Car and Driver: C450 AMG 4MATIC First Drive
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AMG CLE 53
Does anyone have experience with the type of suspension in the C450, "AMG Adaptive sport suspension", and how it will compare to the AIRMATIC in the C400? Will the comfort setting on the AMG suspension be as soft or comfortable as AIRMATIC?
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From: Ontario
'13 C350, '13 GLK250
Regarding what BMW has been doing...are you saying tht it's cool for AMG to follow BMW? AMG has never followed BMW. BMW has not built a car to compete with an AMG in probably 10 years. W204's will murder a E9X M3 and an E63S will murder an F10 M5 and an E60 M5.
The C450 is simply nothing more than a run of the mill C400 with an ECU tune and some AMG bumpers. The truth.....
The C450 is simply nothing more than a run of the mill C400 with an ECU tune and some AMG bumpers. The truth.....
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http://www.mbusa.com/vcm/MB/DigitalA...ATIC-FINAL.pdf
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First off the 4-matic is nice, I was hoping the new C63 and GT-S would have offered a 4-matic,
You will never get a C450 to make over 400whp yet Wesitec is making over 450whp with their CLA45. The C450 motor has mediocre tame cam lobe, stock C400 heads, stock C400 crank and a C400 block. It is for all purposes a C400 with some extra fuel and timing thrown into the ECU.
On the other hand we have the W205 C63 powerplant which was derived from the AMG GT 4.0 power plant. The C63 was built from the ground up to be a maximum performance high output engine as were the C450 motor is a band-aided C400 nearly tweaked to it's max output from the factory.
You will never get a C450 to make over 400whp yet Wesitec is making over 450whp with their CLA45. The C450 motor has mediocre tame cam lobe, stock C400 heads, stock C400 crank and a C400 block. It is for all purposes a C400 with some extra fuel and timing thrown into the ECU.
On the other hand we have the W205 C63 powerplant which was derived from the AMG GT 4.0 power plant. The C63 was built from the ground up to be a maximum performance high output engine as were the C450 motor is a band-aided C400 nearly tweaked to it's max output from the factory.
Don't forget too Jim, this car (C450) will play well in markets other than the USA, where the litres (engine size) are vital to road taxes/registration etc. Its not one size fits all when it comes to cars.
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AMG CLE 53
It'll be better and more adjustable, ala the C63. V V V V PLUS, the car will have more HP and Torque, different brakes and suspension and some interior changes too. Its much more than just a slight price increase and a few small AMG badges on the front fenders:
http://www.mbusa.com/vcm/MB/DigitalA...ATIC-FINAL.pdf
http://www.mbusa.com/vcm/MB/DigitalA...ATIC-FINAL.pdf
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Unfortunately, after this year you will not be able to get a smooth and more powerful W205. However, I think the amount of w205 V6 buyers that take the Airmatic is so low that MB will not lose any customers.
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No it will not, it will be firm. From what I have read, the comfort mode in the C63 is still somewhat firm.
Unfortunately, after this year you will not be able to get a smooth and more powerful W205. However, I think the amount of w205 V6 buyers that take the Airmatic is so low that MB will not lose any customers.
Unfortunately, after this year you will not be able to get a smooth and more powerful W205. However, I think the amount of w205 V6 buyers that take the Airmatic is so low that MB will not lose any customers.
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Apparently there's an individual setting that you can make as soft as you'd like . There's a total if 5 which includes " individual."
As to power,, another 35 HP and more torque is Huge for a car this size. A lil tune from Weistec or EC and you're well over 400 HP. It looks like a C63 with AWD. I'd say a winner all around.
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From: NM
2023 AMG EQS
The C450 and the C400 will top out at the same power.... Because it's the same Engine.
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MB W204, VW Polo, Audi R8 V10 - SOLD.
Nonetheless it is exciting times for MB.
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2023 AMG EQS
The C400 has that option while the C450 will not. I don't believe the C450 will offer Airmatic as an option.
Not every customer wants feel every bump on the road.
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C219 CLS / W220 † / W211† / W210 E55 † / W210 Brabus † / Hamann 540i † /
I don't know about anyone else but my initial thought was this car was made to be insurance friendly almost AMG car. For the buyer who wants the "sport" model Mercedes without the added cost of owning a real AMG model. It's like the best of both worlds in my mind.
I dont know why peope are so angry either. Seems like a bunch of you owners are mad because your C63 doesnt LOOK so different and you dont get your status anymore....lame. You should care more about how it drives rather than how it looks. Anyone who has owned an AMG model knows no matter what you do to a non-amg model, it will NEVER give you the actual experience. If you really truly want people to wow at you
fork up the big bucks for a SLS
I feel like the good ol days of the thumbs up and acknowledging another car guy in a nice ride is gone. Everyone is more concerned that they are the center of attention and everyone is looking at you! haha WRONG!
I dont know why peope are so angry either. Seems like a bunch of you owners are mad because your C63 doesnt LOOK so different and you dont get your status anymore....lame. You should care more about how it drives rather than how it looks. Anyone who has owned an AMG model knows no matter what you do to a non-amg model, it will NEVER give you the actual experience. If you really truly want people to wow at you
fork up the big bucks for a SLS I feel like the good ol days of the thumbs up and acknowledging another car guy in a nice ride is gone. Everyone is more concerned that they are the center of attention and everyone is looking at you! haha WRONG!
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From: PNW
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My post was in response to Benz400 who was asking about a more powerful W205 without the harsh suspension of an AMG.
The C400 has that option while the C450 will not. I don't believe the C450 will offer Airmatic as an option.
Not every customer wants feel every bump on the road.
The C400 has that option while the C450 will not. I don't believe the C450 will offer Airmatic as an option.
Not every customer wants feel every bump on the road.
The driver of a C450 AMG 4MATIC can select his or her tailor-made suspension setup at the push of a button. The range spans from balanced long-distance comfort to maximum sportiness
http://www.mbusa.com/vcm/MB/DigitalA...ATIC-FINAL.pdf
Last edited by dreamerak; Mar 1, 2015 at 10:56 PM.
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2023 AMG EQS
The driver of a C450 AMG 4MATIC can select his or her tailor-made suspension setup at the push of a button. The range spans from balanced long-distance comfort to maximum sportiness
http://www.mbusa.com/vcm/MB/DigitalA...ATIC-FINAL.pdf
http://www.mbusa.com/vcm/MB/DigitalA...ATIC-FINAL.pdf
It is not Airmatic.
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I was originally hoping that the car would have Airmatic as well but from what I've read about the c63 suspension is superior. Having driven an R8 for 3 years I can live with a similar suspension setup. I suspect that the suspension on the C450 is likely to be softer than the R8 and has more options to adjust the ride quality.
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From: New Hampshire, USA
C450 (pre-ordered Jan 14)
My dealer warned me about the airmatic if I intend to own the car longer than the warranty period. He said the airmatic is nice, but when the warranty expires, sell the car and run for the hills.
My mechanic who owns a good size shop that caters to exotics and high-end European cars, said something even worse about troubleshooting. He said it's not "only" about expensive parts wearing out, he's seen bad reactions in cold weather where a valve will stick, leaving one corner of the car lower than the rest. Then, when he goes to troubleshoot it, there's nothing wrong. Once that happens, it becomes more and more frequent until it's overhauled. That would make me crazy.
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2015 C400
Hey guys I have a couple questions, hopefully I can get some of your insights on.
1. Do you guys know if we can select a different grill for the C450 rather than the diamond one?
2. I just bought a C400 and I am plenty happy with it. Tbh for me personally the only thing the C450 provides me more than the C400 is the:
a) Better Exhaust
b) Better Brakes
c) Some AMG badges - Which, may not be truly AMG built, but it offers a little bit of extra gratification seeing that AMG badge and knowing you got slightly more HP lol. But tbh the difference in HP even is so insignificant in the grand scheme of things because it will maybe shave off a couple 0. something seconds. Were not all racers here, I doubt the average consumer would even notice the 0.something second difference.
That being said, I can still easily switch out from my C400 lease to a C450. Do you guys recommend that and feel like its big enough of a jump from C400 to C450 to go through that hassle?
3. Could someone sum up the differences between the C400 and C450 for me please? Im a noob who just got into the Mercedes world lol. I used to push a Ninja and a Scion FRS just before this.
1. Do you guys know if we can select a different grill for the C450 rather than the diamond one?
2. I just bought a C400 and I am plenty happy with it. Tbh for me personally the only thing the C450 provides me more than the C400 is the:
a) Better Exhaust
b) Better Brakes
c) Some AMG badges - Which, may not be truly AMG built, but it offers a little bit of extra gratification seeing that AMG badge and knowing you got slightly more HP lol. But tbh the difference in HP even is so insignificant in the grand scheme of things because it will maybe shave off a couple 0. something seconds. Were not all racers here, I doubt the average consumer would even notice the 0.something second difference.
That being said, I can still easily switch out from my C400 lease to a C450. Do you guys recommend that and feel like its big enough of a jump from C400 to C450 to go through that hassle?
3. Could someone sum up the differences between the C400 and C450 for me please? Im a noob who just got into the Mercedes world lol. I used to push a Ninja and a Scion FRS just before this.
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From: New Hampshire, USA
C450 (pre-ordered Jan 14)
The biggest difference in my mind is the re-engineered suspension. All the magazine reviews you'll find on the C400 say it doesn't feel balanced or confident in handling situations when you start to toss it around. The C450 on the other hand (so far) is getting glowing reviews about handling, but as you know, there aren't many of those reviews yet.
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CLA45 AMG
I think the debate about tunability between the C63/CLA45 AMGs and the C450 is moot. Judging from people who show interest in C450, they are not going to tune their C450 engine. It will be plenty fast enough, with 4matic and AMG badge to provide drivability and pride, without the risk.
An aftermarket tune pushing this V6 (without AMG reinforcement) over 400 hp will be outside of their comfort zone, for most of them at least.
As far as the question why the C63 RWD is more fun to drive than 4matic (RWD), it is not just about engine.
If you want to toss the car around, break the rear end loose, you want a RWD. But most drivers, and that includes even a greater proportion of the C450 drivers, are not going to drive too much above speed limits, much less trying to break any part of their car loose.
An aftermarket tune pushing this V6 (without AMG reinforcement) over 400 hp will be outside of their comfort zone, for most of them at least.
As far as the question why the C63 RWD is more fun to drive than 4matic (RWD), it is not just about engine.
If you want to toss the car around, break the rear end loose, you want a RWD. But most drivers, and that includes even a greater proportion of the C450 drivers, are not going to drive too much above speed limits, much less trying to break any part of their car loose.
Last edited by dtc100; Mar 2, 2015 at 11:53 AM.
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I'll bet that your buddies over at Weistec in OC CA would beg to differ and would love to get their hands on a 3.0 V6. All of those things you list are something that they can "easily" change /mod and you know that. 'Ive seen what they did with the M113 and M156, so I am fully expecting the same from them (and others) for the "lowly 3.0 V6."
Don't forget too Jim, this car (C450) will play well in markets other than the USA, where the litres (engine size) are vital to road taxes/registration etc. Its not one size fits all when it comes to cars.
Don't forget too Jim, this car (C450) will play well in markets other than the USA, where the litres (engine size) are vital to road taxes/registration etc. Its not one size fits all when it comes to cars.
