Mercedes has had a BMW 4 Series Convertible shaped hole in its range for some time. But now, the brand has lopped the roof of its C-Class Coupe, fitting it with a wide range of petrol and diesels engines including this – the AMG C63 S.
First impressions suggest this is a car destined to get BMW bosses rather hot under the collar. And with good reason – it’s powered by the same 4.0-litre biturbo V8 from the AMG GT supercar, developing 503bhp and 700Nm of torque. Go for standard (non-S) C63 and power is cut to a still-M4-bashing 469bhp and 650Nm. Both channel their power through a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox and rear wheel drive.
If there were ever any concerns about how turbocharged engines would dilute the sound of a naturally aspirated V8, then the C63 wallops them into touch. With the roof no longer a barrier between you and the howling engine, revving it out to 7,000rpm becomes an addiction you simply have to keep feeding. Lift off the throttle and you’re greeted with violent crackles and burbles from the exhaust, while full throttle upshifts are accompanied by thunderous bangs.
But with the noise comes the speed – and plenty of it. The 0-62mph sprint takes 4.1 seconds, which is two tenths down over the coupe, but still three-tenths faster than an M4. As in the coupe, saloon and estate versions of the C63, there’s no real sense of the engine being turbocharged; it pulls with real ferocity from just 2,000rpm without the lag or spikey power delivery you’d normally find in a turbo sports car. There’s no doubting this engine’s credentials as one of the best in the business.
Mercedes will ask you to cough up a further £3,535 over the Coupe if you want a drop-top C63. For that you get a rather fancy multi-layered fabric roof which can be operated on the move at up to speeds of 30mph. To both raise and lower the roof will take you 20 seconds.
Pretty as it may be, there are sacrifices to be made. Merc has added strengthening to compensate for the lack of roof, bulking 125kg to the kerbweight. This impacts fuel economy (31mpg) and blunts acceleration – but that’s only on paper. In reality, the C63 feels even faster than coupe; there’s no escaping the cacophony of noise with the roof folded away.
But settle down and there really is very little to tell the Cabrio apart from the Coupe. It still feels incredibly well screwed together and cohesive at speed. Only when you hit a succession of potholes or find yourself on really beaten up tarmac will you feel a slight jiggle and flex in the body.
The various driving modes alter what sort of C63 you get on the road. In the S version there is the option of Comfort, Sport, Sport+ and Race, with each flick through the modes resulting in varying degrees of character transformation. Jumping from Comfort directly to Race is the automotive equivalent of mainlining adrenaline into a pensioner.
In Comfort, it’s relaxed and composed – striking a great balance between ride quality and body control. Dial it up through the modes and it becomes progressively louder and larier. It adopts a new layer of aggression, but everything about it still feels approachable. It’s far easier to drive quickly than the BMW.
The steering is weighty but incredibly precise, made even more tactile by the beautiful Alcantara steering wheel and chunky aluminum shift paddles bolted on to the back. Bite from the front end is impressive allowing you to carry great speed into a corner, while traction from the rear entirely dependent on how much throttle you apply.
As you’d expect with 503bhp going through the rear wheels it doesn’t take much to breach the limits of grip, but when it does it, it feels truly predictable, with a level of progression you just don’t get in the feisty M4.
- Model: Mercedes-AMG C 63 S Cabriolet
- Price: £72,245
- Engine: 4.0-litre V8 biturbo
- Power: 503bhp
- Torque: 700Nm
- Transmission: Seven-speed auto, rear-wheel drive
- 0-62mph: 4.1 seconds
- Top speed: 155mph
- Economy: 31.7mpg
- CO2: 208g/km
- On sale: Now