DShiekhi

The 2016 Mercedes-Benz C450 AMG Sport is a Well-Appointed Difference Splitter



Your feelings as Mercedes-Benz owners about the new C450 AMG Sport are important, but what about the car in question? After all of the controversy it's stirred up, is it any good?

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AMGAffalterbach

They definitely have something to compete with the S4 now, like this car and platform a lot. Not too crazy about them using the AMG nameplate but at least it's not badged as a Mercedes-AMG.

topsider

why does this car not have the sport steering wheel? he even said it has the "3spoke flat bottom ..."

Vipershade

That is the whole point of the AMG Sport models

Vipershade

And if you need help reading that note, it says "Commitment: The AMG Sport Models are true family members from Affalterbach."

Jurzeykid

I test drove the 450 and I couldn't fully feel the difference between that and my 400, other then the $15,000 price difference with all options. Its nice but its just like going from an iphone 6 to a 6s, a few differences that make it cooler then the previous but nothing dramatic.

I would just go for the c63 and be a real amg owner. Will be heading that way after my 400

Vipershade

$48,590 vs. $50,800... not having the SUV (45% / 55%) torque split is worth $2200. (I don't think this thread was meant for disgruntled 400 owners).

AMGAffalterbach

I'm well aware... I'm talking about the level of differentiation in the naming scheme. M vs M Sport, same level of differentiation, but it will probably take a little while longer for people that don't know as much about Mercedes and AMG products/branding to start recognizing the difference between a true AMG and an AMG Sport, if AMG Sport package cars are any indication of how people market the difference on things like Craigslist ads.

AMGAffalterbach

Also, why are you being such a condescending a**hole? Are you hurt that people are expressing their opinions about the car you own? Lol.

Strafe1

Vipershade wants to believe he has a full on AMG by the way he just SNAPS at other posters....he somehow takes it personally. Mercedes marketing is working to get customers like him. He's condescending because he has poor manners and belittling other people and their ideas elevates his, in his own mind. Ignore children when they misbehave...especially if they aren't yours!

AMGAffalterbach

buuut Strafe1, I feel that was quite accurate and an eloquent way to put it, precisely what I was thinking when he was making disparaging comments to a C400 owner as a C450 owner. Personally, I like that most people in this community appreciate all cars. To be honest, I would love to own either, new Mercedes have a certain quality to their fit and finish now that they lacked in the 2000s. Oh well, lesson learned, will not engage in the future

Back on topic the 3.0 V6 TT in the C450 AMG is the M276 DELA 30 engine right?

Vipershade

Sorry to hurt your feeling Nancy... No, I just like to point out fact-less information.

kuba.95

It's what it was supposed to be. A competitor to Bmw's M sport line, and Audi's S line. It's a good car but it isn't anywhere near as special as the real deal AMG, M, and RS cars. Also just like the M sport line, and the S line it's marketed to be close to the performance models (when it's not) to sell higher volumes of the car, and get more potential buyers since they'll believe/claim that they're driving the performance vehicle of each brand when they're not. It's simple marketing and people will always fall for it.

AMGAffalterbach

Agreed. Which, for buyers my age it's nice to have that more affordable option, I think the main criticism comes from how much they want to dilute the AMG brand image with more mainstream cars. Either way, I think they're great pieces of engineering, but - as you said - nowhere near close to an AMG contemporary when it comes down to the power levels and details. It's an interesting tuning option though for sure.

kuba.95

Yup. Brands will always be built to be exclusive at first. Then once there's tons of interest in them; they'll always be diluted through marketing since $ and selling large quantities always come first.

Ya I don't see any hate really for the C450 as a car. it's a good car which stands up and maybe even defeats it's competitors. The only critique to the car is the fact that the marketing gurus are marketing it as an "AMG" when it really isn't one, which fools owners, or makes some of them use that name to try, and make it seem like they own a better/more expensive car even though they own an amazing car already. In my opinion they should have just called it a C450 (not even having the AMG sport stuff) and just added "Tuned by AMG" in the marketing stuff to keep both sides happy.

The C450 has me interested as well. Not in a purchasing way, but just to see how it drives. Either way. All of this stuff doesn't bother me at all since at the end of the day I'm driving a C63S with all of it's magical AMG qualities that put a smile on my face every day.

AMGAffalterbach

I see that with more than just car brands as you insinuated, look at luxury designer brands - now every rapper and every young person wants to be a part of that brand identify and it ultimately dilutes the value of the brand. I agree with your premise and that was my original point, even M Sport has more of an identity as a package option than a full line of cars. I'm just curious to see how the C450 AMG compares to the S4/335i M Sport competition, initial predictions/impressions seem to be really positive in that regard.

I'm jealous of that M177 you get to live with, what a glorious car and engine platform. Any plans for mods or is the stock form potent enough for you?

kuba.95

I think that it'll beat the current gen S4/335I M sport. Not too sure about the next gen ones which are coming out fairly soon though.

I'm getting a secondary cat delete done next month. Sometime in December I'm planning on getting a K&N filter. After that probably sometime next spring/summer I'll get a electronic cut out (Car comes stock with small ones already but I plan on getting nice aftermarket ones lol).

As for the power... I don't plan on getting any more power until I have wider tires (don't plan on purchasing new ones until these ones are wrecked) since the car already has tons of wheel spin. If the wider tires give the car quite a bit better grip then I can see it easily being a car which does 0-100 in 3.5 or so seconds. Can't imagine the times it'd get with wider tires and a tune since a simple tune adds 100+ hp and 100+ torque to the car.

Vipershade

I think the AMG Sport model vs. AMG Performance model discussion is comical. The people that dub themselves as true AMG'ers are always going to take offense to the AMG Sport models. If you eliminate interior, suspension, steering, and driving programs which have all been lifted from the performance model, the engine and transmission become the main differentiators. Once AMG Sport models start appearing with larger engines (like an E500 V8 AMG Sport model), the performance numbers are going to further grey (more than the current V6/V8 disparity). For now, listening to how different the current models are, is very entertaining.

oldman&theC

Where are you getting a $15000 price difference? I priced a C400 when they first came out and the list price was $56450 with the equipment I specified.I decided to wait for the C450 when I heard it was coming.I purchased a C450 with the same packages except the C450 came with the addition of a backup camera.The list price for the C450 was $57770.If I subtract the $460 from the backup camera the C450 price is $57310.This is only a diff of $860.

I also drove the C400 and my impression is thst the C450 is so much better to drive that it feels like a different car.

inhartwetrust

In all reality, 95% of the population has no idea what a true AMG is. If I tell most people, I own an AMG C-Class (being the C63), in their heads they will immediately assume I own a $35-40K car.

kuba.95

Suspension isn't fully the same as the C63's. It only has some parts from it not all. Same as the driving programs because I believe the C450 is missing a full on race mode, and launch control which the C63S has. Exhaust isn't the same, it's only a AMG tuned exhaust. Braking isn't the same. Interior isn't fully the same. Steering isn't fully the same I believe as well. Exterior is different also which will be far more noticeable with the newer AMG's since AMG finally decided to make them look far more badass starting with the new C205 C63. The performance numbers won't grey too much because Mercedes isn't stupid enough to let the AMG sport models get too close to the AMG's. So all in all your car isn't an AMG. Be glad of what you own instead of trying to make it something that it's not since the C450 an amazing vehicle in it's own rights, and it competes with some amazing vehicles such as the BMW 335 (Soon to be 340) and the Audi S4.

kuba.95

True enough since most of the population doesn't know anything about cars, or they don't care about cars. But when you drive by them with a C63 or another AMG, I've noticed that at times they still turn their heads etc to check the cars out.

Vipershade

Let's start with the easy one... what do you think is different about the interior? The C63 interior is identical, and the S gains a colored stripe at 12 o'clock.

kuba.95

Gauge Cluster is different. The door panels. Centre console. One has an AMG badge the other doesn't.

Vipershade

Yep, a different color gauge and a badge on the center console.