Imagine having a 510 horse power car in the garage that can do everything you need on a daily basis. Too good to be true? Not really.
When I emailed Mercedes’ press officer to book this car, his reply was: “Are you sure you want to drive this car again?”
His words were not devoid of meaning, but they had nothing to do with the C63’s capabilities or lack thereof. He knew that the last time I drove a C63 S Station, I was hunted down by the police, stopped on the hard shoulder of an A-road and given a ticket for €500.
The police said I was doing 120kph in a 50kph zone. And when they agreed with me that it didn’t make sense for that stretch of road to be 50kph, I thought I was off the hook. I wasn’t.
“Was I driving in a reckless manner?” – I insisted. “Not at all, sir. Here’s your ticket. How do you want to pay for it?” – the nice officer said with a smile on his face.
That was then, and this is now. The facelift of the C-Class has finally reached the AMG models and just because this car had made me €500 poorer in the past, I could see no reason why I shouldn’t drive it again and see if I could spot the differences from the pre-facelift.
So, what exactly is it? Well, the Station Wagon is obviously the more family-oriented choice of the C-Class range, which, usually, also makes it the more rational purchase. Not this car though. A 510 horse power load lugger is not a car anybody needs. The want, on the other hand, is very, very strong. Think 0-100kph in 4.1 seconds – that’s as fast as a Ferrari F430 – and a top speed in excess of 275kph.
The new bits that matter are the front grille, now more aggressive than ever, a deeper rear diffuser and different air inlets. Moving inside, the instrument cluster is now fully digital and there’s a different, improved steering wheel. We like.
Technically, a new nine-speed automatic gearbox replaces the old seven-speed torque converter and there are updated driving modes borrowed from the AMG GT, including a super clever traction control system that stops you crashing without being too intrusive.
I have not driven the V8 that Ferrari builds for the 488 GTB yet, but as far as modern turbocharged engines go, this one is definitely the most exciting ever to be present at “Resident Towers”. Yes, the V8 in the BMW M5 is great and the straight-six of the new Porsche 911 is an engineering marvel, but, for sheer excitement, nothing beats an AMG power plant (bar, maybe, that Italian I mentioned before, but price-wise, they’re not even on the same planet).
That you can get an engine like this in a car, where you can take the family, the dog, the bags, the kids’ toys, the bikes and whatever else you can think of, is quite simply a joy. It really is. Supercar levels of acceleration and your kids in the back, sometimes even sleeping. How brilliant is that?
And the noise? Oh, the noise. Earth-shatteringly amazing. Thunderous. I know the future is electric and that we must save the planet, but I hope it will still be possible to drive around in cars like these in 20-30 years’ time.
Focus on the C63 S abilities and you will discover a car that does not put a foot wrong. From cruiser to bruiser at a touch of a button, the Mercedes plays the Dr Jekyll/Mr Hyde act like few other cars on the market. The ride is firm but never intrusive and the way this crunches kilometre after kilometre after kilometre is mesmerising.
Show it a twisty piece of road and it gets even better. How can a Station Wagon do this? I love this car. Every single kilometre feels utterly special and makes life just plain better. That’s what this car is … a way to improve your life. And because you can use it every day and do every day stuff in it, your life gets better every day of the week.
Initial investment on this life-altering car? Well, it’s quite a lot: €121,500 to be precise. But imagine how much better you will sleep, how much money you will save in psychiatrists, long talks on the phone with friends complaining about circumstances and how much better you will perform at work, knowing the car will be waiting to take you home. In the end, it’s absolutely worth it. Change your life. Get a Mercedes-AMG C63 S Station Wagon. You can thank me later.
By Guilerme Marques
