2024 Mercedes-AMG C 63 E Performance First Drive: Too Brawny for Its Own Good?

• 671 horsepower and 752 lb-ft of torque ... from a four-cylinder hybrid
• Instantaneous oomph and seemingly limitless power
• Is it too much car for the road?

Manufacturers like to bandy about terms like "Formula 1-developed" when talking about performance hardware, but in this case, it's true, with the turbo modeled after the electrically augmented ones used in F1 race cars. An electric motor fed by 400 volts pre-spools the turbocharger, building boost before exhaust gases can do it, eliminating the primary source of the delay in power delivery known as boost lag.

I'll admit this engine doesn't sound as good as the V8 it replaces. But it sounds pretty great for a four-cylinder, and there's no denying the instant thrust you feel when you put your foot down is astonishing.

Augmenting that is the electric motor mounted on the rear axle. Fed by a lithium-ion battery with 4.8 kWh of usable power, it puts out a maximum 201 hp and 236 lb-ft of torque on its own through a two-speed transmission to ensure there's power even when you're already going fast. With standard all-wheel drive and a nine-speed automatic transmission, Mercedes-Benz says the combined output can whisk the C 63 from a standstill to 60 mph in 3.3 seconds.

Too pumped up?

There's an adage that says it's more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow, and that's the case with the newest C 63. Yes, it's fast and powerful and insanely capable, especially when you fully unleash the beast in Race mode. But it's so powerful and so capable that when trying to use it in the real world, at least on the tight twisting roads around Malibu, it winds up feeling muscle-bound. Just when you're fully exploiting the immense power it's time to hit the brakes, and the numerous blind corners mean exploring the car's extremely high cornering speeds could result in a bicyclist Indiana Jonesing to the hood of the car.

There are eight total drive modes, and the next step down from Race is Sport+, which is only slightly more tame. Sport mode is more fitting, but even though the car intentionally dials back the power there's still so much that only on a handful of stretches could I get a good feel for the car.

And believe me, does it ever feel good in its element. Not only is the power outstanding, but the steering and chassis responses are razor-sharp. This applies even in Comfort mode, which is where I spent quite a bit of my drive time. It delivers ample power, but with slightly softer suspension settings for a more tolerable ride. I also tried out the fully electric drive mode, which of course is a little odd to do in an AMG car, but nice if you're trying to keep the neighbors happy, or live in Europe where there are EV-only zones in cities. There's even a Drift mode, which I didn't try out on public roads because I'm not a crazy person.

Big boy, small package

All that extra hybrid technology and all-wheel drive comes at a cost, and not just the $85,050 base price (with $1,150 destination charge included) or my car's as-tested price of $103,095.

It's weight. Mercedes told us during our initial encounter with the C 63 in Spain that the car weighs 4,828 pounds. That's more than 500 pounds more than the previous C 63 and almost as much as a Mercedes-Benz GLE SUV.

Keeping 2.5 tons of compact performance sedan under control while still delivering comedic levels of horsepower and concussion-inducing cornering speeds is hard because there's still Newtonian physics to contend with. It contends very well, and thanks to the added power, this newest car is notably quicker than its predecessor. But in corners or just driving down the road, you notice that weight.

How's the rest?

Overall I give the latest generation of C-Class high marks for its interior and exterior style, its use of technology, and its overall functionality. All of that applies to this highest-performance version, too. The C 63's exterior is subtly distinct from its brethren thanks to a unique front bumper, grille, and rear bumper treatment. The red-highlighted AMG badges are specific to E Performance versions. And don't call that thing on the trunk a "spoiler," it's an "air flow break." Okey dokey.

Inside, the C 63 benefits from more aggressive seats, a steering wheel with two adjustment knobs protruding from the lower spokes, and some other unique design touches, but overall it's a familiar environment that I like. It's also familiar in a couple of ways I wish it wasn't, such as the overreliance on touch-sensitive controls, especially on the steering wheel. Or the budget-minded plastics used on the lower portions of the dash and center console.

Edmunds says

The 2024 Mercedes-AMG C 63 S E Performance is a car with amazing performance potential in the right circumstances. It is ridiculously quick and can stick to corners and stop and turn with the best of them. But exploring this car's capabilities anywhere outside a racetrack just isn't as satisfying as it could be. Previous C 63s were more usable while maintaining levels of performance and speed that were nearly as otherworldly. If you're going to hit the track, by all means, the C 63 is an amazing vehicle, and you'll love it. I just wish more of its performance was more accessible in the day to day.