2009 Mercedes-Benz C-Class

Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG – Click above for high-res image gallery What a difference 20 inches and 1,000 lbs makes. The latest occupant of the Autoblog Garage is the Mercedes Benz C63 AMG. You might recall that a few months ago we tried out one of the big dogs from the Benz lineup, the S63 AMG and came away somewhat awed by the technology but distressed by the driving experience. This time around we got the baby brother of the family and found what may well be the best driver's car in the current Daimler lineup. Ever since the C-class was born as the 190E back in the '80s, Mercedes and BMW have had a back and forth rivalry in the high performance compact sport sedan/coupe segment. As the M3 has grown and evolved over the past two decades, so to has the Stuttgart challenger. Just like the original M3, the lineage started with the four-cylinder 16-valve 190E-2.3-16 and has grown through a succession of V6 and V8 engines. Despite the nomenclature, this latest edition is stuffed full of 6.2L of AMG V8 dripping with power and torque. Can the latest C63 finally topple the M3 from its throne? Find out after the jump. %Gallery-37037% Photos Copyright ©2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc. Over the years, BMW has grown its M3 lineup to include sedan and convertible body styles in addition to the original coupe, and has offered manual, automatic and automated-manual gearboxes. Mercedes Benz on the other hand has seemingly kept things comparatively simple. From the original 190 through its eventual name change to the C-Class, the line has always had four-door sedans (along with wagons in Europe and occasionally here in the U.S.). Technically, that original 190 was not an AMG model, but it makes the parallel to the M3 more obvious. Over in Europe, buyers can also opt for the C63 Estate for those who want their speed fix with a bit more utility. The latest generation of the C-Class debuted in early 2007 wearing a sharper set of clothes than its predecessor. The W204 generation inherited some styling cues of the big S-Class but in a slightly more toned down form. The character line that begins behind the front wheel arch and sweeps back over the rear wheels is borrowed from its big brother, while the prominent wheel arches are scaled down in proportion with the smaller overall size of the car. The vents at the outboard ends of the front fascia are also shared with all other AMG branded cars. The C63 even picks up a design element from the latest SL that hearkens back to the 1953 original: the two longitudinal ridges along the hood. The C63's sporting pretensions are visually enhanced by some of the usual elements like rocker panel extensions, a rear lip spoiler and four oval shaped exhaust pipes. The corners of the car sit on 18-inch wheels and tires, the fronts 8-inches wide with an extra half inch in the …
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