Shapeshifter: Living with the 2019 Mercedes-AMG C63S Coupe

By daryl, 30 October 2019

The Mercedes C-Class tells a story of extremes; the heights of its plot separated by a stampede of 322 horses, all thoroughbreds of a fine, German pedigree.

Late last year, Mercedes-Benz Malaysia (MBM) introduced a facelift for the passenger grade W205, flexing its jolly green muscles along the way by introducing a new 1.5-litre engine for the C200 Avantgarde. But the real hulk only joined the fray a few months later; its grand entrance in the Sepang International Circuit peppered with trails of smoke and awe no less. That’s the kind of treatment an additional 322bhp buys you.

Much of the three-pointed star’s latest efforts have been focused on electrification. But there’s no taking away the theatrics of AMG’s C63 and the tyre-shredding legacy each new iteration brings with it. In C63 S format, the made-in-Affalterbach four-litre V8 puts out the same 503bhp and 700Nm as its predecessor, which isn’t an issue for a car already infused with a bloodlust for supercars. If anything, managing such copious amounts of raw, rear-bound power was a more valid concern. And that’s precisely where hundreds of R&D hours have gone into in the making of the 2019 model.

Newness begins with an AMG Speedshift gearbox lifted from the broadly talented E63 AMG. It’s still a multi-clutch setup as before, but with two extra gears that make a world of difference in terms of overall usability. The pre-facelift’s long ratios that allowed the V8 to work up a manic scream between every forceful shift have been shortened and spread out across nine expertly-mapped gears, making the C63 a substantially more viable daily sports car than before.

The newfound sophistication on the move is a highly welcomed change for a car we once deemed too violent for public roads.

The thug-to-tux transformation may seem a bit out of character given how much more “gangsta” the C63’s Panamericana-grilled face has gotten, but its quad pipes still drop a mean beat when you’re in the mood, but we’ll get to that later.

Beyond applying the gloss to a few blunt edges under the hood, AMG also identified the C63’s dynamic programming as a vital cog worth recalibrating, which is why we now have things like AMG Dynamics and AMG Traction Control. The former is an extension of Merc’s Dynamic Select driving mode menu, which breaks down “Individual” mode to four stages, namely Basic, Advanced, Pro and Master. If you think that last name is just pushing it, it’s worth noting that “Master” can only be engaged with the ESP switched to Sport or turned off completely.

C63S Coupe
C63S Coupe
C63S Coupe

Killing the ESP also allows more brazen drivers brimmed with the confidence of taming Stuttgart’s notorious bad boy to tinker with AMG Traction Control, which offers nine levels of slip allowance in the rear axle. That’s basically a nine-stage drift mode in layman’s terms.

The Coupe has always been the more tail-happy C63 to begin with thanks to its 50mm wider rear axle. That shock-inducing charm isn’t exactly lost on the facelift, but the ‘behavioural correction’ gives you solid reassurance that you’ll only be served some smoky, sideways action when your bowels are actually up for it.

In truth, we rarely went beyond flicking the new, steering-mounted Dynamic Select toggle to Sport (Sport + at most) throughout the weekend we spent behind its wheel predominantly within the Klang Valley. Comfort mode actually hit the spot for the most part – the AMG Ride Control’s relatively civil damping coupled with the disciplined yet urgent response from the twin-turbo V8 sets the bar pretty high as far as daily sports cars go – but it was hard not to fiddle with a toggle that had its own circular colour screen in the centre.

In hotter driving configurations, every malevolent legend you’ve ever heard about the C63 rises to the surface. Let’s not forget that MBM exclusively sells C63 S models, which pack 40bhp and 50Nm more than the regular C63 of which many tales have been told. Unshackled, the guttural soundtrack of the Coupe’s AMG Performance exhaust is a reminder of the car’s inherent brute force, and a tempting invitation to have a go at it.

Logic dictates that such antics be restricted to the confines of a race track. But the C63’s wealth of electronics constantly standby in the shadows, always ready engage in a bid to mask the raw physics that makes it possible for a 1.7-tonne hunk of metal to reach 100kph from a standstill in under four seconds as you’re lured towards the car’s 7,000rpm redline by its unyielding stamina, even as the horizon shifts from side to side.

It helps that the steering feels like it was taken right out of a race car; its accurate reflexes are quick to restore confidence for when things get a bit hairy on the turn.

As ridiculously entertaining as it is, every driver will need a break from the C63’s smoke-and-glory performance at some point eventually. Sure, we can all rock out to Metallica’s Enter Sandman from time to time.

But having the heavy metal track play on a perpetual loop is an extremely acquired taste. In this context, the new C63 S Coupe, with its updated switchgear, finally presents drivers with stop, pause and next track buttons for when you’d like to take things a notch – or three – down.

Unshackled, the guttural soundtrack of the Coupe’s AMG Performance exhaust is a reminder of the car’s inherent brute force, and a tempting invitation to have a go at it.

Having some Bach piped through the C63’s Burmester speakers instead will calm the senses to better appreciate the updated interior, which is essentially a W205/C205 facelift cabin with a splash of red leather, carbon trim and the works.

The digital cockpit with AMG-specific displays is especially fetching. Both the main infotainment and instrument cluster are customisable, so the driver has the freedom to choose between minimalist graphics or stat overload to geek out on; the choice is all yours.

And then there’s the lovely AMG steering, which is the exact item you’ll find hooked to the dash of an AMG GT, complete with the aforementioned driving mode toggle. Nudge it in the right direction and you’ll be riding the wave of combusted RON97 and boiling hot rubber all over again. That’s how impressively multi-focal the C63 has become.

If you’ve skimmed past the entire article for a synopsis, here it is: what used to be the HBO of tyre-shredding sports cars has become Netflix. Instead of turning every drive into a blockbuster car chase à la Michael Bay, the C63 S Coupe One is now a flexible artist capable of lighting up all the world’s stages – one that’s never short of PG substance for when the mood is right.

MERCEDES-AMG C63 S COUPE SPECS
Price: RM820,888
Engine: 3,982cc twin-turbo V8, 503bhp, 700Nm
Transmission: 9spd AMG MCT
Performance: 0-100kph in 3.9 secs, 290kph
Economy: 10.1l/100km, 230g/km CO2
Weight: 1,735kg