Don't judge this 2.0-litre four-cylinder machine before you've driven it. Picture: Mercedes
Meet the Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance.
If you are going to judge this new car on the single aspect of noise and dismiss it just because it no longer has that much loved V8 soundtrack, then it’s not for you. I get that. We all do.
But you are going to miss out on a car where the sum of all its new high-tech AMG bits and pieces come together and not only make it substantially faster than ever before, but also ensures it is dynamically better in every other way too.
Yes, we all know it now has a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, engine under the bonnet. But this is the world’s most powerful four-cylinder car. And before you add some serious electrically-charged zing to the equation, you already have 350kW of power and 545Nm of torque under your right foot.
Include some Formula 1 battery tech and an electric motor coupled to the rear axle and now you have a full 500kW and the 1 020Nm driving down through an all-wheel drive 4Matic system that allows for a fuss-free 0-100 km/h sprint time of just 3.4 seconds and electronically governed top speed 280km/h. That comes up all too fast … so I’m told.
ALSO READ: Mercedes-AMG C63 S counts on F1 technology to silence critics
Should you want to misbehave even more, the Mercedes-AMG C 63 S E Performance offers a full-on rear-wheel drive drift mode. And for those that seek their thrills in a slightly more controlled environment, the car offers a track-based boost strategy.
What this means in very simple terms is that in Track Pace the car can intelligently distribute the use of electric energy over a racetrack lap (or your favourite piece of road) to optimise your lap time with the targeted and aggressive use and recovery of the electric motor’s power. Think Formula 1 Kers and you will get what I am saying.
The R2 476 800 Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance is faster than you think. It’s easy to drive fast when the road is no longer straight. 500kW and 1020Nm of ballistic sedan. This is not the old C63 S. Finish en klaar.
But wait there’s more. In the form of an “F1 Edition”. It comes in exclusive Manufaktur alpine grey uni paint, with AMG logo and colour gradient stickers on the side the go from grey to black, and red trim lines on the sides and front and rear aprons.
ALSO READ: WATCH: Mercedes-AMG C63 S exhaust notes cause greater controversy
The 20-inch AMG forged wheels in a five-twin-spoke design are painted matt black with red rim flanges that follow the colour scheme of the wheels of the official FIA F1 medical car from Mercedes-AMG.
The privilege of owning this special edition car starts at R2 746 800.
ALSO READ: Mercedes-AMG ‘plotting’ return of V8 in C63 as early as 2026
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