Let’s not beat about the bush. You’re here because you want to know if a four-pot can really replace the legendary V8. And well, there’s no escaping it: even with all its turbo whistles and synthesised noise, the new Mercedes-AMG C63 doesn’t sound as special as it would have done with a V8.
Mercedes-AMG knows this. “Our customers come from a V8 sound, and of course this four-cylinder isn't going to have this V8 sound any more,” says AMG product manager Arne Wiebking. “But it's a transition. We all know that at some point in the future, V8s will have to be gone for good, and this is our interpretation of what a performance car needs to look like in today's world.”
Truth be told, from inside the C63 and in Race (aka full angry) mode, it does sound good. It’s synthesised, but in a believable way. AMG hasn’t made a bad pastiche of a V8: instead there are notes of V6, of Weber-carbed twin cam, overlaid with some turbo whistles and even some flat four, like a car show having a rev battle.
It stands comparison with the BMW M3’s straight six, which in its current turbocharged form is also a far cry from the snorting E46 M3 CSL.
There's no doubt that, having lost its unique V8 calling card, the C63 needs to impress even more in other areas.
Our driver, René Szczepek, AMG’s head of vehicle dynamics, starts out in EV mode, and although the smooth roads of AMG’s proving ground aren’t the most challenging surface, it's notable how quiet it is inside and how composed the 20in wheels remain when thumping over drainage covers.
Szczepek is particularly proud of the GT3-style dampers in the new C63, explaining: “Damping is the game we really wanted to invest in, because you gain so much character of the car by just having good dampers. How confident you are in the car, how good you feel going into a corner, you need that feedback from the axles. And that's one thing we as a performance brand can't lose in this new game [of electrified performance cars].”
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Perhaps MB should change the name to something other than C63 as the C63 has always been associated with a big bellowing V8.
The review by Autocar of this bastardization of the C63 will be telling. Recently Autocar has sat on the fence, unwilling to upset any major manufacturer for fear of becoming increasingly irrelevant. Unfavorable comments by other motoring magazines and you tubers suggests this vehicle is not an improvement on its predecessor, quite the opposite. It will be interesting to see whether Autocar still has any sphericals?
Not surely it's really all about upsetting manufacturers. The real problem is punters. They lap up all the turbo flappy paddle crap being produced these days and while most of it won't be to the Autocar road test team's taste, as they do know what they're talking about, they also have to review cars with a view to what buyers want. hardly any buyers are actually driving enthusiasts, at best they are car enthusiasts which is not the same thing. So, Autocar has to embrace what they like, even if it's a dumbed down playstation driving experience, or else alienate the readership. They aren't a boutique outfit that can aim for the purist market. They have to be pretty mainstream to be viable.
Marc, agreed. When I was driving a Taycan Turbo last year (GT4 having its transmission replaced) I was impressed with the overall feedaback when driving in town and then I had to make a 90 degree turn from 50mph into my community and the mass finaly revealed itself! That said, I would rate the Taycan above all Panamera if your use is mainly urban. The Taycan is nice, but its not a 911 GTS, never mind a GT3. Caveat emptor.