As the title says, I currently have a '13 W204 C63. Have had it since August of 2013. Lease is up in August. I don't want to let the W204 go, but it's time.

Have considered all sorts of replacement options. As someone that had several modified, turbocharged BMWs before getting my C63, I was blown away by the C43's performance. With the Performance Exhaust, the car sounds special. It's entirely different than a NA V8, but it's still special.

I'm 90% committed toward picking up the C43 this week. But, before I do, I wanted to see if there was anyone on here that has gone from a W204 C63 to a W205 C43?

If so, are you happy? Thanks in advance.

I fully believe the C43 is not a W205 C63 "Light." With the 4MATIC AWD, it is an entirely different driving experience and those comparisons are pointless and unfair to both cars.

 

It sounds like you know what you are getting yourself into. Only advice is to consider a 2019 variant (coming in with a facelift).
I think the w204 will always have a place, it's special.

 

 

Assume you are releasing the '18? As long as you are getting a good deal, would get the '18 now
Have the '18 coupe with PE and love it. Quick, loud and looks great!

 

Yes sir, it will be an '18. Made the first payment yesterday. Just waiting to take delivery at this point.

The PE is an incredible option. Love it. Congrats on the coupe; they're very sharp!

I debated waiting for the '19 but I've leased so many cars at this point, I remembered that there is always something newer/better coming out, irrespective of when you pull the trigger.

 

 

@Zibby43: The C43 is a great overall car due to the AWD. But honestly man, you are really going to miss that 204 63 power. Any reason the W205 C63s wasn't the go to for replacement? Even with these cars tuned paired with down pipes they are still not faster or as fast as a W205 63s stock. The AWD helps from the dig but that's about it. A V7 tuned 204 63 with headers vs a EC Tuned/AMR Tuned/OE Tuned/ or JB4 Tuned W205 C43 with down pipes will hand it to us from a roll since the 63 would spin off the line. I personally never owned a W204 63 but i have driven in them and my C43 is nothing compared to that V8. Just my 0.02.

 

 

Thanks for the reply! I had a good 5-year run with the W204. Never gave me any problems whatsoever. Oil changes and tire swaps only. Only reason I'm letting it go is because the lease is up (I even extended it), and it is out of warranty. If I kept it another 6 months or so, I'd be staring at a very expensive brake job.

I did a few decent pulls from a dead stop in the C43 I'm picking up tomorrow (Friday) and was shocked by how quick it felt off the line. The car pulls hard and grips. The W204 and the C43 are two entirely different beasts . . . but they're both beasts in my book.

Very good question. Test drove the base W205 and the S multiple times. Loved them both.

I was recently engaged, and I will be giving my second car to my fiancee. I always put winter tires on my W204 C63 and drove it year-round, but now that I will be in situation in which I will only have access to 1 car, I have to be prepared for the absolute worst of conditions.

Out of all the cars I considered (Audi, BMW, etc.), the C43 had the best collection of attributes, hands down: a performance-oriented AWD system (thanks to that 31/69 split), ample power, great sound with the PE, and a class-leading interior.

During my research phase, I saw a video review of the C43 from a guy that has a fleet of new AMG vehicles. He made a good point in that you really can't compare the C63/C63 S with the C43 because they're entirely different driving experiences due to the C43's AWD. Coming from a W204, which is hilariously under-tired from the factory (wheelspin galore . . . which is fun, I must admit), the C43's performance is very, very usable.

He also said that if he was forced to have 1 car for the region he lived in, the C43 could very well be the winner. Pretty high praise considering his stable.

 

Everyone knows RokenR haha, people know him by name around here. And he is absolutely right. Can't compare C43 to C63s, you need to think of it as a child of E63s, because the characteristics are much more similar. I personally have had the C43 for 2 years now, and the last 2 years have been the best time of life because of this car. I eventually do want to move to the C63s which you can't deny is way more theatrical. I also wanted the C63s for the looks. I do not think the C43 is wide enough to have a real road presence, which the C63s does. Also a V8 is a V8, can't beat the rumbles of an unbalanced crankshaft.

 

They can hit those times consistently due to the AWD system. Taking a RWD to the track with that power is completely different (i know from personal experience)

Take a look at the times below in this link: Headers and tune with 18" DR hit 11.1 @ 125. No C43 out there with downpipes and tune is hitting that, at least not anytime soon.

https://mbworld.org/forums/c63-amg-w...ml#post4629899

Not trying to make this a debate by no means but had to prove my point as well

 

No replacement for displacement haha. But Shaz, 18" tires are kind of a cheat. None of us are doing that **** to gain ET.

 

To me, since I never track my cars, the 0-60 times are the most significant consideration. R/T mag clocked the C63 only 0.2 seconds faster then the C43 nil to 60mph.

 

rokenr! Exactly! I enjoy his content. And his car collection lol. Completely agree. My policy is to drive a car before I make any conclusions about it. Sure, I'll have assumptions and preconceptions going into the drive, but those either get blown out the window or confirmed after a few decent stints.

Glad to hear you are still enjoying your C43. It is an absolute stunner!

Oh, I believe it.

Line up my W204 C63 against my incoming C43 for 10 short races to 60 mph from a dig and even in perfect conditions, I'm putting my money on the C43 to take 6 out of 10, at least. 60-120 is another story though. But I'm not using that section of the power band on a daily basis.

 

Exactly! And low speed pulls are a lot more fun with the C43 because of the tighter gearing of the 9G tranny. Mercedes used the extra 2 gears to make the first few gears shorter. That means more gear changes from 0 to 100kmph for example. Which also means more bangs and pops. You will love this car for it. The C43 with PE has a soul. I love this car to death. Would really hurt to let this car go when it is time to upgrade.

 

How is it though from 60mph to 120mph? I'm curious because I get on and off freeways quite a bit. 0-60 in the C43 is plenty fast no doubt, but I don't hear much about from 45mph to 80mph or faster. Thanks!