Driven: Mercedes-AMG C63 S Coupe already in demand

THE Mercedes-AMG juggernaut rolls on with the Australian launch of the third version to be spun off the wildly successful C63 variant, the two-door C63 S Coupe.

Arriving in showrooms this month, the C63 S Coupe is expected to nab about half of the monthly sales of the C63 trio, which also comprises a sedan and Estate wagon, while a cabriolet version is expected by year’s end.

It sells for $7890 more than the sedan at $162,400 plus on-road costs, and will be cross-shopped against BMW’s M4 (which is $12,000 cheaper), the soon-to-be-replaced Audi RS5 and the Lexus RC F.

Approximately 70 C63 S sedans a month are finding their way into new driveways, with the wagon version chipping in another ten per cent of that number.

Mercedes-Benz Australia/Pacific (MBAP) manager of public relations and product communications Jerry Stamoulis told GoAuto that he expected the new two-door to be responsible for about half of the sales volume for the hotrod variant – but only when more cars can be sourced.

“Wait times are quite high on the C63 Coupe,” he told GoAuto. “Basically, orders placed now (July) are probably looking at (delivery) early next year.” Mr Stamoulis admitted that the company was holding a number of forward orders, but would not reveal how many. He also said that talks were ongoing about securing more cars.

“To be honest, it's fulfilled our expectations and a little bit more, because we knew what the car would do based on the previous car,” he said. “We knew that there would be a higher demand for this car. We'll see if we can go back to the factory and get a little bit more.” A softening world economy, and the dramas currently besetting the right-hand-drive UK market, may help MBAP’s cause.

“V8 production has lifted in Affalterbach for the engines,” he confirmed. “The demand for the fully loaded V8 around the world is very high at the moment.” The C63 S Coupe – the only two-door variant on offer locally – differs from its sedan and wagon siblings on a number of fronts, not least in the bodywork department.

Just the bootlid, roof panel and door skins are carried over from the sedan, while the overall shape has been biased more towards a sporty appearance than practicality for back seat passengers, with a much more pronounced roof sweep than the previous car.

Aero tweaks around the front of the car are also unique to the coupe.

The same 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol engine is used in all three variants, making 375kW at 500-6250rpm and 700Nm at 1750-4500rpm, along with the same seven-speed torque-convertor automatic transmission sending power only to the rear wheels.

It will crack the 4.0-second mark from rest to 100km/h, shaving a tenth of the sedan’s best to post a 3.9s time, before running onto a limited top speed of 250km/h.

At 1725kg, the S weighs approximately 70kg more than the standard C63 Coupe, and consumes 8.7 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres on the combined cycle. It also puffs out 202g of CO2 per kilometre.

The coupe’s suspension setup has been tweaked as well, with a new set of wider 20-inch rims out back combining with 19s up front.

Wider guards are needed to host the 255/35ZR19 and 285/30ZR20 Continental ContiSportContact tyres, and the rims are half an inch wider at the front and an inch wider at the rear.

This accounts for the coupe’s wider footprint 27mm wider across the front and a full 47mm at the rear compared to the sedan. There are other tweaks to the suspension, with a new 12-link rear end tied together with steel uni-joints instead of bushings for more precision.

Just a single high-spec S variant will be imported, with a similar level of equipment to the sedan and wagon.

This includes AMG seats, steering wheels, electronic locking rear diff, digital TV, heads-up display, dynamic engine mounts, performance exhaust, LED headlamps and a panoramic glass roof.

A launch package known as Edition One is available for a limited time for an additional $10,900, offering 402mm ceramic front brake rotors and bespoke gold callipers (instead of red), along with sportier seats and a bodykit. The brakes are $9000 by themselves, by way of comparison.