EeFiftyFive

Hi guys,

Not here to start a debate or anything of that nature. Long story short, I was originally dead set on purchasing an E55 (hence username) but my tastes have swayed toward a newer car, still with eight large cylinders though ( narrowed it down to C63 or CTS-V).

The car will be my daily, and will get driven every day...rain, snow (with snow tires, of course), or shine. There are some certified 09ish C63s I noticed in my price range so I figured I'd throw them onto the list as I've always loved them.

I've driven a few CTS-Vs and they are great. The power is unreal and the handling/chassis is something quite remarkable for a Caddy. Looking for a C63 to drive but the closest one to me is 120mi away it seems so I may have some traveling to do, we'll see.

That being said, my question to you guys is...anybody here come from/go to a CTS-V? Thoughts? Opinions? Wishes? Regrets?

Any other general remarks?

Interesting to see some of your thoughts. Thanks in advance!

QWKSNKE

My problem with the caddy is overall quality. Seems that all GM products I have owned or test driven has an overall cheapness and interior rattles that drive me crazy. With that being said, I have only driven a 1st gen cts-v. Have not driven a 2nd gen.

From my 1st test drive of the C63, I never thought about a caddy again. Definitely go test drive one. And I feel you, I had to make a couple of 100 mile drives to look before buying one

tfthach13

Going for a test drive with both cars will be your best bet at coming to a decision. Personally, if just want speed then the Caddy is the way to go. It you're looking for quality/reliability then the Merc will be the way to go.

Both are fast cars and can be DD'd. However, if you throw a CTS-V wagon in the mix then the wagon might have more everyday usability.

abcut973

There is a member who went from C63 to CT-V. He comes back from time to time. Maybe he'll chime in. I don't recall its username.
What I remember is one of the reason he switched was because you could do very few mods and output way more power and at a cheapest price. As for the drivability of the CTS-v VS C63 they are pretty similar. The CTS_V might be more comfy.

solekeeper

i was thinking about the ctsv before i got the C. The big deterrent for me was the interior. I just could not get over it. Ours isn't that special, but the caddy is horrible imo

QWKSNKE

I agree!!

Gerry_M

I was in the same situation. My problem was that I hound the ctsv a little big for me.

EeFiftyFive

Thanks for the responses thus far!

As far as size goes...how do bigger guys fit in the 63? I'm 6'4" and felt the CTS-V headroom was lacking slightly. I know some people complain about the seats if you're on the larger side, but I don't think that will be an issue for me. I must admit, the V's seats were great and it felt good to be in Recaros again.

Merc63

Petro63, he's a racer. Think he got fed up with the Mb tax to hit his times at the track.

abcut973

I think the RECARO from the CTS-V as more comfy.
The sedan bucket seats are kind of hard.

Yeah PetroC63 is his username!

EeFiftyFive

Gotya. I wouldn't be at the 1/4 mile track at all, I do plan on tracking it at local road courses a few times a year however.

roddyc

I test drove 5+ CTS-V's before deciding on the C63 so I have some seat time in both and felt like the C63 was better suited for what I wanted out of a daily driver.

The CTS-V rode better (gotta love the magnetic dampers) and had more visceral power plus more/cheaper mod potential. The automatic sucked though and I thought the manual was just okay; throws were a little on the longer side and clutch was kind of binary. The biggest downside of the caddy to me was the interior; the build quality just felt lacking for a $70k+ car. It's also a larger body (more like a mid-size car) vs the c63 which is built on a compact platform.

The C63 makes some pretty fun sounds and is plenty fast enough for me. The auto is much more responsive vs the CTS-V, but the ride quality is noticeably stiffer. Once you're on the highway, its no big deal but around the city, you will notice road imperfections. I came from an M3 w/ the adjustable damper control and feel like the ride on the C63 is like what my M3 was in the stiffest setting. Interior quality is better than the CTS-V or M3, but the one I ended up with has a couple of rattles here and there although I feel like that is hit or miss.

Really can't go wrong with either!

odonnks

I can't answer your question but while searching for something else I saw this.

https://mbworld.org/forums/c63-amg-w...cts-v-amg.html

AMG6.3

It you are looking to mod your car, the CTSV will be much cheaper to go faster. Just a pulley and tune and you are at 600 HP at the flywheel. Also, if you are looking to track your car, C63 is prone to oil overheating and car going into limp mode. A Black Series oil cooler is needed at a few grand for part and install to remedy this.


That being said, the sound of the C63 and the fact it is a somewhat rare car is what did it for me. Although, I never drove the caddy. Note my C63 is my daily driver all weather conditions and love this car to death!

datamg

Was in same position as you. The dealer that had my 63 actually had a newer gen cts-v.

Got into the v, wasn't all that impressed with quality, felt cheap. Then got into the C and fell in love with it all, not to mention the sound.

I also am willing to bet most people here are partial to the c, but your best bet, try to get into both as a starting point. Hope that helps.

papashango

I was contemplating the V at one point but dropped the idea as I couldn't get over the weird arched/lifted rear end.

EeFiftyFive

Appreciate all the responses! Located an 09 C63 in my area (well, 70mi away) that I am headed to test drive tomorrow afternoon - excited to see how it compares with my impressions of the V.

zibby43

I gave the CTS-V a few test drives before choosing the C63.

The following four things turned me off to the CTS-V: 1) The car feels heavier; 2) Because the car feels heavier, the sensation of speed is dulled; 3) The cabin was a bit too well-insulated (engine/exhaust sound were consequently muted); 4) Interior materials were not quite on par with the LCI C63's (just my personal opinion).

abcut973

Correct on the weight and sound. In my case i drove the wagon.

irablumberg

I owned a CTS-V sedan with manual transmission for 3 years. During the last of those years, I got my wife a 2012 C63 sedan. Here are my comments and observations.

First, I would be wary of any C63 prior to 2012. The face lift made a number of improvements including addressing the head bolt problem so well documented in this forum. It also improved the ride of the car quite a bit from what I have read.

Second, in large part it depends on what you want from the car. The CTS-V sedan is more practical as it has a significantly larger rear seat and trunk. The coupe versions of each car really fall down on practicality as the rear seat and trunk space shrink substantially.

The CTS-V definitely rides more smoothly for freeway cruising. But as documented by a number of tests, the CTS-V also handles better than the C63 (at least with stock wheels and tires). I have recently replaced the stock tires on the C63 with one size wider MPSS and it made a huge improvement in handling. Now, the rear end is not nearly as eager to swap places with the front when accelerating out of a turn.

Both cars are about equally fast in a straight line in stock form, but the C63 does feel faster as the CTS-V does provide a greater sense of isolation.

As others have said, if you are looking to mod, the CTS-V wins hands down as you can add 100+ HP with an intake, pulley and tune all for about the same cost as a dealer service visit for the C63 (just an oil change in $200+).

The interior on the C63 is nicer, but I did not find the CTS-V too bad. The Recaro seats in the CTS-V are very good and very supportive.

Finally, the C63 is more convenient for urban driving as it is smaller and easier to park.

You can't really go wrong with either car if you find one in good condition.

Best of luck.

c63amg507

hi , i would not give my horse and buggy as a trade in if you buy a c63.....i do not know where you are from but winter driving a rear Wheel drive 4/5 hundred horsepower car is looking for trouble .you might end up on YouTube...the c63 is a drifter`s dream car . check c63amg on YouTube .lots of info. also keep in mind that l.s.d. was an option on some models and there was a power option that not everybody got . be careful shopping you could end up with a one Wheel drive low power v8 . the c63 is an iconic car ,if you get tired of it it will sell easy . i will never again buy g.m. products ,i have had real bad luck ,mass produced, lo quality , not impressed at all . get a merc .

looney100

To quote the most recent issue of Consumer Reports, "The Cue system is almost a deal breaker for buying a Cadillac."

irablumberg

How fortunate then that the CTS-V never had the CUE system.

EeFiftyFive

Yup...the V never had CUE (not yet, at least).

Went and test drove a 63 yesterday. Great car - fun, bold, quick...the only thing that kind of knocked it for me was the size, it felt pretty small especially being 6'4". The 6.3 sounds marvelous under wot though...wow.

Looks like I have some decisions to make...appreciate the insight guys!

longbow0404

I sold my 09 C63 for a 11 CTS-V; I will try to stay away from all the rattles and noises as both cars have them. The CTS is big and it feels big as well; but the funny part is that the interior is not much bigger than the C. Regular Mods are not that cheaper as in order to do a pulley for the supercharger you need to do the tune and in order to keep everything cold you will need to do an intercooler upgrade. Now if you are planning to go heavy on the mods, The price difference will be better with the V.
After having the V for over 2 years I went back with the C. In my opinion it feels better, smaller more agile.


if you have more questions, let me know.