Car and motorcycle

From Winteler Mercedes-AMG C 63 SE Performance: the sportiest hybrid seduces on velvet

26 January 2024

Curated by Editorial Team

The medium-high range model with top electric "boost" transforms into a sophisticated "supercar", out of the ordinary, guaranteeing sharp, refined and accessible driving, with comfort without sacrifices

Mercedes hybrid excellence from Winteler: together with the exclusive GT, the C-Class in the new AMG flagship version also adopts the high-performance hybrid system derived from the experience in Formula 1, giving rise to a car with the dynamic characteristics of exception: even more so considering in this case the turbo petrol "heart" of just two liters of displacement. However, what stands out is not only the generous system power, but its refined operation, aimed at maximum performance efficiency. On the road as well as on the track, where the C 63 E Performance manages to roam with equal authority.

This is mainly thanks to two resources. On the one hand, a compact lithium battery (89 kg) but designed to release a high quantity of current, always guaranteeing maximum thrust to the 204 HP electric unit on the rear axle which initiates each acceleration of the car. The regeneration is just as powerful, so as to guarantee the restoration of the accumulator in a very short time, making it almost superfluous to use the mains columns for external recharging, a solution that is in any case available. On the other hand, there is the unprecedented electrification of the exhaust gas turbine of the 476 HP supercharged four-cylinder, which in this way maintains total immediacy of delivery in any condition of use. Together with a "voice" that is always toned and engaging at high revs, but more rounded and refined.

The combination of these discoveries within the hybrid mechanics, together with the 4Matic+ AMG mechanical all-wheel drive with fully variable distribution and the nine-speed dual-clutch gearbox, required complex development from the company, but the result is astonishing: for simplicity of use, for effectiveness, and of course for the high profile sensations offered by it AMG "special". Behind the wheel we discover a sedan that is generous in size but very responsive when moving from one support to another between curves, as well as always very balanced: designed to enhance precise but intuitive, "easy" driving. Even on the track, as we experienced in the preview test on the private Ascari track in Spain.

Of course, the acceleration capacity stands out, both from a standstill and when changing speed at speed, also due to the action of the torque of over a thousand Nm which causes you to sink into the seats with each full pressure on the accelerator, when maximum hybrid thrust is activated . In the sportier driving mode, dedicated to driving on the track, the set-up appears really rigid, allowing minimal movements of the bodywork together with significantly increased steering sensitivity and grip, which allow trajectories to be brushed to the centimetre. However, you never feel sudden or nervous movements of the car, which thus manages to guarantee even very busy driving but which leaves room for more linear and intuitive progression. For more savvy drivers, AMG then makes available the electric "boost" mappings of the main European tracks, designed to obtain maximum efficiency in terms of performance over the lap time.

The C-Class 63 SE Performance does not lose exclusivity in terms of travel comfort, which is equally cared for. At the push of a button, the suspension becomes soft and velvety enough to offer maximum absorption, the constant-speed cabin is perfectly isolated from the outside world, while the rich and well-kept on-board environment distinguishes itself with a superior level of hospitality.