Last week, Mercedes-Benz showed the world photos of its new C63 AMG Coupe just a week after it showed the new C-Class Coupe range. Now the standard C-Class Coupe is a perfectly fine coupe. It looks good, has space for four, and comes in a wide range of sensible, economical, and powerful enough engines.
But, if like me, you just need that little bit of oomph or you can’t resist anything with an AMG badge, then you won’t be able to settle for anything less than the C63 Coupe. I was a big fan of the previous two-door C63. I still maintain that for me that would be the ideal one-car garage. Big V8 up front, a lovely Mercedes cabin in the middle, and drive at the rear.
This new C63 Coupe follows the same basic recipe, except for a couple of details. First off this uses Mercedes-AMG’s new 4.0-litre bi-turbo V8 instead of the old (but still epic) 6.2 naturally aspirated V8. It’s the same engine found in the C63 Sedan and AMG GT. So you could have a Mercedes two-door with the same engine as the AMG GT but for a lot less. It’s almost a no-brainer.
There’ll be two power outputs, 476bhp/350kW or 510bhp/375kW, but for the NZ market we’ll only be getting the more powerful C63 S Coupe variant. I have no problem with that. The C63 S develops 510bhp/375kW and 700NM of torque. That’s enough to get it from 0-100 km/h in 3.9 seconds and is limited to 250. If you spec it with the AMG Driver’s Package, it brings the top speed up to 290 km/h.
Differentiating the C63 from the rest of the C-Class Coupe range, the track is wider by 64mm up front and 66mm wider at the rear to house wider wheels. The Coupe also gets a new exhaust system that comes with a flap to adjust the sound. So you could either have it in quiet (relative to an AMG) Dr. Jekyl mode for cruising or in full barking loud Mr. Hyde mode for when you want to scare children. This, I’ll have to hear.
As with the Sedan, power is sent via a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission. The base C63 comes with a mechanical slip diff, while the C63S we’ll be getting comes with an electronic one. The Coupe also has higher negative camber over the sedan and of course benefits from AMG’s Ride Control adaptive dampers.
It comes as no surprise that the C-Class Coupe looks essentially like a two-door C-Class, or a scaled-down S-Class Coupe. From the front it’s identical to the C-Class Sedan on which it’s based on, but from there back it’s all new. I’m a fan of this new, sleeker coupe shape. I’ll miss the chiseled look of the previous C-Coupe but there’s no denying this new design has an air of elegance about it.
The rear echoes that of the S-Coupe, no bad thing if you ask me. It might annoy those who paid in excess of $300,000 for a S500 Coupe, but for C-Coupe owners it can’t hurt to have a car that looks one costing twice as much. By far my favourite aspect of the new C63 are the flared wheel arches. The wider track and arches give the smooth and sublime shape of the C-Coupe some AMG aggression. A bit like a ballerina with AK-47s.
You can probably guess I’m absolutely smitten by this car. Just look at it! It’s a two-door Mercedes coupe (check) with a characterful V8, and it’ll around half the price of the AMG GT if the outgoing C-Coupe is anything to go by. So, this, M4, RS5, or RC-F? I know which one I’d pick. Cars really doesn’t get any more perfect for me than this. The C-Class Coupe is set for a NZ launch around mid-2016. I better start saving now.
