnesses that phenomena from behind the bushes, it takes a while to realize that even weapons of destruction can come dressed in a blue shirt and khakhis.

Price as tested:  Rs 1.30 crore (Ex-showroom, Delhi)

Mercedes-AMG C 63 S
Arrangement/no. of cylinders V / 8
Total displacement (cc) 3982
Rated Output (kW (hp) @ rpm) 375 (510) @ 5500-6250
Rated Torque (Nm @ rpm) 700 @ 1750 – 4500
Approx. top speed (km/h) 250
Acceleration 0 – 100 kmph (s) 4.0
Tyres/wheels 245 / 35 R19 and 265 / 35 R19
Transmission AMG SPEEDSHIFT MCT 7-speed sports
Fuel type Petrol
Length (mm) 4756
Width (mm) 1839
Height (mm) 1426
Wheelbase (mm) 2840
Kerb weight (kg) 1730
Perm. GVW (kg) 2180
Luggage compartment capacity (l) 435
Turning circle diameter (m) 11.29

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