Mercedes-AMG C63 review – A proper Affalterbach hot rod - Mercedes-AMG C63 S vs rivals

Mercedes-AMG C63 S vs rivals

The Mercedes-AMG C63 S went head-to-head with the Audi RS5 and BMW M4 Competition Pack in a Supertest in evo 240. Read the online version of that Supertest here and subscribe to evo for all the evo Supertests in full.

Here's what we thought of the Mercedes-AMG C63 S against its rivals...

In the company of BMW’s M4 and Audi’s new RS5 that both use blown 3.0-litre six-cylinder engines  Mercedes-AMG’s C63 S bruiser seems a little old hat with its V8, but that power plant is certainly the most aurally stimulating of the trio. It produces the most power but is comfortably the heaviest and with an interior that’s showing its age and a £7500 price premium it might struggle against the M4 and RS5.

The AMG is undoubtedly rapid but its suspension struggles to keep the power harnessed and it can serve up heart-in-the-mouth oversteer moments if you turn the traction control off.

Weights, dimensions and performance data 

With more power than both the M4 and the RS5 one might have expected the AMG to be the quickest in a straight line but despite the fruity V8 bellowing its approval the Merc’s 1847kg weight (50kg heavier than the RS5 and 200kg more than the M4) counts against it and it’s only a tenth quicker to 60mph than the M4 and 0.7sec behind the RS5. The AMG’s hard to get off the line cleanly too, like the M4 it scrabbles for traction.

Once it’s hooked up though the AMG’s V8 really delivers the goods and in the 0-150mph test it equals the lissom M4 Comp Pack for pace.

Lap time and track driving 

As any track regular will tell you the biggest enemy on track is weight so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the AMG was the slowest around Bedford Autodrome’s West Circuit. In the final analysis the C63 S was 1.6sec slower than the RS5 and 2.2 adrift of the M4.

The AMG’s main issue was putting the power down – with the traction control in its half way setting the system was reining the car in too much, with it off it’s hard to extract the maximum from the car without lurid oversteer rearing its ugly head in the quicker corners. You have to be quick to catch it, too.

Supertest data and specs table