YoungWarrior

Because the merc has a annoying auto box?

In the UK most magazines dismiss the merc because of it. And because of the build quality.

But right now the audi is top dog. The V8 is arguably the best ever made for a production car.

siko

Agreed that price isn't everything... but IMO this is pretty fair:

• Respective top models in class
• V8 vs V8
• Similar pricing

... what more do you need.

True that the RS4 whips the C55... but that's MB's fault. They could easily add more hp to that engine (we know they can go up to 517hp if needed).

Tumbo

I can't wait for the RS4 vs C63 comparo!

YoungWarrior

So instead of audi making a better car its just that mercedes messed up.
Most of the AMG lineup is alot more powerful taht their competition but many car journalists say that the chassis cant cope and therefore bmw's and audi's are still better choices when it comes to driver dynamics.

I too cant wait for a rs4 vs c63 comparo. Why does mercedes keep making their engines bigger for more power? Its very american like.

The Artist

C63 will loose if its based off this old chassi.. if its the new..then if it looses i would be extremely dissappointed with MB and AMG..

GTA8.5

Bigger, more powerful and louder!! the 6.3liter sounds huge! but I agree it`s very American like. MB has always had the biggest engines of the German
makes, for many years!

Anyway I suspect thay will get their act together on the C63. It should be a stunning car.

We really don`t know the the currant C-Class will become the C63 yet.

Tumbo

Now THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I meant in the RS4 Cab thread!!!!

YoungWarrior

Im willing to bet the new on would lose aswell. Even if it came in with 500hp. That autobox just doesnt cut it with that type of car.

The Artist

well if you follow the news the amg boss said that they are developing a new smg type gearbox.. so dont under estimate

cawimmer430

No offense, but these "car journalists" don't seem to know what they're talking about. AMG's handle pretty well, I've driven the old SLK32 AMG and despite the standard R170 SLK's being wobbly, the SLK32 AMG was pretty competent. I've also driven the current W211 E55 AMG and found it to be an excellent handler. It won't touch an M5, but the handling is safe, predictable and responsive enough.

AMG isn't about "purist performance" like BMW M is. The AMG experience is to provide a "Mercedes-Benz with more power and sportier handling and personality". That's it really. This means AMG's are at home on the Autobahns or high speed courses, not the race track, although it has to be said that AMG's in their own right, are good handlers. In my experience, car journalists tend to underrate the AMG handling characteristics. This is because of bias, or perhaps because at the same time they've driven a BMW M, which obviously is the benchmark when it comes to purist driving experiences. I found both the SLK and E AMG's to be good decent handlers. Certainly they'd be able to perform "nicely" on the track, obviously not to BMW M standards though.

About the automatics, again, these "car journalists" should go back to car school before they spew more bullsh*t. With the insane amount of torque coming out of the AMG engines, there's no way a Mercedes manual, stock of even beefed up, could handle this sort of power and be reliable and durable over time. Furthermore, drivers will have to be really good (and I mean really good) to be able to do a perfect launch with a theoretical manual-equipped E55 AMG because of all that torque. If not, the rear wheels will just burn rubber and the mechanicals of the car will suffer unecessary wear and tear. No, the automatic is simply better suited for the task at hand. It also fits in with the "Mercedes experience", which isn't about "purist driving".