Mercedes C63 AMG estate review
Mercedes-Benz C-Class C63 AMG First Drive
Test date 01 July 2008
Price as tested £55,875
What is it?
The new Mercedes C63 AMG estate, which brings the thunderous 6.2-litre V8 to Mercedes’ executive load-lugger. That means 451bhp and 443lb ft of torque propelling a car weighing just 65kg more than its saloon counterpart, resulting in a penalty of just 0.1sec in the sprint to 60mph and half an mpg in extra fuel consumption.
What’s it like?
On the road, it’s near-identical to the C63 saloon. So although you’ll have to put up with a lumpy low-speed ride, the pay-off is magnificent body control, incisive steering, relentless acceleration and a soundtrack that will give you goose bumps.
Best of all, though, is the 7-speed automatic transmission. This has a full manual paddle-shift mode that feels almost as slick as a twin-clutch set up. It even allows you to bounce off the rev limiter without changing up for you.
So should I buy one?
An extra £1250 over the saloon sounds expensive, but with the recent demise of the RS4 Avant, and no M3 estate, if you want a small V8 estate the Mercedes C63 is your only option. Good thing it’s a cracking car, then.
Matt Rigby
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