Duality of nature
Rounding off Mercedes-Benz Malaysia launch calendar for 2016 in spectacular fashion – and with gratuitous amounts of tyre smoke – is the fire-breathing form of its C-Class Coupe, the Mercedes-AMG C 63 S Coupe (RM773,888) and the C 63 S Coupe Edition 1 (RM795,888).
The latter is offered in two colour schemes, one with matte grey stripes over a choice of exterior colours while the other mirrors Mercedes-Benz’s DTM racer with yellow stripes over matte grey. The DTM homage, specifically, presents a staggered rim setup of 19 inches fore and 20 inches aft.
Other Edition 1 features include the AMG Aerodynamics bodykit package while on the inside, the AMG Performance seats are in Nappa leather and the helm is a Dinamica microfibre performance wheel.
The powertrain, however, is common between the two. A hand-assembled 4.0-litre biturbo V8 married to an AMG Speedshift MCT seven-speed automatic churns out 510hp at 5,500rpm to 6,250rpm and 700Nm from a low 1,750rpm to 6,250rpm.
With launch control engaged – quickly accessed via the brake pedal and paddle shifters – the coupe will hit 100km/h in a scant 3.9 seconds on to an electronically-governed 250km/h top speed. The optional AMG Driver’s package will cut the limiter for slightly under the triple-century at about 290km/h.
The drive
A few hot laps with the coupe revealed a curious nature, one where the aural experience is slightly at odds with how the car behaves on the limit. A sweet low burble that rises into a sustained growl would have anyone believe that it is similarly rough around the edges in its dynamic execution but this is not the case. In Sport and Sport+ modes, the coupe is still tractable and civilised, with the electronic locking differential – an S exclusive – allowing for slides that are easy enough to catch and maintain in Race mode.
Switching to Comfort upon entering the pit lane revealed what should probably be renamed to Family mode. Sedate in sound and suspension reaction, it can be concluded that the S Coupe has matured such that a dual-purpose purchase – for thrills and the mundane – is definitely within reason.
