2008 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG

Sometimes a quick vehicle comes our way that, quite frankly, amazes us with its charm. Enough so to temporarily cast aside our growing concerns about the greening of the automobile. Well, that’s exactly what happened when Mercedes-Benz delivered the new C63 AMG to our doorstep. With sheer appeal both moving and parked, the C63 is intoxicating. Indeed, it hits just where we want to live.

Few car brands embody the phrase “can you top that” quite like the Teutonic hot-rods of the Mercedes-Benz AMG division, and the latest road burner to smoke up the tarmac both near and far is the 2008 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG sedan.

Staring with the latest C-Class basics, the C63 takes the usual AMG route to hyper performance by boosting everything from intake to exhaust, and suspension to styling.

And what styling it is! The C63 gets the full AMG treatment, starting with a racy twin-louver grille.  The broad stance of its 35-millimeter wider front track is accented by bulging fender flares, which cover standard 18-inch light-alloy wheels. Even larger 19-inch wheel are optional.

Deep ground-hugging side skirts follow to a low rear fascia with aero diffuser, deck-lid spoiler, and polished quad outlets for the free-flowing AMG exhaust.

Under the twin power dome hood is a hand-built 6.2-liter V8 that pumps out 451 horsepower, about 9% more than a BMW M3, and a crushing 443 pound-feet of torque, that’s 50% more, which drive to the rear wheels by way of AMG’s Speedshift Plus 7-speed automatic transmission.

It has three shift modes, steering wheel paddle shifters, and a new automatic throttle blipping function for downshifts and when shifted manually, helps launch the C63 to 60 in a quick if not spectacular 5.0-seconds. While slower to 60 than the lighter M3, the C63 makes up for it from mid-range to top-end with a quarter-mile of 13.2 seconds at 115 miles-per-hour.

Both auto and manual shifts are quick and clean, while sophisticated electronic stability control keeps the wheels gripping but never chops off the power.

The trick electronics combine with the new wider 3-link front end to give the C63 amazing grip in corners as well. The steering is razor sharp, and chassis balance is practically perfect. While compared to the M3 the C63’s greater weight does mean there is more car to sling around, it is still a hardtop performance benchmark and a whole lot of fun to boot!

The C63 backs up its superb handling with eye-popping braking power from huge vented discs. We gauge its 114 foot average stop from 60 as very short.

Yet despite its performance, the C63 has a ride that is very firm but never choppy. Noise and vibration are well controlled, while still allowing you to savor the V8 engine’s glorious growl.

But buyers will face the reality of Government fuel economy ratings of 12 city/19 highway. Our lead-footed speed junkies averaged 16.3 miles-per-gallon on premium and did so while commanding a cabin packed with both typical Benz luxury and racy AMG styling.

There is a new AMG instrument cluster, with a digital display that includes a lap timer.  A competition-style flat-bottomed steering wheel. And deep, grippy sport seats with adjustable side bolsters and AMG logos.

The latest C-Class platform gives this super sport sedan decent rear seat room as well, and a useful 16.8 cubic-feet of luggage space.

Now, if the C63 AMG is your dream machine, then pull together $54,675. Again, competitive to the M3 and to us still most fair given its combination of near-track ready performance, Euro luxury, and AMG exclusivity.

The 2008 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG proves once again that few organizations can beat AMG when it comes to injecting incredible performance into a mainstream set of wheels.

So if you are ever bold enough to ask an AMG engineer the question “Can you top that?” you can be sure that the answer will be a very clear “Yes we can!”