Mc81b

After finally getting hold of the C63BS and driving it for a few days,
I came to realize the difference between the Black Series and the normal C63 Sedan is definitely quite huge in fact.

1)The C63BS is definitely more like a hooligan car in comparison of the sedan and also the additional width for the front and rear can be felt when you are doing a 3 lane u-turn,which is almost impossible (U-turn space is comparable to a LP700-4 and the steering is even heavier than a LP700-4)

2)Acceleration is more vigorous and brutal in comparison to the normal Sedan as well as the difference in braking.

3)The bucket seats are fantastic,quite different from what i expected.

4)Handling for the BS is much better but the steering can get too heavy for one hand driving as compared to the sedan (which is not exactly a good thing for long drives

5)The exhaust note is definitely much louder and bassy (not sure if it's the lack of sound proofing or it's just way much louder) comparing 2 stock cars.


I'm comparing the 3 different type of C63 that i had before and currently.

1)C63 W204 2008 Pre facelift (P30 450bhp + mods =520bhp - Akrapovic slip on titanium muffler / Cargraphic mid pipe/ down pipes/ Gruppe M air intake / HRE lightweight wheels/ Tuning)
2)C63 W204 2011 Facelifted (P30/P31/LSD stock=481bhp)
3)C63BS W204 2012 (Full stock with aero kit/carbon exterior/Performance Media)

The pre facelifted W204 C63 after all the modification,it's just closer to the C63 facelifted with P31 but nowhere as close as the C63BS(Mods are not exactly major due to strict ruling in my country whereas installation of superchargers/turbos or anything that is not approved by the government arm for vehicle or not from factory will result in confiscation of your vehicle or a hefty amount of fine and inspection on a 6 monthly basis).

Verdict

To be honest, I'm not exactly much of a track junkie. I'm amazed with the performance of the C63BS but in terms of road comfort and day to day usage.
I would stick to my W204 facelifted sedan.

Will write back more when i collect my new W205 C63S amg to compare when i have it in 2 months!


Thats about it for now and will upload pictures of the cars soon !

abcut973

Thanks for the review.
So when you say you'll stick with the W204 FL sedan you mean you'll get rid of the C63 BS?
Or are you talking about daily driving duties?

Mc81b

Mc81b

Daily drives for the sedan.
Pleasure craft duties for the black series.
The Black Series performance is somewhere in the reign of a CLK DTM(borrowed one for a month back than) and I would say even the handling is quite close .
Performance wise there is no way a stock P31 etc would be comparable to the black series.

The sedan mainly wins in terms of the road comfort

Mc81b

INS1GNIA

Amazing .

Mc81b

Heres a not so long review to compare the C63BS vs the M3 GTS that i had for awhile a year and a half back.

M3 GTS

+
-Superb handling that is comparable to the likes of a Ferrari 458 Italia (The C63BS sadly does not handle that well in comparison to the M3 GTS but it makes up for it in terms of the straight line speed and ride comfort)
-More powerful than a normal M3
-Nice exhaust sound (The C63BS sounds better )


-
Superbly unforgiving in terms of ride comfort (Same to the C63BS but not that bad in comparison to the M3 GTS)
-Easily replicated by a normal E92 M3 +stroker kit (for badge people!) (Fake Black Series are running around but easily identified i assume.)
-Extremely pricey/Doesnt hold its value in comparison to the C63BS (In my country the car is sold for a little north of 400k USD as compared to the C63BS 350k USD)
-Ridiculous depreciation (Both are the same)
-Less powerful than a specced up C63 on straights

The M3 GTS is definitely more track orientated than the C63BS .
The M3 GTS is more of a track car built for the road whereas the C63BS is more like a road car built for the track.
The C63BS has the flare and the design team has done a fantastic job of adding those cool aerodynamics that are more pleasing to the eye (For me!) as compared to the M3 GTS no nonsense look which basically has only upgraded rear spoiler / front lip in terms of visual aesthetic wise(Looks like a big bottle of orange juice that just keeps going around).

I had the chance of owning the base M3(E92) and the M3 GTS together with a prefacelifted C63 before.

The base M3 does not perform anywhere near well in a straight line and in comparison to the C63 it's slow.
Adding a ESS supercharger to my previous M3 actually ruined the whole car day to day drivability for me,the chassis can't handle that much power IMO.

Verdict
I'll take the C63BS for the looks and comfort any day compared to the GTS but there is no doubt that the GTS is a much more track focus car than the BS.
But with that money,i'll gladly take a Ferrari 458 anytime over it.

Mc81b

/

BLKROKT

Mean looking ride. Congrats.

AMGonFire

How is a black series that much faster??? It's the same motor and trans as a facelift no? I know upgraded internals cooling ect ect but none of that translates to straight line really. Not talking about track duties obviously it would kill the sedan. I would think headers and tune on a stock sedan non p31 would easily beat. Black series. That should be good for a mid 11 no? Vs what a high 11 to low 12 in some magazines iv seen for the blk series. Love the car don't get me wrong but not for 100k. Am I wrong with my rational?

AMG3.2

At the end of the day, the black series will go up in value as opposed to every other C-AMG.

Just look at the market for CLK63 BS's.

Mc81b

A BS is much more stable and planted especially from a standstill due to the wider tyres and body stance and i assume and at pick up speed the Sedan pre facelifted that i had was always trying to find traction when i'm flooring the car 0-150. It might just be that too much power is delivered to the normal C63 but even at 60km/h the wheels tend to have the traction light on resulting in power cut or stuff given that the ESP is on normal or even sport mode,the mods are more useful for speeds that exceeds 80km/h after the car gets the grip.
And the BS is lighter in weight and especially unsprung weight from the wheels and internals as compared to the 450bhp non P31.
I'm still not exactly sure that the BS exhaust is quite different from the base 63 but assuming it is, it definitely is a high flow exhaust and the sound is in the range of a Akrapovic slip on muffler.

Mc81b

I might be wrong but i'm guessing in years to come the normal C63 507 and also the extremly rare DR520 C63 built strictly for UK will also pick up in value due to the fact that it is the last M156 engine before turbo took over.
Looking at the rate the Ferrari 430 Scuderia and Challenge Stradale which are limited production (Not Limited Edition)is picking up in value for now after 488gtb comes in to replace the NA ferraris.

Mc81b

I would like to change my verdict on this car.
For the past few days I didn't realise the car had some minor alignment issue therefore causing the front tyres to be kind of jumpy and eager to veer off course.
After all the servicing, this car is a totally different beast altogether and u would definitely not rate it to be anywhere near the base C63 Nor the P31 (In terms of the handling department).

The way it handles feels like my 09 LP560-4.
Steering is sharp and precise. The way it enters and exit corner makes the car feels like it's like a AWD!now I'm more than happy to take this beast out more and more!

INS1GNIA

Ty for all the reviews and insight, it is great to hear others actual thoughts on the cars. Also the pictures, extremely gorgeous car .

deadlyvt

So you had a supercharger on your m3 but your not allowed on the 63?
As far as the black series I agree ran into one here in the summer not sure if he's on the forum or not but took me for a rip in it and we even had a friendly pull... Major difference was the handling and shifting imo
Straight line pull was very similar infact from 80km-160 was dead even with my fairly p31 after he pulled about half a car at the beginning

Mc81b

I did ESS supercharge on my M3 illegally which didn't even last for a week before i decided to sell it off.Never did another modification
Over where i am if i was caught modifying parts that will change your engine displacement size = cheating the government for engine displacement tax= confiscation of vehicle.

As for the BS v P31.
If you were to launch with a BS from 0-100, highly likely that you'll be smoked pretty bad in comparison to AWD or supercars as the C63 would have issue finding traction from a red light, and at the peak of the first gear towards the second you will have another TC light coming on.

C63amg Tokyo

Cool write up and opinions. I also owned a '10 c63 that I modded from stock so I know how it was before I modded it and after.

Currently I own a black series which was stock but have started a few mods (just dropped in some AFE dry filters, HRE wheels 305s in the rear and will be shipping my ECU and TCU / Valvebodies to weistec next week)

People will constantly debate this issue that they are the same internals and should be the same speed and blah blah blah. I guess they think BS owners are defending their purchase or something. But until those people own or borrow a CBS their opinions mean nothing (u can't give a real opinion until u have driven both). It's a total different car and u would know it even after one day of driving. They feel sooooo different when u drive them, suspension, width, steering, accel, braking etc etc

Comparing stock cars the CBS is the faster car without question, more traction with wider tires and axel, lighter, cooling etc etc that everyone already knows.

We should all just get along and appreciate each other's amazing AMGs. The w204s are ALL great cars and very fast!

Mc81b

Never spoken better!
Start a thread regarding yours mods mate!(Thought you said you will be leaving your car stock for awhile? )
The CBS drives in a totally different way,the steering is way sharper and very precise and extremely firm in high speed.
I have been swapping around the 2 cars for the past few days and usually after driving the CBS,the steering of the base model tends to feel soft and unstable(maybe its just the feeling).The turning radius of the CBS is pretty ridiculous too and the car seats lower (maybe its the bucket) and feels extremely planted while receiving feedback of ALMOST every single bumps on the road.
The difference between a CBS and a sedan can be felt instantly from the moment you start driving the car even at low speed and smooth traffic.Not for the worse or better but its just... Different??
I believe that even if you were to install a full CBS conversion the other might not drive similarly.
Both are awesome cars though.

saildoc

We are having some bad weather, snow sleet here in OKC. I decided to run the CBS since it hasn't been driven in three weeks. Got in it, what an awesome magic smell. Not sure what is causing it but it smells like every Porsche 928 or air-cooled turbo I have sat in.... some mix of plastic and performance that smells badass! That is car is a beast-breaks tires loose just pulling out of the garage.

C63amg Tokyo

Hahah yea I was going to leave her stock but it's soooo hard. After I put in the AFE dry filter in my ROW box I noticed more popping and back fires and sounds better. I highly recommend the AFE dry filter over the k&n air filter. Anyway after that tiny change in my cars sound I basically said to my self a few mods won't hurt and I can always return it to stock in the future haha. So my only plans are the HRE wheels, AFE filters, weistec ecu, tcu and valve body. Still going to keep her mint and just a weekend car for me. If I do anything further than those listed, I may start a thread.

Mc81b

I have ordered FiE exhaust system and it's coming over in 2-4 weeks as well as a HRE..
Had some initial thoughts of customizing the interior though...
Here are some pictures stolen from the net