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Quick review | First sprint in Mercedes-AMG’s ferocious C 63 S

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2020 Mercedes-AMG C 63 S. Image / Wheels24 / Charlen Raymond
2020 Mercedes-AMG C 63 S. Image / Wheels24 / Charlen Raymond

The Mercedes-AMG C 63 S is one of those cars that will go down in the annals of history as one of the motoring world’s most epic machines.

Its setup akin that of a racing machine and with the monstrous personality to match.

Switch on the engine and listen to the bi-turbo 4.0-litre engine bark to life. You don’t even have to engage Sport+ prior to start-up, just put your foot on brake, hit the starter button and listen to car growl to life. It’s an enticing moment; an acoustic symphony that dictates you to endow yourself with what the car has to offer.

There is no reason not to grip the stubby steering wheel and point the front wheels in the direction you want to go. Just be careful, though, because the car can snap and catch you off-guard. Should you be afraid, then? Definitely, but no more than what you’d have been teasing a Rottweiler.

2020 Mercedes-AMG C 63 S

                                2020 Mercedes-AMG C 63 S. Image: Wheels24 / Charlen Raymond

That first taste

Usually, when sliding into the driver’s seat of a sports car for the first time, I tend to dial the driving mode selector into its fiercest setting. But in this car, though, I was not going to tap into Race mode. Nah, Sport+ is good enough because I’ll still have access to all 375kW and 700Nm.

In a car like this you need to familiarise yourself with the system, as well as the car’s heartbeat. And that first start-up is the key to it.

You can feel how taut the steering wheel is. How sensitive the accelerator is to your right foot’s inputs. It’s about that first taste, that first sample of what’s to come. And when you unleash the car, that’s when you have to hold on.

The end of any road approaches faster than a call from a pesky telemarketer. The noise from the quad exhausts is eager to bounce off any surrounding object, and you sit there gripping the steering wheel with an unshakable smirk.

2020 Mercedes-AMG C 63 S

                                2020 Mercedes-AMG C 63 S. Image: Wheels24 / Charlen Raymond

Should you be afraid?

The C 63 S is horrendously fast, and requires you to handle it with care. Though we didn’t test the figures, Merc claims a 0-100km/h time of 4.0 seconds and a top speed of 290km/h. While these figures are impressive, it’s the way to car pulls off the line en route to achieving it.

This AMG is a fun and all-encompassing machine. In the ‘lesser’ driving modes it may come across as tame, but the subdued exhaust notes should not be mistaken. This car has the potential to push your eyes back into your head, and kick out its rear as you try to keep it in a straight line.

In truth, there is no need to chase the thrill the entire time, because you, and other road users, will know what lurks under the bonnet. It’s a fun car, though.

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