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I posted in another thread but I can do it again. My cousin that I live with has the C63 (black on black) He made the mistake of going to Cancun for 5 days and leaving me with the keys. So I did the noble thing and put about 250-300 miles on it. Here are my impressions:
THE EXTERIOR
The first thing you notice on this car is the stance. With many regular "C's" running around this car does a good job of distinguishing itself from the rest of the lineup (except for the C350 more on that later). Up front, the hood has 2 pleats on either side that flows right into the front grill and has a menacing look to it. The headlights seem to be somewhat smoked which further enhances the look. The front 3/4 and side view to me looks good but the back leaves something to be desired. It doesn't look bad in my oppinion but compared to the rest of the car, it fell short.
THE INTERIOR
When you open the door, the size of the bolsters on the seats really catches your attention. You would do one of two things: 1- think of your favorite road to test them out on or 2- do the super car dance (i.e. butt first) of trying to get into a sedan like if it was a Lambo. Once seated, the seats holds you like the "runs" and never let's go. The seating position is very good I thought and I'm 6'2". I sat in an M3 and the seats felt alot better in terms of comfort. The COMMAND or whatever it's called isn't complicated at all to use but the Navi is a nightmare. It could never find what I'm telling it to find and I didn't like how when you're entering an address, it automatically deletes the letters it thinks doesn't belong in the name or street you're trying to spell. If you needed one of those letters, you're screwed. Another thing I didnt like was the fact that the side mirror housing are the size of a pizza pie but the mirror itself was very small and didn't show much on the outside. Other than that the interior is nicely put together. The important controls were easily reachable and it's just an all round nice place to be. The back seats are park benches though but you'll be driving do who cares.
THE SOUND
This car is angry. The initial startup is just insane. I wouldn't be surprised if you'd wake up at 3am, run outside just to start it up. It's that good. Everywhere on the RPM band makes the engine heard. And at WOT it sounded like the Gallardo's V10. One time I kicked down next to this woman next to me and she jumped LOL.
THE DRIVE
Effortless. The slightest prod of the pedal gets the car going. There is no lag anywhere as some have experienced with the M-DCT cars. I suggest not eating before driving it because it will squeeze your lunch right out of you with the amount of torque on tap. I raced a few cars not worth mentioning but I will anyway (IS 250, Mazda 929, Scion TC) and one closer to our hearts, a 335i. All were demolished obviously. The ride was stiff to me at first but I got used to it. Now it feels fine. The steering is nice but it's missing that little something that would make it more engaging. Don't get me wrong though because it's good but if you've driven other cars with very good steering and feedback, you'll see what I mean. The handling is good for such a heavy car but it shows in some corners when the back feels like it wants to swap places with the front and at 80mph, that can be a little nerve wrecking. There are 3 modes in the car (comfort, sport and manual) all accesible from a little button next to the shifter marked C,S,M. In comfort the engine note softens a bit and the car is relaxed. Sport mode gets the angry note and the car is ready for whatever. Manual sucks in my opinion because it takes about 1sec after the pull of the lever to hear the engine note change indicating the next gear. In this regard, it's no M-DCT.
THE VERDICT
The C63 isn't a bad car by any stretch of the imagination. If someone gave one to me, I'd happily drive it. This is just a startup and go kind of machine. No modes or setting up depending on your mood. I was happy not to be shifting to be honest because I was too busy holding on for dear life. If you just want to be one of the fatest in a straight line and not worry about all the gadgetry and stuff the M has then this is the car for you. I haven't driven an M yet and I'm on a waiting list for mine but all accounts say that the M is a more rewarding drive despite the power and torque deficit. And if you like to set up your car for whatever mood you're in then go get an M. Either way you can't go wrong.
The 350 and the C63 look very similar save for the hood, the 4 tailpipes and the rear diffuser looking treatment out back in the C63. And the wheels obviously. The bodykit is essentially the same.
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