First up in our Super Sedan through a comparison test is the big banger of the group, it's the Mercedes Benz C 63 AMG, 6.2 liter V8, 451 horsepower and that's the highest output in the group. 7-speed automatic transmission, 4AMG suspension, and this thing really sounds wonderful. I can't wait to hear it blasting down, the front straight here at Reno-Fernley. Let's see.
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Remember what I just said about blasting down the front straight at Reno- Fernley, well, what you can't really here, is that this things bellows like a Nascar stocker. It had the best front straight away speed of all of the cars. It was able to enter this left-right-left complex of turns with more entry speed than any of the other cars.
Very precise steering on the Mercedes, really heavy feel, you knew exactly where the car was at all times. It wasn't quite as precise yet as the BMW, but more so than a Lexus. Really good under breaking, stable under breaking, as a matter of fact all these cars have very similar breaking distances.
Now when you are going up the hill nothing beats torque and in this case this is where the Mercedes was able to make up time on the other cars as it has plenty of midrange and low end torque, to really launch the car out of the corners, but it also has the highest average chassis slip angle. In so many words, that means it slides more than the other cars did, and that costs you speed. That's why the Mercedes was not quite as quick as the BMW and only just a little bit quicker than a Lexus in spite of all that horsepower as if it was sliding around a little more. That doesn't mean it wasn't fun. It just wastes a little bit of that power in chassis slip angle.
You notice here the driver is not sawing back it for that the wheel at all. Very, very straight and direct approach towards steering, hits his apexes nicely and again all that grunt to power you right out of the corners.
Heavy, heavy breaking here. Now, the driver commented that the breaking feel wasn't quite as communicative in this car as it was in the BMW, but a little bit better than the Lexus, so a mid-pack performance here.
Very smooth, very stable. Mercedes is known for a high speed stability. AMG really maximizes that effect and this car is just totally lets you know where it's at, even when you are honking.
Now that was the last corner. Plenty of power down the front straight and that's a lap in the Mercedes C 63 AMG.
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