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Carsales Staff8 Feb 2019
REVIEW

Mercedes-AMG C 63 2019 Review – Australia

Stuttgart hot-shop sharpens its top-selling mid-size sports car range
Model Tested
Mercedes-AMG C 63 S sedan
Review Type
Local Launch
Review Location
Bathurst, NSW

Mercedes-Benz brought significant design and technology upgrades to its facelifted C-Class and now they’ve flowed through to the popular AMG versions. The starting price for the 2019 Mercedes-AMG C 63 is $160,900 for the four-door sedan -- a rise of $3689 – which arrives in Australia alongside the upgraded five-door wagon ($163,400) and two-door coupe ($165,900)

Beating heart

The heart of Mercedes-AMG is beating a little stronger today with the arrival of the latest C63 S.

Everything in AMG-land orbits around the mid-size sports sedan, coupe and wagon range and, for 2019, it picks up the improvements from the updated C-Class range and adds some extra go-faster tweaking.

There is no more power or torque from the 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 -- the headline numbers are still 375kW and 700Nm -- but the big change is a nine-speed MCT transmission that brings quicker shifts, as well as softer suspension that makes the whole package more compliant.

As a result, it’s more enjoyable for more of the time.

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AMG models contributed 20 per cent of Mercedes-Benz sales in Australia last year and that number is likely to rise in 2019, with strong demand for the three-strong C63 range and a considerable order bank. Some eager buyers have been on the waiting list for more than a year.

“Historically, in its launch years the C63 is our best-selling AMG,” says company spokesman, Jerry Stamoulis.

“If there is one model from our AMG range that is for a repeat buyer, it’s the C 63. In 2008, when we launched, it really brought the AMG brand to Australia. They love this car.”

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The nose that shows

The big visual hint to the updated Mercedes-AMG C 63 is a nose that picks up the styling direction from the Mercedes-AMG GTs -- both two- and (new) four-door.

It’s more overt, more obvious, but still looks good and is known by insiders as the ‘Panamericana Grille’ because it has visual ties back to a Benz that raced in the Panamericana road race in the 1950s.

But the good stuff in the newest 63 is also picked up from the cooking cars in the C-Class family, which got 6500 changes last September -- right down to three squirters for the windscreen washers in place of the usual two.

The external stuff is nothing particularly special with just a general sharpening of the look, and there has been a lot of work on refinement and quality, but the obvious difference is in the cabin.

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The 10.25-inch media display is conspicuous from the start, and so also is the AMG steering wheel which now has a couple of extra buttons including one for the mode settings and the nine-position traction control.

“They operate all the AMG functions without you having to take your hands off the wheel,” says senior product manager, John Vasilj.

“The full digital media display is AMG-specific. You can configure it in the way you want. It can display g-force, turbo boost, even kiloWatts and Newton-metres at any point in time.”

The 2019 Mercedes-AMG C63 comes standard with AMG sports seats, 20-inch alloys, the AMG performance exhaust and luxury stuff from automatic air-con to Nappa leather upholstery.

Pricing and Features
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Let’s get going

The old seven-speed auto is gone and the replacement is a nine-speed unit -- not a dual-clutch but an automatic with a wet clutch instead of a torque converter, effectively making it an automated manual gearbox based around an automatic transmission rather than a manual one.

The result is ultra-slick shifts and more closely-stacked ratios. There is also a race start setting.

The electronic controls of the engine and transmission have been revised and now include both Race and Slippery modes, the softest setting reducing power and flattening the engine’s torque curve for snow and other nasty surfaces.

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The ESC settings are also integrated into the AMG dynamic package, which give more control to the driver and allow more choices of the width of the safety net. The package was first fitted to the Mercedes-AMG GT3 racer, then morphed onto the GT R road car before trickling down to the C63.

“It’s to provide greater agility and safety as well. It allows the driver to have a more precise influence on the handling,” says Vasilj.

The adaptive damping is probably the biggest change, even if there are still three familiar settings for the dampers -- Comfort, Sport and Sport+. It’s softer overall, but significantly more compliant in the rear damping when the driver selects Comfort.

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Softly, softly, then up and away

Like the latest C-Class sedan on which it’s based, the 2019 Mercedes-AMG C 63 is a little nicer in most areas, a touch more refined and visually different enough to justify the price hike.

Fire the engine and there is the familiar and welcome rumble of an AMG V8, which gets ever fruitier if you touch the ‘open-flow’ button on the centre console or switch the AMG model to Sport.

But the obvious difference, from the first 50 metres, is the softness in the suspension. The Comfort setting really is comfortable and at first it seemed the rear suspension was a touch under-damped because there was lots of travel.

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What that means, best of all, is that the rear-end soaks up bumps and also the output from the V8. So a city commute will not be a chore, as it was before, and when you tickle the torque it doesn’t mean an instant display of traction control warnings or a thump through the back-end.

The new nine-speeder sits quietly in the background on light throttle openings, but once you get a bit eager it responds with noticeably sharper shifts.

Being honest, the latest C 63 was always a bit of a pain to drive in the city. Now feels just as quick but is more friendly, more comfortable and less likely to trigger a tension headache after a tough day in the office.

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Into the country

The explosive impact of the Mercedes-AMG C 63 should always be reserved for quiet days and quiet roads, or better yet a racetrack, but as you move the AMG needle up from Comfort to Sport and beyond the car really comes alive.

It’s a raucous romper that feels just as sharp as in the past, but with a little more comfort and compliance. The combination of more compliance in the rear -- it’s best to leave the dampers on Comfort unless you’re on a track -- and the slick shift means the car is probably a touch quicker than before but far less demanding to drive quickly.

On meandering country roads past the Blue Mountains, after trolling through Sydney traffic, the C 63 comes alive and is wicked quick without complaints.

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It also turns smartly, even over crests into tightening curves, and the boom of the twin-turbo V8 gets your pulse going. Some people still pine for the old naturally-aspirated V8, but trust us this one delivers the sound and response to please any purist.

It’s fun to play with the AMG stuff on the steering wheel and watch the various displays turning up their feedback and assistance, but it’s simple things like the latest seats and the new AMG wheel -- which is far easier to handle for people who don’t have a gorilla grip -- that complete the package.

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Arrive smiling and happy

The Mercedes-AMG C 63 has always been a landmark car for Benz, and a benchmark for the class.

The mid-size German muscle-car has gone from good to better and then best, and the legions of fans of the brand and the C 63 badge keep coming back for good reason.

There are design and tech improvements that make the latest C 63 a bit better, for sure, but the chassis retune also makes it considerably more user friendly and easier to live with. These days, that’s a winning combination.

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How much does the 2019 Mercedes-AMG C63 S sedan cost?
Price: From $160,900 (plus ORCs)
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol
Output: 375kW/700Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed MCT automatic
Fuel: 10.4L/100km (ADR combined)
CO2: 237g/km (ADR combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2014)

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Written byCarsales Staff
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