2019 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Review: 2019 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG

2019 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Review: 2019 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG

Mercedes-Benz's smallest U.S. sedan, the C-class, continues to impress us, this time with the sport-tuned 2009 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG version. We previously reviewed the C300, and found that its updated electronics put to shame the tech in more expensive models from Mercedes-Benz. With the AMG version we have a car that competes with the BMW M3, not only in cabin tech but also in sheer performance and the exhilarating drive it offers. The cabin electronics in the C63 are the same as in the C300, with the latest version of Mercedes-Benz's navigation and phone system. The sound produced by the audio system blew us away, as did the sound from the engine. The C63 gets the same 6.2-liter AMG engine it uses in the much bigger S63, resulting in better power-to-weight. The car's shorter length and sport-tuned suspension result in nimble handling. The C63's 6.2-liter V-8 is a work of art, hand-built by an AMG engineer. The GranTurismo was first up.

Next up was the 2009 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG, the tuned-up version of the C-class, featuring a 6.2-liter V-8, also with four valves per cylinder and variable valve timing. This engine produces 451 horsepower at 6,800rpm, with a 7,200rpm redline, and 443 foot-pounds of torque at 5,000rpm. The C63 started with an immediate bark, and was overall louder, as we would expect from the increased displacement. Cunningham noted the staccato quality of the sound, that you can "hear the valves and injectors working." Goodwin appreciated the immediate roar from the engine at the start. Our judges give a good listen to the C63's engine. Our judges also admired the look of the engines, although they noted that most of the GranTurismo's engine is hidden by black plastic cladding, with just a nice Maserati trident badge on the intake manifold. The C63's engine is more exposed, with a gray crackle finish on the intake manifold and a small plaque with the signature of the engine builder. In the final assessment, the judges favored the sound from the C63. The GranTurismo didn't stand out enough, with its more refined and muted song.

To hear the engine noise and our judges, listen to episode 79 of Car Tech podcast. In the cabin, the flat-bottom steering wheel and AMG logo on the instrument cluster let you know this is the sport-tuned version of the C-class. The prominent side-bolstering on the seats is also a good clue. But the rest of the gear is standard for the C-class, with a mostly black interior accented by silver trim here and there. No two-tone fanciness for the sporty C63. The car gets the Mercedes-Benz Command interface, which mostly consists of a knob/button/joystick on the console augmented by back and clear buttons. This minimal switchgear does a good job of letting you access all the car's functions, including navigation, stereo, and cell phone system. You also get a set of quick access buttons for navigation, stereo, and phone on the instrument panel, along with a keypad. The Command controller is fairly simple, but works well with the car's software interface.

The navigation system stores its map data on an in-dash hard drive, allowing much more data than a DVD-based system and extra space for music storage in something Mercedes-Benz calls the Music Register. The maps are high resolution and street names have white outlines around black lettering, making them very readable. We were impressed by how quickly it calculated and recalculated routes, and we also liked its route guidance graphics, which even gives lane guidance on freeways. Destination entry is fairly easy using voice command or the Command interface. Lacking are advanced features such as traffic or text-to-speech. Unlike other hard-drive-based navigation systems that offer almost 10GB of music storage, such as the one in the Infiniti M45x, the C63's system only offers 4GB. But that's still a substantial amount of music, equivalent to modern flash-based MP3 players. When you insert a CD into the drive, you have the option of ripping it to the hard drive, and the tracks will be automatically tagged with appropriate song, artist, and album names from a Gracenote database. The car also has iPod integration, although the system in our car didn't seem to work properly.

It wouldn't show the iPod interface on the main LCD, merely letting us skip through songs on the instrument cluster display. We believe this fault was because of our C63 being a preproduction car, as we had seen good iPod integration on the C300. The C63's six-disc changer also reads MP3 CDs, and we had Sirius satellite radio. The Gracenote database recognized the CD, and will add appropriate ID3 tags as the system rips tracks to the car's hard drive. The Harmon Kardon audio system in the C63 sounded amazingly good. Listening to some lossless music from our connected iPod, we were blown away with the separation and clarity. We've heard some amazing systems recently in the Jaguar XF and the Audi A8, and this system in the C63 competed well. There were moments when the system had us looking at where we had heard a particular instrument in the cabin.