12 Hours with my C63
09-05-2008, 11:02 AM
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2009 AMG C63
12 Hours with my C63
After a 3-month wait, I picked up my C63 last night. I know it didn’t happen unless I post pics, so I will work on that this weekend.
Below, are my thoughts from 12 hours with the car. Some of these things have not been mentioned on the forum before, so hopefully this will be some interesting new information for readers.
Let’s get this out of the way: it’s fast – sweat through your underwear fast. It simply took my breath away. What’s scary is that I have not really hammered it yet. I’ve driven lots of different cars and was expecting it to be really fast, and I was still surprised how massive the acceleration feels. Also, the sound (like everyone has reported) is visceral. Lots of people turn and look when you go by and it makes it lots of fun to drive.
Surprises
I’m surprised at the good gas mileage so far. Obviously, I am still in the break-in period, so I’m not driving like a jerk, but I’ve driven 60 miles and the fuel indicator shows about 1/16th of the tank empty. I know, this isn’t very scientific, but I expected to get about 240 – 300 miles per tank and I seem to be getting better mileage than that. There's a pretty good chance the tank is sloped, so the indicator will move faster over time, but so far it seems not as bad as I had expected. I'll report on this more after I fill it up a couple of times and have less arbitrary data.
My C63 is black on black. I had never actually seen a black on black C63 before yesterday, but I really like it. I was surprised how distinct it looks from the C300/350. It seems a little longer and has a broader stance than the C300/350 and I think it really sets it apart. I had considered getting a C350 and I am pretty sure I would have been really jealous if I ever came across a C63 in my C350.
I was worried about iPhone 3G integration, but it seems to work really well. I am coming from a 2005 Lexus GX 470 which had terrible iPhone integration. The dealer set up the Bluetooth connection for me before I left. The phone connects to the car quickly and passes information to the navi screen consistently (like caller ID). I have not tried to synch my contacts yet, but I am not hopeful since the dealer warned me that it might not work before I even tried. I was also impressed that the dealer knew how to make the iPod integration work.
The speech command system is really cool and is far less of a novelty than other systems I have used in other cars – it’s actually useful. You can tell the car to dial and then speak the number and it will hear you fairly reliably. I have tried speaking commands at conversation-speed and it picks up what I am saying. If you know a phone number, this seems to be a more convenient way to dial than fumbling with the phone or dialing from the car keypad.
The car smells great. This is kind of a minor feature, but new car smell is completely awesome.
Disappointments/Annoyances
The jury is still out on the seats. I like them, but I am small-ish. I’m 5’ 8” and weigh 165. My chest is 42”. They seats are definitely snug, but I fit in them and like the support they give, especially under my shoulders. My wife is skinny, but has broad shoulders (she’s a swimmer). She HATES the seats. We adjusted them for about 20 minutes and were not really able to make her more comfortable. I think a larger person than either me or my wife might not like the seats or may feel cramped. If you are unsure you should definitely sit in one for at least 30 minutes before you buy it.
The navigation system is byzantine. I had to pull over a couple of times to work it because I was worried about not paying attention to driving. There are a couple of functions I still have not found (how do you determine your range to empty?). Full disclosure: I am not a manual reader – I like to just dive in and figure stuff out. I suppose if I read the manual it might be easier, but it’s certainly not an intuitive system.
There is a really annoying beep that you hear after you start the car, until you put on your seat belt. I can live with this, but it’s annoying.
The turn signal is positioned low, relative to the cruise control. I have flipped the cruise control instead of the turn signal a number of times. This will probably get better with time, but it’s a little weird.
The drive settings always default back to “S.” There may be a way to set the default to a different setting, but in general, if you set the car to “M” or “C” and then turn the car off, it will be back in “S” when you start it up. Again, I can live with this, but it’s a little annoying.
All in all, my C63 is a wonderful car and I am really happy with the purchase. If you have any specific questions, I am happy to try and answer them.
Below, are my thoughts from 12 hours with the car. Some of these things have not been mentioned on the forum before, so hopefully this will be some interesting new information for readers.
Let’s get this out of the way: it’s fast – sweat through your underwear fast. It simply took my breath away. What’s scary is that I have not really hammered it yet. I’ve driven lots of different cars and was expecting it to be really fast, and I was still surprised how massive the acceleration feels. Also, the sound (like everyone has reported) is visceral. Lots of people turn and look when you go by and it makes it lots of fun to drive.
Surprises
I’m surprised at the good gas mileage so far. Obviously, I am still in the break-in period, so I’m not driving like a jerk, but I’ve driven 60 miles and the fuel indicator shows about 1/16th of the tank empty. I know, this isn’t very scientific, but I expected to get about 240 – 300 miles per tank and I seem to be getting better mileage than that. There's a pretty good chance the tank is sloped, so the indicator will move faster over time, but so far it seems not as bad as I had expected. I'll report on this more after I fill it up a couple of times and have less arbitrary data.
My C63 is black on black. I had never actually seen a black on black C63 before yesterday, but I really like it. I was surprised how distinct it looks from the C300/350. It seems a little longer and has a broader stance than the C300/350 and I think it really sets it apart. I had considered getting a C350 and I am pretty sure I would have been really jealous if I ever came across a C63 in my C350.
I was worried about iPhone 3G integration, but it seems to work really well. I am coming from a 2005 Lexus GX 470 which had terrible iPhone integration. The dealer set up the Bluetooth connection for me before I left. The phone connects to the car quickly and passes information to the navi screen consistently (like caller ID). I have not tried to synch my contacts yet, but I am not hopeful since the dealer warned me that it might not work before I even tried. I was also impressed that the dealer knew how to make the iPod integration work.
The speech command system is really cool and is far less of a novelty than other systems I have used in other cars – it’s actually useful. You can tell the car to dial and then speak the number and it will hear you fairly reliably. I have tried speaking commands at conversation-speed and it picks up what I am saying. If you know a phone number, this seems to be a more convenient way to dial than fumbling with the phone or dialing from the car keypad.
The car smells great. This is kind of a minor feature, but new car smell is completely awesome.
Disappointments/Annoyances
The jury is still out on the seats. I like them, but I am small-ish. I’m 5’ 8” and weigh 165. My chest is 42”. They seats are definitely snug, but I fit in them and like the support they give, especially under my shoulders. My wife is skinny, but has broad shoulders (she’s a swimmer). She HATES the seats. We adjusted them for about 20 minutes and were not really able to make her more comfortable. I think a larger person than either me or my wife might not like the seats or may feel cramped. If you are unsure you should definitely sit in one for at least 30 minutes before you buy it.
The navigation system is byzantine. I had to pull over a couple of times to work it because I was worried about not paying attention to driving. There are a couple of functions I still have not found (how do you determine your range to empty?). Full disclosure: I am not a manual reader – I like to just dive in and figure stuff out. I suppose if I read the manual it might be easier, but it’s certainly not an intuitive system.
There is a really annoying beep that you hear after you start the car, until you put on your seat belt. I can live with this, but it’s annoying.
The turn signal is positioned low, relative to the cruise control. I have flipped the cruise control instead of the turn signal a number of times. This will probably get better with time, but it’s a little weird.
The drive settings always default back to “S.” There may be a way to set the default to a different setting, but in general, if you set the car to “M” or “C” and then turn the car off, it will be back in “S” when you start it up. Again, I can live with this, but it’s a little annoying.
All in all, my C63 is a wonderful car and I am really happy with the purchase. If you have any specific questions, I am happy to try and answer them.
09-05-2008, 12:24 PM
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2012 CLS 63 AMG
Congrats on the Black on Black (Mine is too)
I had the same issue with my turn signal vs. the cruise....but about 2 weeks into it now, I dont notice.
The seats took me a little while to get used to, but now I really find them comfortable....I came from an 07 Escalade, so I went from a couch to sport seat
As far as the settings for transmission, mine always starts in Comfort, so I dont know if there is a way to change that or not....
I also am looking to allow functions while driving and have found some great posts here....I just dont have the time to install products, nor know anybody in my area (SC).
Steve
I had the same issue with my turn signal vs. the cruise....but about 2 weeks into it now, I dont notice.
The seats took me a little while to get used to, but now I really find them comfortable....I came from an 07 Escalade, so I went from a couch to sport seat
As far as the settings for transmission, mine always starts in Comfort, so I dont know if there is a way to change that or not....
I also am looking to allow functions while driving and have found some great posts here....I just dont have the time to install products, nor know anybody in my area (SC).
Steve
09-05-2008, 12:46 PM
#3
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Having had our C63 for all of 4 days now, I'm extremely happy with it. Iridium Silver w/ black interior...
I'm 6'6" 245lb and I can adjust the seats to work for me just fine. Perhaps it's the exact combination of height/build that puts the widest portion of your torso into the slimmest portion of the seat.
I believe the transmission always starts in Comfort (C), where it is immediately changed to M or S in our household. It will always revert to C after you turn the car off as it is the starting mode. I'm sure there will be a flash to change that at some point...
The navigation gets much easier once you've played with it a bit. The feature I wish was in there is the listing of city/state or address next to each result from a name search... it will give you (for example) just 100 listings of
( ! Y ) Sonic
(that's the restaurant dinner plate knife and fork as best I could reproduce them)
It should be:
( ! Y ) Sonic -- Tracy, CA
( ! Y ) Sonic -- Marysville, CA
...
...
I'm sure that will come with a nav update in the future also. The HDD navigation is great, much better than loading from DVD every time it searches for data.
I'm 6'6" 245lb and I can adjust the seats to work for me just fine. Perhaps it's the exact combination of height/build that puts the widest portion of your torso into the slimmest portion of the seat.
I believe the transmission always starts in Comfort (C), where it is immediately changed to M or S in our household. It will always revert to C after you turn the car off as it is the starting mode. I'm sure there will be a flash to change that at some point...
The navigation gets much easier once you've played with it a bit. The feature I wish was in there is the listing of city/state or address next to each result from a name search... it will give you (for example) just 100 listings of
( ! Y ) Sonic
(that's the restaurant dinner plate knife and fork as best I could reproduce them)
It should be:
( ! Y ) Sonic -- Tracy, CA
( ! Y ) Sonic -- Marysville, CA
...
...
I'm sure that will come with a nav update in the future also. The HDD navigation is great, much better than loading from DVD every time it searches for data.
09-05-2008, 01:22 PM
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2002 S430, 2004 Cobra, 2004 Tahoe
The transmission (C/S/M) will start up in whichever mode you left it in from the previous drive. So, if you left it in C mode, then it will start again in C mode, to change it all you have to do is press the button next to the shifter with the C/S/M on it.
09-05-2008, 02:07 PM
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Weird. I tested this again during lunch and mine reverts to "S" everytime I turn it off and turn it back on. Is there a setting or configuration for this somewhere?
09-05-2008, 02:21 PM
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That's close to accurate, the tranny starts on C or S whichever of THOSE modes it was left in. If you switch to M, then mine reverts to S - on start. It won't start in M.
On the miles to empty, use the left controls on the steering wheel to scroll up down till you find it.
NAV - it is what it is. The menus suck, I have finally found the spots that won't let me change things while in motion - fixable with a hack but what really bugs me most about the NAV is that we have high res screens. That is to say there are almost if not exactly twice as many pixels on these displays. The graphics are of a stunning quality - why, WHY for the love of all things holy can't I see street names when I'm zoomed out? You have to be viewing a 2x2 block area to get street names.
Lastly, don't enjoy that new car smell too much! it's caused by the offgassing of new materials and is full of all sorts of toxic chemicals. Google it up! That film you get on the inside of your windshield - yea, that's the new car smell sticking to the glass.
Enjoy your car! Everyone knows that the black on black is fastest
On the miles to empty, use the left controls on the steering wheel to scroll up down till you find it.
NAV - it is what it is. The menus suck, I have finally found the spots that won't let me change things while in motion - fixable with a hack but what really bugs me most about the NAV is that we have high res screens. That is to say there are almost if not exactly twice as many pixels on these displays. The graphics are of a stunning quality - why, WHY for the love of all things holy can't I see street names when I'm zoomed out? You have to be viewing a 2x2 block area to get street names.
Lastly, don't enjoy that new car smell too much! it's caused by the offgassing of new materials and is full of all sorts of toxic chemicals. Google it up! That film you get on the inside of your windshield - yea, that's the new car smell sticking to the glass.
Enjoy your car! Everyone knows that the black on black is fastest
09-05-2008, 02:22 PM
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'08 BMW 650ci
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09-05-2008, 03:04 PM
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2009 AMG C63
That makes sense, since I am starting in "S," switching to "M" and turning the car off only to find it back in "S" when I start it back. I'll test turning it off in "C."
I agree that B on B is the fastest. There is no color to slow it down.
Sadly, the new car smell will be gone soon enough.
I agree that B on B is the fastest. There is no color to slow it down.
Sadly, the new car smell will be gone soon enough.
09-05-2008, 04:46 PM
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I can't tell you how many times I kept hitting that damn cruise control instead of the turn signal. It drove me nuts (but, indeed, not enough to cause me to lose track of the glorious sound spitting out of the quad bazookas sticking out of the *** end!). I stopped hitting it after a week or so. Mine is black/black (pics below). Took delivery back on April 29 here in Atlanta. Love the black on black. This thing really does turn heads. I swear, people really think its a $100k sports sedan or something and they are shocked when I say its only the $60's. Enjoy those quad pipes everyone.
Mike
Mike
09-05-2008, 05:19 PM
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I can't tell you how many times I kept hitting that damn cruise control instead of the turn signal.
Funny i had the same problem with my cruise control stalk for like a week when i first got my C. I was like Homer Simpson constantly going "DUH"
!! Its also like accidently hitting a guy's "stalk" on a crowded dancefloor Oppssssssss 
Funny i had the same problem with my cruise control stalk for like a week when i first got my C. I was like Homer Simpson constantly going "DUH"
!! Its also like accidently hitting a guy's "stalk" on a crowded dancefloor Oppssssssss
09-05-2008, 07:39 PM
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Lotus 7 S4, 09 C63 Palladium with Black leather interior
If you go into "Settings" I am sure you can change whatever transmission mode you want the car to default to. There are also many other default settings in there as well.
It's all in the manual!
It's all in the manual!
09-05-2008, 08:42 PM
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2009 C63 AMG
I kept using the cruise control instead of the turn signal, but at 5 days I got the habit changed.
I love the seats.
I can't believe how many people are talking about S and M modes when AMG says keep it in C mode for the first 1,000 miles...
I love the seats.
I can't believe how many people are talking about S and M modes when AMG says keep it in C mode for the first 1,000 miles...
09-05-2008, 09:24 PM
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AMG didn't say C mode - I think standard W204 said C mode.
No matter, I'm at 1100
That hack... mid city engineering makes a box you plug in to your radio it adds an additional video input, a rear-view camera feed tied to the reverse mode of the tranny as well as allows use of video and GPS while in motion without any interference.
I'll be documenting an install very soon.
P
No matter, I'm at 1100
That hack... mid city engineering makes a box you plug in to your radio it adds an additional video input, a rear-view camera feed tied to the reverse mode of the tranny as well as allows use of video and GPS while in motion without any interference.
I'll be documenting an install very soon.
P
09-05-2008, 09:27 PM
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I babied it for the first 1000 miles and never took it out of C mode or went over 80mph. Didn't want to risk hurting the motor, especially after the shpeel I got from the head AMG mechanic at my dealer at delivery. Figured he must know a thing or two. Man I never did so much unnecessary driving in my life than when I was trying to put 1k on the thing. I gave in at 997 miles and dropped it into S and M modes. Close enough right!
09-05-2008, 09:37 PM
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I'm on day 6 with mine. Ditto on the turn signal and seat belt buzzer.
One thing I can't figure out is how to get the default instrument display to start on MPH instead of the silly trip setting I don't care about. I tried to set the permanent MPH in systems (instead of temp) but the car refuses to let me choose MPH and forces me to KmPH. (Yes I have the car set to US not Metric for the default settings). Anyone know how to fix this?
I wish I knew black was faster. I went with Steel Gray. I guess I'll have to move over to the right lane when I see you coming.
The car is much faster overall than I expected. I've broken the 4,500 rpm rule and 80 mph rule a couple of times by mistake. My car for the last 6 years was a Z06 and this car keeps even me happy in terms of torque.
One thing I can't figure out is how to get the default instrument display to start on MPH instead of the silly trip setting I don't care about. I tried to set the permanent MPH in systems (instead of temp) but the car refuses to let me choose MPH and forces me to KmPH. (Yes I have the car set to US not Metric for the default settings). Anyone know how to fix this?
I wish I knew black was faster. I went with Steel Gray. I guess I'll have to move over to the right lane when I see you coming.
The car is much faster overall than I expected. I've broken the 4,500 rpm rule and 80 mph rule a couple of times by mistake.
My car for the last 6 years was a Z06 and this car keeps even me happy in terms of torque.
09-05-2008, 11:01 PM
#17
Now I don't feel so bad about hitting the wrong stalk for turn signals during the entire test drive. 
As for seats, I'm 6'1" 240 lbs and I think the seats are great - so does my wife who is 5'3" and 120 lbs. They aren't of the same quality as my Porsche sport seats, but it is a sedan.
Orbital - glad to see another Atlantan. If my order ever actually arrives (
) or I find a Palladium car in stock somewhere, we'll have to meet up sometime. BTW - if you're interested in the COMAND unlock for video while driving, RBM has someone they recommend locally. He's an ex-MB tech.
As for seats, I'm 6'1" 240 lbs and I think the seats are great - so does my wife who is 5'3" and 120 lbs. They aren't of the same quality as my Porsche sport seats, but it is a sedan.Orbital - glad to see another Atlantan. If my order ever actually arrives (
) or I find a Palladium car in stock somewhere, we'll have to meet up sometime. BTW - if you're interested in the COMAND unlock for video while driving, RBM has someone they recommend locally. He's an ex-MB tech.
09-06-2008, 03:04 AM
#18
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Originally Posted by OverBudget
I kept using the cruise control instead of the turn signal, but at 5 days I got the habit changed.
I love the seats.
I can't believe how many people are talking about S and M modes when AMG says keep it in C mode for the first 1,000 miles...
I love the seats.
I can't believe how many people are talking about S and M modes when AMG says keep it in C mode for the first 1,000 miles...
There are two distinct schools of thought when it comes to the whole engine break in period. It's either drive it hard right away to seat the piston rings and seals, or baby it to let it gently work the pistons and rings into the cylinder walls and then open it up 300-1200 miles later. Personally, I tend to lean to the "drive it hard" side of the line.
I did notice in the manual it says at 2k bring it in for a diff fluid change to get rid of any shavings/metal in solution or on the magnet in the rear. A fresh top off of fluid and you are off to the races.
09-06-2008, 11:15 PM
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Hopefully, not too off topic - but when I picked up my car, the 'delivery consultant' told me to me to leave the transmission is sport mode for the first 1k miles - that was all fine with me!!
I find it crazy the wide variance in the advice given by dealers - IMHO, as long as you drive it sensibly,and take it in for the 2k service, everything should be sweet!
Btw, my C63 is black on black too - only this evening I heard a guy explain to his girlfriend what an awesome vehicle it was as they walked passed!
I find it crazy the wide variance in the advice given by dealers - IMHO, as long as you drive it sensibly,and take it in for the 2k service, everything should be sweet!
Btw, my C63 is black on black too - only this evening I heard a guy explain to his girlfriend what an awesome vehicle it was as they walked passed!
