Mercedes-AMG C 63 S Coupe 2016 Track Test Review

First Australian Drive
Sydney Motorsport Park, NSW

The range-topper of the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class two-door line-up, the Mercedes-AMG C 63 S Coupe, features unique suspension geometry, wider pumped-up bodywork, bigger wheels and footprint and a host of under-the-skin changes. Much more than tweaks, the modifications are aimed at transforming the mid-size Mercedes coupe from scalpel to sledgehammer. After just a short track drive, we can’t guarantee the changes have worked on-road, but there’s enough good news to warrant optimism.

The AMG-ification of the Mercedes-Benz line-up continues, to the point where it’s reached almost saturation levels… Sure, there’s no B-Class AMG (yet!) but there are a growing number of SUVs and other not-so-sporty cars wearing the revered badge, perhaps calling into question the legitimacy of the tuner’s scattergun tactics.

The new wider, wilder C 63 S Coupe isn’t one of them. In fact, it’s at the very other end of the spectrum. This is exactly the sort of Mercedes-Benz that deserves and benefits from a decent dose of AMG agro.

And, accordingly, in this latest generation the coupe boasts more AMG DNA than any other recent Benz four-seater. In fact, only the bespoke AMG GT has more Affalterbach under its skin.

The new top model of the updated C-Class Coupe range, the new C 63 S two-door shares the twin-turbo 375kW/700Nm 4.0-litre V8 of its four-door counterpart, again matched to Mercedes-AMG’s very capable and very refined seven-speed Speedshift MCT auto.

It’s a stunningly powerful engine and the gearbox is arguably the best of its genre.

Fortunately for coupe fanciers, the burghers at AMG have recognised that perhaps the four-door had just a touch too much of a good thing when it comes to powertrain performance. Thus under the skin there have been wholesale changes in an effort to cure some of the woes from which the high-powered sedan suffers.

The changes have occurred right from the body-in-white stage. Extra reinforcement has been added and the rear subframe is unique. And to aid in that search for better manners, better traction and eventually even better performance, the coupe has also been gifted a substantial increase in its footprint.

Although the sticky round black bits match the AMG GT in terms of dimensions (235/35 R19 on 9.0x19-inch rims at the front and 283/30 R20 on 10.5x20-inch at the rear), we’re not just talking larger tyres and wheels.

The C 63 S Coupe’s front and rear tracks have been increased (50mm or thereabouts, front and rear) and there’s also a modified rear axle design. No less than 12 links now control rear axle location and the suspension alignment and three-stage electronic adaptable damper settings are also all bespoke.

The old racer's trick of increasing the negative camber at both ends has also been performed.

If the C63 S two-door looks even more muscular than the sedan, consider too the bodywork has been re-sculptured to accommodate the chassis tweaks. The front guards are pumped out by 64mm and the rears 66mm -- about the width of an iPhone. This is not a huge amount (this is not an IMSA racing car of the late 1980s after all) but it is enough to give the car a very different stance.

Like its four-door counterpart, however, there are some pretty aggressive front and rear body tweaks when compared to the cooking-model coupe.

And for an extra $10,900, the Edition 1 launch special (not a limited-edition, but available as a 'package' for a limited time) gets even more bulges and ‘flics’ thanks to its standard aero kit. Other more ‘meaningful’ additions include sport seats and whopping 402mm ceramic front brakes – the latter almost justifying the cost of the kit in their own right.

We drove an early production C 63 S Coupe for a few short laps at Sydney Motorsport Park (Eastern Creek to the rest of us) in a pre-launch drive this week. It’s our second on-track experience with the car but the first Down Under. Officially, the car goes on sale here in July and will be joined later in the year by a Cabriolet version.

Priced from $162,400, you’ll pay a near $8K premium for the coupe over the sedan (circa $154K) for substantial less luggage space and the pleasure of having to get out of the car before your (two) back-seat passengers can. Otherwise, the specification is very similar – and frankly there’s little left wanting.

Given our experience was track-only, I’ll be guarded in terms of the Coupe’s expected on-road performance. Anyone who’s kept up to date with Australia’s Best Driver’s Car 2016 will know that the C 63 S sedan -- about which we delivered rave reviews at its racetrack launches in Portugal and Bathurst -- didn’t quite translate onto local (well, Tassie) roads.

With that caveat, there’s no doubting the coupe’s additional performance potential, however. Affalterbach wanted the C 63 S to be the sportiest C-Class ever and it seems many (most?) of the targets set by AMG’s engineers appear to have been hit.

The seat-of-the-pants impression is that there’s more ‘power down’ grip than in the sedan, although there was barely a corner at Eastern Creek where the stability control light couldn’t be made to  flicker even in ‘freed up’ Sport Handling Mode mode. That said, it feels like the suspension and track changes do deliver better turn-in and a more confidence-inspiring front-end.

In a straight line the C 63 S is a jet! Mercedes-AMG claims a 0-100km/h time of 3.9sec for the coupe – 0.1sec faster than the four-door. Thank those wider rear boots and a change in the rear axle ratio.

Top-speed is academic or likely to put you in gaol -- depending on how well and where you exercise self-control. Even with the extra grip we noted that rear tyre life can end up being inversely proportional to throttle percentage. We said it had more power-down grip, not lots…

By every measure in-gear performance is also very impressive. The midrange stomp of this twin-turbo V8 is already legendary. And the soundtrack’s not too bad either.

Mercedes-AMG won’t say so on the record but unofficially admits this is already the fastest road-going C-Class ever – quicker in a straight line and around any track than even the special-order C 63 Black Series from 2011.

On the same day as our coupe drive we also drove a few laps in the AMG GT3 racer of AMG driver training chief, Peter Hackett. Yet, instead of feeling all at sea back in the roadie after the purebred race car, the C 63 S coupe still felt composed and responsive. That speaks volumes re the changes.

I’ll be very interested in the result of any showdown we can organise between the new C 63 S coupe and BMW’s latest M4. It will make for interesting reading (and viewing) – at least once the tyre smoke has cleared.

In its latest, wider and wilder iteration, the C 63 S Coupe is not a car for the shy – and that’s even before you consider the Ed-1’s matte bronze paint and lairy yellow stripes. Coupled with a meaty exhaust note, the aggressive stance and cobby looks, it means you’re bound to be noticed.

But isn’t that what most AMG buyers and the hot-shop itself wants?

Can’t wait to see how the two-door works on the road…

And for AMG’s next secret weapon — a fully phat B-Class…

2016 Mercedes-AMG C 63 S Coupe pricing and specifications:
Price: $162,400 plus ORCs (Edition 1 package: $10,900)
Engines: 4.0-litre eight-cylinder twin-turbo petrol
Outputs: 375kW/700Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel: 8.7L/100km
CO2: 202g/km
Safety rating: TBC