Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance (2024) Launch Review

The Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance, which eschews its predecessor’s V8 in favour of a 2.0-litre 4-cylinder engine mated with a plug-in hybrid power unit, has arrived in Mzansi. Is this creation the new benchmark business-class super sedan?

I am become (the electrified) C63 S. Destroyer of tyres.

Let’s get this out of the way at the outset. The Three-pointed Star’s Affalterbach-built V8 has departed the C-Class. Long live the noise, the commotion and everything else our Neanderthal brains revered in the bent 8-cylinder powerplant. Nixed is the 4.0-litre biturbo V8 (M177), which was so provocative in the previous C63 S and succeeded the W204-gen C63 AMG‘s 6.2-litre naturally aspirated V8 (M156).

And it sucks, but we are, at the precipice of new technology, much like Betamax and Kodak were before they got left behind. “Mercedes-AMG is determined to not make the same mistake as those firms did,” I said to myself, before dropping my posterior into the C63 S E Performance sumptuous driver’s seat; I was about to take the ‘wheel of easily the most controversial Affalterbach creation in recent memory.

What I encountered was unmistakenly a C-Class interior albeit with AMG tinsel, Sports Displays and a refined MBUX infotainment system. Exciting enough, but almost belying the true nature of the beast – a business-class sedan with a sticker price of about R2.5 million, more power than any other C-Class to date (as expected), but with an electrically assisted 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbopetrol engine at its heart.

To quote the general public: “Wait, what?”

How did we get here?

I hate to be that guy, but I saw this coming. It was with the advent of the original A45 AMG and its hyper-hatch credentials. The narrower-than-expected gap in ability between it and the C63 of its time had me scratching my chin – the writing was on the wall, all that was missing was the emotion of the larger car. Not the emotion derived from its dynamism, but its evocative soundtrack. You know, noise and stuff.

Watch: A45 S AMG vs Old C63 AMG drag race

Mercedes-AMG had a long way to go if it was going to offer us a serious replacement for displacement in that important aspect. But first, allow me to lay some groundwork. To merely state the new C63 S has a 2.0-litre engine would be ignoring the raft of rotors, motors and technology working in combination with it to achieve frankly astronomical performance. The new C63 S is weird and wieldy, but still pretty wild.

The M139 at the heart of the Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance is the most powerful turbocharged 4-cylinder engine in the world – it’s able to summon 350 kW and 545 Nm of torque just by itself. It features an F1-derived combination electric/gas turbo with a variable intake compressor – cheers, lag.

Paired with AMG’s 4Matic+ transmission and aided by a belt-driven starter generator and a 150 kW/320 Nm electric motor at the rear axle, the C63 S delivers vast combined outputs of 500 kW and 1020 Nm.

Consequently, the model can obliterate the 0-100 kph sprint in just 3.4 sec before being electronically restrained at a top speed of 280 kph. Electric what now? Yes, the C63 S is also a plug-in hybrid (PHEV).

A plug-in hybrid that can deliver 1 020 Nm

But this isn’t your grandpa’s Prius, not with those peak outputs. They put the previous (W205-gen) C63 S’ 375 kW and 700 Nm (courtesy of the lauded 4.0-litre bi-turbo V8) into a fresh perspective, don’t they? That car was also half a second slower to 100 kph, so there’s no challenging the new car’s performance.

The newcomer’s directly cooled 400V hybrid battery, which powers that rear-mounted electric motor, can be charged relatively quickly at the “pumps”, but such is the might of the vehicle’s regeneration that simply driving like the clappers in Sport Plus will easily top up the battery for more merry boosted miles.

On that note, the system deploys a new trick called “Boost strategy”, which – if I may loosely explain it here – is akin to having your turbo performance adjusted based on which circuit you’re on, which corner you’re taking and, perhaps more importantly, which stretch of straight asphalt you’re about to tear down.

This has potential benefits for public roads as well, such as the several mountain passes on our test route including Helshoogte, as well as the Franschhoek and Dutoitskloof passes.

To make the experience even more palatable, the folks at Mercedes-AMG have equipped the new C63 S with an adaptive sports suspension (with Ride Control), 6-pot brake calipers at the rear and a 50:50 differential to help keep the Benz’s hefty kerb weight on the tarmac… and a grin on its driver’s face.

But wait, I almost skipped the best part. The startup. It may have lost 4 cylinders, but the C63 S still has Mercedes-AMG’s “Emotion Start” – a startup sequence that boots the beast up with its exhaust flaps wide open. Simply flatten the brake pedal, hold the left gear paddle and hit the start button. All 4 pots burst into life and your ears are pleasantly filled with light artillery. Yes, light, but still entertaining.

Here’s what the Mercedes-AMG C63 S sounds like when you start it conventionally:

Has the new Mercedes-AMG C63 lost “that thing”? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/leuxosEWzk
— The Cars.co.za Team (@CarsSouthAfrica) June 13, 2024

Stick the transmission lever into Drive, select Sport (or higher) on the drive mode selector and you’ll feel the beast perk up, its attitude go taut and the throttle response adopt that “razor’s edge feel” that you’d normally associate with something naturally aspirated – or overpowered and undeterred by an auto ‘box.

It feels athletic, just very large. After exiting the parking lot, navigating a few turns and making my way onto the freeway I could already detect a longer wheelbase, which endows the C63 S with an almost E63-like demeanour. There’s 50 mm more front overhang and it’s 83 mm wider, but the measurements feel superficial, adding only to the presence of the car, which I’d argue is important on an AMG model.

What’s more, the C63 S’, um, E Performance is undeniable – what Mercedes-AMG has achieved with this newcomer is a testament to scientific advancement. There’s a sense of “making up for those cylinders we lost with sheer, unbridled speed”. The sound? Well, it’s impressive what the boffins at AMG have accomplished, and while I’ll miss the old noise, I’ll concede that I could get used to what’s on offer here.

Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance price in South Africa

Prices include a standard 2-year/unlimited km warranty and 5-year/100 000 km maintenance plan.

Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance

R2 476 800

Summary

So the Mercedes-AMG C63 S gets 2 and a half out of 3 right by my count, a great result overall but that “mark” doesn’t consider a couple of factors that I can’t quite ignore. The first is that this iteration of the C63 S, with a price tag of R2 476 800 (June 2024) must now compete with some serious sportscars.

There’s also the ethos that came along with being a business-class super sedan, which the newcomer no longer conforms to. The C63 AMG, Audi RS4 and BMW M3 (to name the main protagonists) are the most powerful and dynamic (best-handling) cars in their respective ranges, but they never used to cost more than twice as much as the derivatives below them. This C63 S does, plus it sits well above the RS4 and M3 on the price list, even without taking the rarified F1 edition (around R2.8 million) into consideration.

It seems the Teutonic Arms Race has not ended. The weapons (engine capacity) may be smaller, but the devastation remains about as total as it’s ever been. And then my 2nd and final point, I literally could not live with the car. Such is the Benz’s performance potential… that I would (eventually) perish at its ‘wheel.

My Neanderthal brain thinks that if you could somehow remove 200 kg from it, shave R600k off the sticker price and make it a bit less powerful (and hey, I wouldn’t even mind if it was a bit slower as a result) the C63 S would be the car for me. But then I realise I’ve just described the old car all over again.

Also, middle-aged me does not want to arrive at his destination shaken and on fire, with trembling forearms and sawdust for teeth. And maybe that’s okay. But for anyone else who desires what’s arguably the automotive world’s new benchmark business-class super sedan (provided their bank balance enables them to acquire one), feel free to have a go with the Mercedes-Benz C63 S E Performance.

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