EVOII_Racer

Ok, I went to the C-Spot Event yesterday in NY. I got about 15 rides around a short racetrack in a C32 AMG which was driven by a pro. After taking 3 rides with different driver, I stick with the second one, this guy was CRAZY and dam he could drive!! He was sliding through every corners and driving this Benz the way it is suppose to be... I must admit that I am EXTREMELY impressed with the C32 and it will be my next everyday car.

So, what is the C32 AMG about?

1. Acceleration is pretty sick, constant and very fast! Under full acceleration, you are stuck on the seats and I loved it! On top of that, the V6 Kompressor sound very sweet but you hear it better from the oustide.

2. The brakes are unreal! This Benz can stop in not time! The driver told me that he experience no brake fading even at the end of the day!! Talking about reliability, the 3 C32 that were there were driven to the limit the entire day and none of them broke down!! Impressive!

3. Body roll? Nearly inexistant! The C32 can take corners VERY very fast and it sticks on the road... When the limit is past, the car seems to be easy to control. Not only its a very fast car but it is also very comfortable, I think this is the best of both worlds. (Comfort / Sport car)

The only thing I can say is this. the C32 =

carl

1. Yes... outside sound alot louder and sweeter, inside is just too quiet for a 350HP car

2. MB's durabilty is true!

3. thanks for the AMG special subframe/suspension setup made with light alloy, and the steering is just impressive... most magazine said the steering is the best.

man good for u... i want some pro to drive my c32 and show me what my cars got... too bad can't find any pro can show me in toronto...

c32-driver

I also went to the C-Spot Drive Party today (at Rye, Playland) and must say that I had a blast! Drove the 320 coupe for the first time and found it to be a very fun car to drive. Didn't really get to push it but the handling is very good. The steering feel actually surprised me. Not as much fun as my C32 but still pretty good. The rides in the C32 were awesome! Great to see what the car can really do. Besides sheer acceleration, they pushed the car a lot farther than I would be capable of (very hard braking, turning, a bit of drifiting, etc). There were a total of 4 C32's running the course (all with Michellin Pilot Sports! I didn't think these tires can handle that well in the wet at those levels). Don't know what kind of driving training they have under their belts but they very well know how to drive these things even under adverse conditions. Parking lot was wet (it had rained in the morning) and had large patches of uneven pavement. For those of you that haven't been to one, I highly recommend it

GDawgC220

yeah, it was awsome when i went last year...those C32 drivers were CRAZY....powersliding the turns was AWSOME.

No doubt about the brakes, but a lot of them had the red display come up saying the brakes were overheated or something like that. There were always a few C32's in the middle pit cooling off :p

Accomplice8

Its nice to know that our practical sedans can impress on a track.

carl

AHHH
is this event only at NY?
once per year?
by MB?

I1 ULOOZ

good to hear!

dewuser

Good to hear about the event!

Don't forget to POST SOME PICS! So for those that can't make it or missed it, get a least a glimpse of what went on.

Thanks

GDawgC220

this is a new program that started last year. They've already done one tour around the U.S.

Locations are around the U.S.

This year, they dropped some locations for some reason...one being boston

www.cspotparty.com

Peench

It was at one of these events here in San Diego that I first learned of the C32. After taking a ride in the thing and having the driver whip that thing around the track I knew I had to have one. I got one a few months later.

The Event is definitely worth checking out if there is going to be one near you. They had loads of other cars and displays for all kinds of things (including refrigerators ). But the food was decent and it was nice to see all the different models. The highlight of the day was definitely that "hot lap," as they called it.

How's that for marketing - had it not been for that event, I wouldn't be driving a C32 today.

FrankW

I wouldn't say it's an amazing sports car, but a great sports sedan indeed.

CynCarvin32

I had a C32 for 24k miles and 2 years so here is my take on your views:

1. Yes the motor is wonderful. It has great power and it does sound great. This is the one think I do miss about the car for at WOT the car would make its presence known!

2. Ok now for the brakes. While they feel great when driven quickly, they DO suffer from severe fade when driving aggressively. I know of 4 C32 owners who all had severe brake fade on local mountain and canyon roads. Had I kept my car I would have purchased a BBK (big brake kit) for at 60% pad life the car lost almost all brake feel and it would fade to a point where stop signs at the bottom of a hill were something to think twice about. Driven in a less aggressive manner the C32 brakes are perfect but running down hill with sports cars will have the C32 brakes smoking and fading.

3. Well I would say the car has a bit of body roll. It is enough to make many performance drives look to coilover kits and sway bars but most AMG owners find the chassis to be exactly to their liking. This is purely a personal preference. Some mods, like RENNtech springs improve chassis dynamics, reduce body roll, and make the car ride SMOOTHER than stock.


My view point is from that of an agressive driver so yes I push the car rather hard. For a driver who will not partake in such driving, the C32 is a wonderful car. I just wanted to share this so you would not be shocked after taking delivery. With a name EVOII I know you are a person who enjoys performance driving!

CynCarvin32

For the record, the W203 AMG does not have any suspension or steering upgrades over a C320 avantgarde (sport in the USA) other than AMG spec springs, shocks and roll bars. This was one place I felt the C32 lacked for a M3, C36 (C43), E50 and other upgraded sports sedans (coupe) had custom bushings, control arms and subframe upgrades to deal with the added stress associated with performance driving. I do not think a C240 and a C32 should have the same alignment specs but AMG failed to increase negative camber or adjust toe when adding roughly 180hp. Now for 2004.5 MB did upgrade the chassis of the W203 sport pack cars and they have an increased front track, lower ride height and quicker steering when compared to a 2004 C32. And 2005 cars are even better!

The subframe, control arms, bushings part numbers are the same for all W203 sedans.

Marko

Glad you had such a blast! I feel the exact same way
about my C32. You're always going to have a few nay sayers, so
don't let that bother you. The C32 rocks!

Kain

You call a C32 AMG a "sports car??" Dude, where are your standards??

oggle

STFU and go re-install your computer again you luddite LOL. You can't even follow simple directions on how to remove a trojan. Wtf you doing with a BMW? You probably have trouble operating a BM... X.

GDawgC220

here we go again

Bilal

Great post, you must have had fun.

I am not a performance obsessed track fan, I drive my cars slowly most of the time (grandma Billy) but what you have said just puts the faith back in AMG. There are magazines ALL around the world ******* the C32 as if were a souped up C320, how the M3 rules and how the S4 is the best V8 car in the world.

Then you come along and say what an impressive car it is! Thank you for that. If you liked the C32, then you'll like the C55 way better, from what I've heard of that car, it must be awesome.

But the point here is, an AMG Mercedes impressed you, and thats all that matters.

CynCarvin32

I will disagree for the C32 IS a spiffed up C320.... end of story. Show me anything that is unique to the car that is not parts bin or a simple upgrade over the OEM C320. I will say there are not many unique changes made to the C32 and that was one of its short comings. Other than the motor and trans computer, the C32 is not that different from a C320 sedan.

Have you ever driven an AMG? If so which ones and what did you think? How hard did you push the car?

Bilal

Well the quality has been slipping, and the recent (some) models don't deserve their pricetags, but on another note, AMG cars are only special to me, because they have Mercedes-Benz virtues built into them. Like comfort, reliability, prestige and their looks. Whetehr I have driven the maybach or a C240 is irrelevant, my views will always be my views, and likewise yours. Nothing I say will change your opinion, and vice versa, so lets leave that.

I don't drive cars hard at all, maybe the odd 0-60 run, what matter to me most is everyday comfort and usability, and while you're wanting those, why not have some exlusivity and power? Thats where AMG shines.

If the C32 is just a souped up C32, then thats a bit disappointing since the quality of the C-class is questionable.

If the 55 models are just souped up S classes or SL's, then I have no problem with that. If I wanted a "sportscar" I'd go elsewhere, the fact that a comfortable and "mere" Mercedes can reliably perform on a track as well as giving top levels of comfort is the biggest achievement IMO.

Zero sacrifice of comfort to go for speed is a lot harder to pull off then simply sticking an AMG V12 to lego car.

MadC32

Today I really felt like really pushing my C32. I went uphills and was really impressed by the torque this car has. Same with the superb brakes.. I feel like I fall again in love each time I drive it.. Thank you AMG!

CynCarvin32

I hope the factory still enjoys driving for a car designed to romp to 60 once in a while clearly is not worhty of the AMG badge (the one from the 1990's). Bilal I think you would enjoy a SL/CL/S600 bi-turbo for those cars are for luxo cruising while the AMG's still have a slight edge in performacne and chassis set-ups.

Dont get me wrong I love AMG cars and will buy more in the future but the reality is that AMG has stopped making unique cars with chassis's matched to the massive motors. I hope the can cut 300lb from the next generation AMG cars and make them something equal to an M Powered BMW. 4200 lb E55k? Thats just to darn massive!

Bilal

Agreed, AMG is making turnarounds, you'll see

I know I should stick to cruisers but that burbling rasp from the SL55, combined with a more aggressive transmission setup and a more tauter but still pliant ride, and not too forget that badge...the AMG's are something special

Don't forget the weight is due to chassis reinforcements to cope with immensely torquey motors (55k's and V12's). The future motors will have less torque and possibly less weight by taking out reinforcements to driveline components. As evidenced in the C55, and the weight of the old E55 vs. BMW M5, the future AMG cars will be a match for BMW in the dynamics department, one day, have faith..

carl

that only AMG cars can deliver us, sorry M and S.

the brakes are SUPRA... was showing some speed to my friends yesterday... how scary their face looked haha and they are impresse with the immediate stop at 100mph deliver by the brakes ...

Carvin... i'm not trying to oppose you, but i thought the C32's suspension is touched up by AMG?
i thought normal C class only have Macpherson in the front while we have doublewishbone like the M3 to its 3 Series and TSX to the Accord. Coz i had c240 AND c230 coupe before, the look in the bottom part can be quite distinctive compared to C32.
If we had doubleishebone in the front, that camber degree are different!

I agreed with you there are some sway on our cars, but i think that's the AMG spirit they want us to have, that's the DTM sport spirit, not hardcord handlig like the M and the S. That is all we want love.

AMG!

CynCarvin32

The W203 AMG has NO changes to suspension geometry over a stock C240. There is no double wishbone W203 in production and if there were, something tells me my C32 would still be in the garage. It has the sam Mac Strut as every otherW203 and go look at the part numbers for the control arms, subframes, and subframe bushings. They are all the same for all W203 sedans.

The camber specs are the same for all W023 sedans and I can send you a copy of the OEM camber specs if you would like. The specs say W203 C240-C32 and they all have ZERO degrees of negative camber stock.

The M3 does not use double wishbones but their suspension has different subframe monts, different body bracing (from the subframe to the chassis and lower control arms) different control arms, different bushings, different springs shocks and sway bars, and totally different geometry and camber over a stock 330ci.

A Mac Strut while cheap can work well and BMW and Porsche have proven this with cars like the E36 M3 and the 996 GT3.