Used Mercedes-AMG C63 2008-2015 review

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The Mercedes-Benz C 63 AMG is a thunderous V8 super-saloon. It's fast, aggressive and beautifully built

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In the late 2000s, a flock of European super-saloons arrived to prove that you could have the punch and charisma of a supercar in a more usable everyday package. Arguably, none mastered the art better than the fourth-generation Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG. 

The boffins at Affalterbach had lived in the shadow of their rivals at BMW M for too long so decided to do something about it with the W204 C63. They didn’t hold back.

The C 63 is a few tanks of fuel dearer than an M3
Nic Cackett
Road tester

The C63 was launched in 2008 with a thunderous, 6.2-litre atmo V8 that made 451bhp and 423lb ft and was good for 0-62mph in 4.5sec. It’s a characterful lump, too, barking into life with a sharp flurry of revs before settling down to a rich and bassy tone that’s the match of any full-bore muscle car.

The C63 was streets ahead of the contemporary BMW M3 in terms of performance, touting 43bhp and 147lb ft more than its Munich rival.

But AMG didn’t stop there. The optional Performance Pack Plus boosted output to 480bhp: that was more oomph than some of the hottest sports cars of the day, including the 997 Porsche 911 Carrera and the wild Corvette C6.

The C63 also appealed for its choice of bodystyles: you could have your V8 performance car in saloon, coupé or practical estate form.

For load-lugging and dog-carrying duties the C63 Estate was better than the RS4 Avant, with 495 litres of boot space compared with the Audi’s 460. Take that, Ingolstadt. 

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When we first drove the C63 AMG in 2007, we were smitten with not only its dazzling powertrain but also the breadth of its dynamic capabilities. We even declared it a better all-round car than the M3. Praise indeed, especially when the previous-generation saloon had failed to outperform the BMW.

Related Mercedes-AMG C 63 2011-2015 reviews

The C63 steered better, had a roomier, more upmarket interior and, above all, felt more special to drive – and barely cost any more.

Of course, it wasn’t totally free of imperfections. It’s a firm-riding car, and at town speeds it felt pretty harsh. Bear this in mind if considering a car with the even firmer AMG suspension package and 19in wheels.

And you can scrap any idea of this being an economical buy. Most owners report MPG figures in the mid- to high-teens; drive the C63 as it’s meant to be driven, and single figures are more likely.

Several special editions were made, including the ultra-rare DR520, built by Mercedes’ Special Products arm at Brooklands. Its M156 V8 made 513bhp (520hp), it cost £10,000 more than the standard car and only 20 examples were sold in the UK. Good luck finding one.

In 2011, the C63 was tweaked mechanically and visually, gaining a new seven-speed multi-clutch gearbox as well as an aluminium bonnet and grille. There was a new infotainment system, too.

AMG dropped the Performance Pack option in favour of the Edition 507, which produced 500bhp, and was set apart from standard cars by forged 19in wheels, composite brakes and a sticker pack.

Two years later came the bonkers C63 Black Series, a 510bhp bewinged brute that came with mechanical influence from the SLS supercar and which could fire itself from rest to 62mph in 4.2sec.

Whether you buy estate or saloon, standard or special edition, this mighty Mercedes is one of the best all-round performance cars available on the used market today. And with prices starting below £15,000, it’s all the more tempting.
 

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RELIABILITY

Is the Mercedes C63 AMG reliable?

In the main, the C63 is a pretty bulletproof super saloon and as long as it is well maintined with regular servicing and MOTs, you shouldn't run into any major issues. The V8 engine is highly strung and the early cars did suffer from a common issues which you can read about below. 

Parts aren't cheap either but are readily available through both main dealers and independent specialists. 

Engine: Carbon can build up on the intake valves of the M156 V8 over time, causing a rough idle or misfire. Before buying, make sure the car has been regularly serviced, and ask the seller whether the engine has ever had carbon cleaning or walnut blasting carried out.

Early models can suffer from rear cylinder head bolt failure, so owners often swap to heavy-duty aftermarket bolts. Watch out for misfires or any unexplained loss of coolant, too. Untoward engine noises could signal a knackered timing chain adjuster or, less likely, worn cam lifters.

Electrics: C63’s relative newness means electrical issues range from potential problems with the infotainment to broken sensors, and most problems will be a specialist repair job. So best check absolutely everything works as it should.

Gearbox: Check for rough shifting and jerky changes: it could be signs of trouble. Fluid and filters want changing every 40,000 miles, and the later MCT automatic has been known to overheat.

Suspension: Worn bushings, control arms and shock absorbers are par for the course. Watch out for any clunking noises or a harsh ride.

Brakes: It’s a fast, heavy car, so check the brakes regularly and treat them well. Performance Pack brakes are considerably more expensive to work with.

An owner’s view

James Roxburgh: “I’ve owned my C63 AMG Estate since 2011. Since then I’ve done more than 80,000 miles, and it has been hugely practical and great to drive. Last year I noticed some vibrations at around 2000rpm – so far I’ve had the clutch/torque converter replaced, costing £1500, but it hasn’t resolved things. It could be worn bushes or engine/gearbox mounts, but it’s being investigated. Fuel and tyres are also expensive.

"Despite the running costs, I absolutely love the car. The performance, sound and handling never fail to put a smile on my face and it still feels eye-wateringly fast. I wouldn’t change anything about it.”

Also worth knowing

With a 450bhp sports saloon that’s nose-heavy and prone to tail-out antics, you should thoroughly check the tyres. Stick to Continental or Michelin for replacements and expect to pay around £700-£800 for a full set. They wear quickly, too.

Not only will you have to fork out for pricey maintenance bills should your C63 go wrong, but you’ll also have to pay £735 just for the annual road tax – but it’s worth every penny just for that V8.

Even though the coupé version didn’t arrive until 2011, it’s the estate bodystyle that’s the rarest of the three. Thankfully the wagon’s exclusivity doesn’t make it any more expensive than the coupé or saloon.

 

DESIGN & STYLING

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It’s perhaps not entirely fair to say that the C63 was the first AMG C-class to be thoroughly and comprehensively re-engineered to suit its market, because both the C32 and C55 were excellent cars.

The W204 represented a step up by Mercedes in both design and engineering commitment, compared to its predecessors. 

While the 6.3-litre V8 engine was very much a centrepiece of the car, it was no longer the dominant factor. Just about all the parts of the C63 that moved – and plenty of things that didn’t – were redesigned, and the result was a more complete car that felt entirely separate from the rest of the C-Class range at the time.

The engine itself was claimed to develop around 30 percent more torque than any other rival in the marketplace. So while the 451bhp at 6800rpm was deeply impressive (the M3 made 414bhp at 8300rpm), it was the 443lb ft at 5000rpm that hit hardest.

And the real killer was that at least 370lb ft was available between 2000 and 6250rpm; the M3’s 4.0-litre V8 produced a best of 295lb ft at 3900rpm

The thunderous V8 was mated to a seven-speed semi-automatic gearbox with paddle shifters fixed to the steering wheel. It featured three different shift modes: full manual, sport auto and comfort auto, the latter delivery the smoothest of gearchanges.

The C63 was the first AMG to feature self-blipping on downshifts, once again indicating how badly AMG wished to attract would-be M3 pilots.

There was also a three-stage ESP system that you could switch off entirely – although we wouldn't reccommend turning it off on wet winter day.

As standard the diff was not a full limited-slip item (you needed to specify the Sport pack to get one of those, which also added stiffer suspension and 19in wheels), but the C63 would still perform oversteer tricks on demand with a bootful of throttle – wildly so with the ESP switched off, slightly so with it set on ESP Sport.

The suspension was completely redesigned for the C63. Although the basic layout remained, the springs and dampers were different, the anti-roll bars were beefier, the tracks wider front and rear, and the ride height was lower.

Even the steering gained a faster rack with just 2.4 turns across a still-decent-size 10.8m turning circle. 

The brakes were also uprated to include 360mm/330mm ventilated discs front and rear with six-piston calipers at the front. Standard-size wheels were 18in front and rear with 235/40 tyres at the front and relatively narrow – considering the vast power they had to transmit – 255/35 covers at the rear. 

INTERIOR

merc c63 estate 2012 569

The excellent basic platform that was the standard W204 Mercedes C-Class cabin was taken to another place altogether with the C63 – and the result is extremely successful.

For starters, the seats were quite superb, featuring massive extra bolstering in all the right places and electronic adjustment in every plane. The wheel was a flat-bottomed item that felt peachy in the hands and also featured numerous AMG upgrades, including a bespoke menu for track driving.

Select Race mode, for example, and a timer appeared in the already good-looking instrument binnacle. Standard seat upholstery was supple nappa leather. 

Space in the rear was excellent for this size of car, while the big boot wasn't compromised during the AMG transformation. 

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

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The 6.2-litre normally aspirated 6.2-litre V8 used in the C63 was a magnificent engine at the very heart of the car's considerable appeal, and delivered a level of performance that blitzed its rivals. 

Despite the C 63’s faintly amusing traction issues over the first few feet, it was still quick enough to level with the M3 from 0-30mph (2.1sec).

But from that moment onwards it could drive away from the BMW under a full-bore acceleration run, so that by the time 150mph registered it was a quite incredible 3.6sec farther down the road (22.9sec vs 26.5sec), having knocked off 0-62mph in just 4.4sec and 0-100mph in 9.7sec.

True, the AMG engine didn't rev with anything like the same mania as the M3 towards the red line, but that hardly mattered when the flow of torque was this potent. 

What really separated the C63 from its imitators and made it feel so very rapid in a straight line was the way the seven-speed automatic gearbox worked in conjunction with the mighty V8 motor.

Even in Comfort mode the transmission worked beautifully, offering decently swift upchanges that didn't unsettle the car mid-corner. In Manual mode, though, the C63 truly bared its fangs, blipping downshifts like the best professionals, picking off gears almost as fast as you could speak them on the way up through the intermediate ratios. 

Our only complaint was that upshifts could have occured faster when you flicked the paddle, but then maybe the C63 might have felt too manic if this were the case, especially on a wet road with the ESP (heaven forbid) switched off.

Either way, the C63 was one of the very fastest and most capable cars with four doors we've ever tested. 

RIDE & HANDLING

The good news continued, by and large, with the C63 AMG’s chassis, except for one specific problem. But the way the Mercedes steered, stopped and handles was never in doubt.

AMG worked hard to give the C63 a unique personality and made it feel like a model in its own right dynamically, and the result was hard to argue against.

It had better steering than the M3 thanks to its crisper response just off centre, specifically when turning in to quicker corners. And the way the chassis loaded up so smoothly when you committed to a corner also made the BMW feel edgier by comparison, particularly in the wet,

The C63 felt more planted, be that at the front or rear, on the way into or out of a corner.

We were also impressed with the way the car puts its power down so neatly, considering how much power – and torque – it had to deploy.

Of course, the AMG saloon would light up its rear tyres if you turned the ESP off and gave it a bootful in a low gear (it would spin them up in fourth gear on a greasy surface if you were really going for it), but with the ESP switched to Sport mode the C63 was remarkably well mannered, even on a wet road, yet also remained sharp and pure in its handling.

And the problem? The ride quality. In the UK, even on 18in wheels, the C63 felt too stiff on too many road surfaces. On lumpy urban roads at low speeds in particular, it was just too harsh and too uncomfortable for its own good.

MPG & RUNNING COSTS

c63 2007732

The C63 has retained is value well considering first cars arrived at the beginning of 2008. A used example can be had for as little as £12,000 if you're happy with a high-mileage, slightly untidy car. 

Pleasingly, the classfieds are rammed full of saloons, coupes and estates, and prices don't vary too much between bodystyles. Aim for £25k and above and you'll easily find a sinlge-owner cars with reassuring provenance and a solid service history. 

While the intial cost for a used C63 is reasonable, it does bring with it some rather astronomical running costs. 

The real killer, apart from company car tax and insurance, is the fuel consumption. When new, Mercedes quotes a combined figure of 23.5mph, with or without the Perfromance Package, but in the real-world you'd struggled to get more than 18mph our of it - 11-13mpg if driving the car hard. 

A range of a little more than 180 miles from a 14.5 gallon tank is all the C63 can muster. 

VERDICT

The C63 is one of AMG’s finest moments to date. It had a completeness to its dynamic repertoire that eluded many previous Mercedes AMG products.

Apart from being shatteringly quick and beautifully made, it was also just a thumping good car to drive. The not-so-good elements were the ride and the range, but the C63 remained an intoxicating and desirable car in any of its body styles.

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We are smitten with this car, and no mistake
Matt Prior
Editor-at-large

The naturally aspirated 6.2-litre V8 was a masterpiece of AMG engine design, delivering an aggressive character and throttle response that would be hard to replicate in a turbocharged engine, and was reason enough to opt for the C63 over any of its rivals.

But hanks to the way the C63 handled and the quality of its interior, it was certainly not the only reason to want one. 

Sam Phillips

Sam Phillips
Title: Staff Writer

Sam joined the Autocar team in summer 2024 and has been a contributor since 2021. He is tasked with writing used reviews and fiirst drives as well as updating top 10s and evergreen content on the Autocar website. 

He previously led sister-title Move Electric, which covers the entire spectrum of electric vehicles, from cars to boats – and even trucks. He is an expert in electric cars, new car news, microbility and classic cars. 

Sam graduated from Nottingham Trent University in 2021 with a BA in Journalism. In his final year he produced an in-depth feature on the automotive industry’s transition to electric cars and interviewed a number of leading experts to assess our readiness for the impending ban on the sale of petrol and diesel cars.

Mercedes-AMG C 63 2011-2015 First drives

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