First up in our Sport Sedan track challenge is the 2008 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG. Come along as we take a hot lap in this fast luxury car!
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00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 First up in our sports sedan three-way comparison test
00:07 is the big banger of the group.
00:09 It's the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG.
00:12 6.2 liter V8, 451 horsepower.
00:17 And that's the highest output in the group.
00:18 Seven-speed automatic transmission, full AMG suspension.
00:22 And this thing really sounds wonderful.
00:24 I can't wait to hear it blasting down
00:27 the front straight here at Reno Fernley.
00:29 Let's see.
00:30 (upbeat music)
00:33 Remember what I just said about blasting down
00:51 the front straight at Reno Fernley?
00:53 Well, what you can't really hear is that this thing bellows
00:56 like a NASCAR stalker.
00:58 Had the best front straightaway speed of all of the cars
01:01 and was able to enter this left, right, left complex
01:04 of turns with more entry speed than any of the other cars.
01:09 Very precise steering on the Mercedes.
01:15 Really heavy feel.
01:17 You knew exactly where the car was at all times.
01:20 Wasn't quite as precise yet as the BMW,
01:24 but more so than the Lexus.
01:26 Really good under braking, stable under braking.
01:29 As a matter of fact, all three of these cars
01:31 had very similar braking distances.
01:35 Now, when you're going up the hill, nothing beats torque.
01:38 And in this case, this is where the Mercedes was able
01:41 to make up time on the other cars,
01:42 as it has plenty of mid-range and low-end torque
01:45 to really launch the car out of the corners.
01:48 But it also has the highest average chassis slip angle.
01:52 In so many words, that means it slides more
01:55 than the other cars did, and that costs you speed.
01:58 That's why the Mercedes was not quite as quick as the BMW
02:03 and only just a little bit quicker than the Lexus
02:06 in spite of all that horsepower,
02:08 'cause it was slid around a little more.
02:10 That doesn't mean it wasn't fun.
02:13 It just wastes a little bit of that power
02:15 in chassis slip angle.
02:17 You notice here the driver is not sawing back and forth
02:23 with the wheel at all, very, very straight
02:27 and direct approach towards steering.
02:29 Hits his apexes nicely.
02:31 And again, all that grunt to power you
02:35 right out of the corners.
02:36 Heavy, heavy braking here.
02:41 Now, the driver commented that the braking feel
02:43 wasn't quite as communicative in this car
02:46 as it was in the BMW, but a little bit better
02:50 than the Lexus, so mid-pack performance here.
02:53 (upbeat music)
02:55 Very smooth, very stable.
03:02 Mercedes is known for high-speed stability.
03:04 AMG really maximizes that effect,
03:07 and this car just totally lets you know where it's at,
03:12 even when you're honking.
03:13 And that was the last corner.
03:18 Plenty of power down the front straight,
03:21 and that's a lap in the Mercedes C63 AMG.
03:26 (upbeat music)
03:29 (crowd cheering)
03:32 (upbeat music)
03:34 (upbeat music)