The New Mercedes-AMG C63 Is A High-Power Options-Fest

This is the new, updated Mercedes-AMG C63. Built right off the bat in two versions, the standard car and the familiar S-badged performance flagship, it’s yours with up to 503bhp, 180mph and, for the first time, nine gears.

The C63 opens the bidding with 469bhp, but the S extracts 503bhp from the same 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8. The latter car will touch 180mph flat-out, too, which your unsuspecting spouse probably won’t thank you for trying to achieve, but at least the revised driving modes offer an even greater differentiation from the full-bananas Race setting to the Comfort shopping trip mode.

The stylistic updates are pretty mild, but they do the car no harm whatsoever. It still looks like an optioned-up C220d until you get around the back, where four exhausts bulge out either side of a fettled, more aggressive rear diffuser.

Mercedes and/or AMG have carried out a little aerodynamics work on the wheels. The standard 18-inch hoops have been tweaked for better air flow around and between the rotating spokes, earning them the informal nickname ‘aero wheels.’ The S rides on five-twin-spoke 19s, and both sets are painted Tantalite Grey.

A limited-slip differential, previously reserved for the C63 S, is now standard on the cooking version too. Dynamic engine mounts still belong to the S only.

As this is Mercedes and AMG, the options list as as long and tempting as the menu at a grilled meat festival. AMG Performance seats with integrated headrests have larger side bolsters which can be upgraded even further with pneumatic control, heating and cooling. For convertible versions, why not add yet another option; Airscarf neck-level heating.

The 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster is optional, but brings with it a choice of three AMG-specific display styles: Classic, Sporty and Supersport, which might be spreading it on a little thickly for a compact sports saloon, however good it is. The driver can choose to view the engine and transmission oil temperatures, a G-meter, a race timer and, if the optional AMG Track Pace option box is ticked, another special sub-menu with visualisations of tracks, plus sector and lap times.

Add the cost-option head-up display and the AMG Track Pace system will project a circuit graphic upwards, complete with corners, braking points, delta speeds and absolute timing data. Crikey; this thing has four seats and a big boot…

The seven-inch medium-res standard media interface screen is a little sub-par for a car of this price bracket, so many buyers will pay extra for the 10.25-inch upgrade with a full-HD pixel density. That comes with the Comand Online package as well as on its own.

Having used a tried-and-tested seven-speed AMG Speedshift automatic gearbox until now, the C63 has finally switched to the newer nine-cog model. A wet-start clutch in place of a torque converter makes it more responsive, while it allows for multiple-cog downshifts and rev-matching in racier driving modes.

It goes on sale in April, with deliveries expected in October. Start applying for overtime.