Item: 2011 Mercedes C204 C 63 AMG Coupe
Rating: 4

Eager 6.2-litre M156 V8 engine sounds great
Excellent dynamics
Accurate, well-weighted steering
Powerful brakes

M156 V8 engine susceptible to camshaft lobe and valve lifter wear
Awkward, offset driving position
High fuel consumption
Suspension lacks low-speed compliance

Overview

Released in Australia in October 2011, the Mercedes-Benz C204 C 63 AMG was a high-performance coupe. Manufactured in Germany, the rear-wheel drive C204 C 63 AMG Coupe was powered by a 6.2-litre naturally aspirated V8 petrol engine that was mated to a seven-speed semi-automatic transmission. The C 63 AMG Black Series was released in March 2012 and the C 63 AMG Edition 507 in October 2013.

M156 V8 engine

Developed and hand-assembled by Mercedes-AMG in Affalterbach, Germany, the 6208 cc M156 V8 petrol engine had an aluminium-silicon alloy (AlSi7) block which had 102.2 mm bores and a 94.6 mm stroke, an aluminium-silicon alloy (AlSi17) cylinder head, a Cromax 42CrMo4V forged steel alloy crankshaft, fracture-split forged connecting rods, cylinder bores with twin-wire-arc-sprayed (TWAS) coating, Bosch 9.7 engine management system, double overhead camshafts per cylinder bank (intake cams driven by a double chain from the crankshaft and small gears on the intake cams drive the exhaust camshafts), continuously variable intake and exhaust camshafts (over a range of 40 degrees via electrohydraulic vane-type adjusters), four valves per cylinder (40 mm intake valves and 34 mm exhaust valves) with bucket tappets, a magnesium variable intake manifold (with two integral throttle flaps) and a compression ratio of 11.3:1. Maximum engine speed for the M156 V8 engine was 7200 rpm.

Over the combined NEDC test cycle, fuel consumption was 12.0 litres per 100 km.
The C 63 AMG Coupe could accelerate from rest to 100 km/h in 4.4 seconds and had an electronically-limited top speed of 250 km/h.

Mercedes-Benz C204 C 63 AMG Coupe specifications
	Engine	Trans.	Year	Peak power	Peak torque
C 63 AMG	6.2-litre petrol V8 (M156)	7sp semi-auto	2011-14	336 kW at 6800 rpm	600 Nm at 5000 rpm
C 63 AMG Edition 507	6.2-litre petrol V8 (M156)	7sp semi-auto	2013	373 kW at 6800 rpm	610 Nm at 5200 rpm
C 63 AMG Black Series	6.2-litre petrol V8 (M156)	7sp semi-auto	2012-14	380 kW at 6800 rpm	620 Nm at 5200 rpm

AMG Speedshift MCT

First introduced in the R230 SL 63 AMG in 2008, the seven-speed ‘AMG Speedshift MCT’ (Multi Clutch Technology) had a compact, wet start-up clutch that operated in an oil bath rather than a conventional torque converter. The AMG Speedshift transmission had four individual driving modes which the driver could select via a rotary dial:

Controlled Efficiency, ‘C’, for softer throttle response, use of second gear when accelerating from rest, smooth gearshifts and early upshifts to minimise fuel consumption;
Sport, ‘S’, for greater throttle response, higher engine speeds before upshifting, greater willingness to downshift and 25 per cent faster gearshifts. To achieve fast gearshifts under full loads, the engine could partially suppress individual cylinders by interrupting ignition and injection;
Sport plus, ‘S+’, provided 25 per cent faster gearshifts than ‘Sport’ mode, in as little as 100 milliseconds; and,
Manual, ‘M’, for maximum throttle response and gearshifts via the steering wheel paddles.

Other features of the AMG Speedshift transmission included:

Automatic throttle-blipping on downshifts;
A double-declutching function for multiple downshifts (in S, S+ and M modes); and,
A ‘Race Start’ function.

For the M156 engine, the gear ratios for the ‘AMG Speedshift’ transmission were 4.38 (1st), 2.86 (2nd), 1.92 (3rd), 1.37 (4th), 1.00 (5th), 0.82 (6th) and 0.73 (7th), while the final drive ratio was 2.82. Furthermore, the transmission had a torque capacity of 735 Nm.

Dimensions and body

Compared to the related W204 C 63 AMG , the Mercedes-Benz C204 C 63 AMG Coupe was 19 mm shorter (at 4707 mm) and 48 mm lower (1391 mm), but had the same width (1795 mm), wheelbase length (2765 mm) and kerb weight (1730 kg).

Relative to the C204 C-Class Coupe , the C204 C 63 AMG Coupe could be identified by its AMG front apron with lower cross strut painted in high-gloss black, AMG-specific LED daytime running lights and side air outlets, aluminium bonnet with powerdomes, black rear diffuser insert with three fins and twin chromed tailpipes.

Suspension

The Mercedes-Benz C204 C 63 AMG Coupe had three-link front suspension and multi-link independent rear suspension, both with coil springs, gas-pressure shock absorbers and stabiliser bars. The suspension also included Mercedes-Benz’s ‘Agility Control’, an amplitude-selective damping system which utilised:

A bypass channel in the shock absorber’s piston pin; and,
A control piston moving within a separate oil chamber.

When linear travel of the shock absorber was low, the control piston forced oil through the bypass channel to produce a smaller damping force at the damper valve. For greater shock absorber movements, the control piston moved to close the bypass channel so full damping force was available. To be clear, Agility Control used hydromechanics, not electronics to vary suspension behaviour.

Compared to the C204 C-Class Coupe , changes for the C 63 AMG Coupe included:

Unique front and rear axles with wider tracks (by 36 mm at the front and 12 mm at the rear);
Increased negative camber (front and rear);
Stiffer spring and damper rates;
Thicker anti-roll bars; and,
Reinforced rear drive shaft and joints.

Steering

The Mercedes-Benz C204 C 63 AMG Coupe had rack-and-pinion steering with speed-sensitive power assistance and a ratio of 13.5:1.

Safety equipment

Standard safety equipment for the Mercedes-Benz C 63 AMG Coupe included dual front airbags, a driver’s knee airbag, front and rear side airbags, full-length curtain airbags, ABS, electronic brake force distribution, brake assist, electronic stability control, traction control, active front seat head restraints (‘Neck-Pro’), driver fatigue monitoring (‘Attention Assist’), and front and outer rear seatbelts with pre-tensioners and load limiters.

The C 63 AMG Coupe was fitted with Mercedes-Benz’s ‘Pre-Safe’ anticipatory occupant protection and ‘Adaptive Brake’ systems, the latter included emergency braking preparation, a brake-drying function and hill start assist (‘Start-Off Assist’). Furthermore, the electronic stability control system had a ‘Sport Handling’ mode which raised intervention thresholds and could be turned off completely.

Brakes

The Mercedes-Benz C 63 AMG Coupe had 360 mm by 36 mm front discs with six-piston fixed callipers and 330 mm by 26 mm rear discs with four-piston fixed callipers; both the front and rear discs with internally ventilated and perforated.

Euro NCAP testing

In Euro NCAP testing , a Mercedes-Benz W204 C 220 CDI received a five star safety rating which included a 90 per cent adult occupant protection rating and a 79 per cent child occupant protection rating. Under ANCAP’s methodology , this testing resulted in an adult occupant protection score of 35.51 out of 37.

Features: Mercedes-Benz C204 C 63 AMG Coupe

Standard features for the Mercedes-Benz C204 C 63 AMG Coupe included 18-inch five-twin-spoke AMG light alloy wheels painted in titanium grey, 8.0J x 18-inch front wheels with 235/40 R18 tyres and 9.0J x 18-inch rear wheels with 255/35 R18 rear tyres, a twelve speaker Harman Kardo Logic7 sound system with a single CD/DVD player, MP3/AAC/WMA-compatibility and auxiliary inputs (3.5mm/USB/iPod), COMAND APS with a seven-inch TFT display, satellite navigation system, voice recognition (‘Linguatronic’), Bluetooth connectivity, Internet connectivity and 10GB hard-drive for music storage, dual-zone climate control air conditioning (‘Thermotronic’), front AMG sports seats with power adjustment and heating, Nappa leather upholstery, cruise control, directional bi-xenon headlights with washers, daytime running lights, front and rear fog lights, a reversing camera, front and rear parking sensors, automatic headlights, rain-sensing wipers, 1/3 to 2/3 split and folding rear seats with through-loading function, a flat-bottomed AMG steering wheel with gearshift paddles, remote central locking, power mirrors with heating and folding functions, power windows, a power adjustable steering column (for height and reach), memory settings (for the front seats, steering column and door mirrors), a power-operated panoramic glass sunroof, tyre pressure monitoring, an electrochromatic rear view mirror, tinted windows, rear privacy glass, trip computer, ‘Race Timer’, an alarm and immobiliser.

Mercedes-Benz C204 C 63 AMG Black Series

The Mercedes-Benz C 63 AMG Black Series was released in Australia in March 2012. The 6.2-litre V8 engine for the Black Series utilised components from the C197 SLS AMG , specifically the forged pistons, connecting rods and lightweight crankshaft. As a result of these changes, the engine produced peak power of 380 kW and the C 63 AMG Black Series could accelerate from rest to 100 km/h in 4.2 seconds. Top speed was electronically limited to 300 km/h.

The C 63 AMG Black Series was fitted with 19-inch forged light-alloy wheels (9.0J x 19 front and 9.5J x 19 rear) that were painted titanium grey, 255/35 R19 front and 285/30 R19 tyres, an AMG rear differential with a 40 per cent locking action and a high performance braking system which consisted of 390 mm by 36 mm front discs with six-piston callipers and 360 mm by 26 mm rear discs with four-piston callipers. Furthermore, suspension changes for the C 63 AMG Black Series included:

A new front axle with a 40 mm wider front track;
A 79 mm wider rear track;
Adjustable AMG coil-over suspension. Specifically, the rebound and compression stages of the gas-filled struts could be adjusted, as well as the ride height; and,
Revised anti-roll bars.

Visually, the C 63 AMG Black Series could be identified by its bonnet vents, 28 mm wider front wings, 42 mm wider rear wings, a unique front, a new rear apron with extended diffuser and square exhaust outlets. Inside, buyers had a choice of four standard seats as per the C 63 AMG or two sports seats.

The C 63 AMG Black Series was available with an optional AMG Track Package which included Dunlop Sport Maxx tyres, active rear-axle transmission cooling and an AMG Aerodynamics package including flics, a tuned front splitter and an adjustable carbon-fibre rear aerofoil.

Mercedes-Benz C204 C 63 AMG Edition 507

Released in Australia in October 2013, the Mercedes-Benz C204 C 63 AMG Edition 507 had the same engine as the C 63 AMG Black Series which utilised components from the SLS AMG, specifically the forged pistons, connecting rods and lightweight crankshaft. As a result of its higher outputs, the C 63 AMG Edition 507 could accelerate from rest to 100 km/h in 4.2 seconds; its top speed was electronically-limited to 280 km/h. Furthermore, the Edition 507 was fitted with composite brake discs front and rear.

The C 63 AMG Edition 507 could be identified by its aluminium ‘Black Series’ bonnet (with twin-nostrils), 19-inch cross-spoke alloy wheels, matte grey side strips, darkened headlights and gloss-black spoiler and mirrors. Inside, the Edition 507 featured ‘porcelain’ or black leather, an Alcantara AMG steering wheel, red instrument cluster highlights and AMG badging on the gearshift.

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