2015 Mercedes-AMG C 63 UK first drive

The new Mercedes-AMG C 63, on the cusp of a full road test examination. Before that, though, we had to retrieve the car from Scotland - chance enough to get an initial taste of its road-going character.

Unlike those we’ve previously tested abroad, this C 63 is the standard model, meaning the turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 engine that it shares with the GT delivers ‘just’ 469bhp and 479lb ft of torque. 

We’ll save an exhaustive description of the car for next week, but suffice to say it comes with some modest body enhancements (arguably too modest), AMG’s seven-speed Speedshift automatic gearbox and a lowered, overhauled version of the C-Class’s multi-link suspension.

Also present and correct is a mechanical limited-slip differential, as opposed to the electronically controlled version on the more powerful S trim. With options including a £1000 adaptive exhaust system, it costs £63,920. 

Not everything you might be expecting. The previous C63, courtesy of its naturally aspirated 6.2-litre V8 engine, came so saturated in charisma that on a summery day you could open the window and chew on it like gum.

It was the kind of car that came as standard with bikers camped expectantly at the rear quarter, waiting for the chance to go flat-chat bonkers in your jet wash. It wasn't a match for the BMW M3 in handling terms, but what came between the madness hardly seemed to matter. It was badass. 

For its turbocharged replacement, AMG has opted to clamp down harder on the bit. Where once there was depthless largesse, there is now a hard-edged leanness, characterised chiefly by more speed, less burble, better grip and wider discomfort.

The latter rears its head on Scottish B-roads quicker than an appreciation of the new power delivery; the C 63, even in Comfort mode, is unable to mitigate the crash-bash of a badly scarred length of asphalt without prodding its occupants. 

Repeat customers may well be familiar with the level of coarseness, but Mercedes buyers in general are certainly going to notice a higher level of vibration and road noise than normal; even the dashboard has a habit of groaning at the greater stress being put through it.

Fortunately, where it counts, the C 63 is still ferociously on message. I'm still not convinced the new V8 generates quite the sweaty, frenzied ardour of its predecessor - and its snare-drum warble occasionally feels more like an additive than an organic ingredient - but nevertheless, its advantages are startling. 

King-size displacement meant that the old V8 was hardly tardy from low crank speeds, yet even its comparative earnestness is swept aside by the unceasing zeal of the new C 63‘s tag-teaming turbochargers.

Best of all, its naturally linear forced induction properties have been steeply inclined to give you something to build up to - not, perhaps, a rival to the high-rev venom of the M4’s twin-turbo straight six, but certainly a prodigal pace-setter in the AMG mould. It's helped no end by the transformation of the gearbox from unwilling slusher to crisp and responsive participant.