Mercedes C63 Drops Big Engine, Keeps Rhyming Name

The 2015 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG might be a misnomer, but don’t mistake its performance.

No longer powered by a 6.2-liter engine, the new C63 AMG sports a 4.0-liter Biturbo V8 engine under the hood churning 469 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque. But following in the footsteps of the brand’s latest performance product pattern, the company has also announced a more powerful C63 S AMG model that boasts 503 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque. Bringing all the power to the wheels will be a seven-speed Speedshift automatic transmission, rather than the dual-clutch unit you’d find in the new Mercedes-AMG GT.

There’s no better way to put this, but the C63 and C63 S AMG models were built to compete against the BMW M3 and on paper, it appears that Mercedes-Benz’s offering will win the first round. Sure the engine is larger and features two more cylinders than the M3, but it provides more power and allows the sedan to accelerate to 62 MPH two-tenths of a second faster. The big question is, what else does the C63 AMG offer?

2014 Paris Motor Show Coverage

For starters, it borrows from the AMG GT by allowing the driver to adjust the stiffness on the engine and transmission mounts, as well as the suspension for enhanced handling. There’s a plethora of driving modes to select from while the German automaker will also offer an optional exhaust system that helps the V8 not only breathe better, but give it more of a growl. You also won’t find any torque vectoring by braking on the C63 as the company has opted for a mechanical locking rear end while the C63 S gets an electronically-controlled variant that has been tuned finely for performance.

Mercedes is staying mum on pricing at the moment, but the C63 AMG will start arriving U.S. dealerships in March 2015.

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