Long post. . . sorry, but a lot of ground to cover! If you want the Sparknotes version, it is "Coronado Speed Festival is f***ing awesome. The C63 smokes my C32 and new Vettes."

Well, my son and I jumped in my modded C32 and headed over to the Coronado Speed Festival yesterday on a whim. Much to my surprise/delight, the staff not only directs us over to the MBZ VIP "car corral" parking, but we also notice as we are pulling in that MBZ has a (very tight, technical) cone course set up and is allowing free test drives of the C63, E63, and SL63. We also notice that Chevy is present, and has a ZR-1 and a CTS-V coupe open for sitting (no driving). Chevy also had a (sort of lame) cone course set up, and is allowing test drives of new Vette Grand Sports and Camaros (both V6 and V8), but more on that later.

Well, being a long-time C32 owner, I was very curious about the C63. Honestly, I was not sure whether it would be "that much" better than my modded C32. Well, to put it simply, the C63 rocked our worlds (mine and my son's). First of all, the interior and exterior appearance is miles ahead of the C32. Secondly, the handling is in a completely different league. While the 32 is no slouch (especially with 18" wheels and the resultant lower tire profile), the C63 simply clung to the pavement like glue. I pushed it very, very hard around tight turns (my C32 would have spun), and could not get it to break loose. Wow! As far as acceleration, it was about what I expected. . . probably a little faster than my (roughly 420 HP) C32. Criticisms of the C63 were few. . . my son said that he had a "big bump" in the lumbar/thoracic section of his seat back that he said was very uncomfortable (I assume that there is some sort of lumbar adjustment, but I could not find it). The other thing I noticed was that I (6'1"/240) would need to drop about 20 pounds to fit in the seat comfortably. Compared to the "Nebraska flat" seats of my 32, the 63's seats are very bolstered. The only other critique would be that the awesome exhaust note of the 63 is pretty muted with the windows up (I then drove the SL63 (top down), and was able to fully enjoy the music of the 63 motor). I loved the SL63 too (as I should, considering it costs two C63s!)

Well, the most interesting comparison was driving the Corvette Grand Sport immediately thereafter. Put simply, the C63 was a vastly superior car in every way (looks, of course, are subjective). What is the price differential for a similarly-optioned C63 and Vette? Maybe $20K? Unless you love the Vette's looks, or you want a convertible, or that $20K is a deal breaker for you (which would beg the question of whether you should be shopping high-performance in the first place), make sure you drive the 63 before you commit to the Vette.

Last note on the Coronado Speed Festival: They do not really advertise this, but it is really a gigantic car show. There were Ferraris (360s/430s, 612s, 575s, Californias, and vintage), Lambos, Astons, and Porsches galore. If you are a vintage American buff, you would have had to change your shorts many times (Cobras, Vettes, Stangs, Camaros of every vintage).

Also, the drifting show (bunch of POS Japanese cars with like 700-1000 HP each) was awesome. Those guys are freaking nuts! And, of course, the vintage racing was incredible. Best car event that I have ever attended. I will definitely be back next year.

 

That was a good read, I'm glad that you like the C63, as I bought one two months ago. The bump in the seatback, is for the lower lumbar region of your back, and can be adjusted, the controls are on the side of the seatback near the center console, why Mercedes would put them there is beyond me. I would have made more sense to put them, near the door where you would find all seat controls. The C63 sounds even better with the back seats folded down. The exhaust really comes through that way. Did you get a chance to test drive the E63? Would like to know what you thought about it? So have you been bitten by the C63 bug yet? And when are you taking delivery of your C63...LOL?

 

sounds a really interest event. I would be there if I know it last week... definitely next year..

 

I am not in the market for a car just yet, but if I were. . .

I did not drive the E63, as we were running out of time, and my thought was that the C and the SL would be more fun on a small, technical course. Next time.

It really was an awesome event. I forgot to mention that it took place at the North Island Naval Air Station, so there was also the very cool military presence. The SEALs opened the event by parachuting on to the track with one of them having a giant American flag attached to him. The national anthem played in perfect sync, with it finishing just as the SEAL with the flag touched ground. There were jets, amphibs, and a bunch of other weaponry to check out. Pretty much the whole base was incorporated into the racing event. Apparently, this is the only U.S. car racing event which takes place on a military base. It was pretty amazing.

 

I can understand this, as I'm a retired Marine, and have worked with the SEALS in the Mediterranean. Currently we're having a Modern Day Marine Exhibition on all combat equipment i.e vehicles, weapons, gear and equipment. But the C63 is an awesome vehicle, AMG is working on the W205, that's is the successor to the W204 that us supposed to be
released in 2012-2013.