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The car is still running great/strong. No real issues to note...very happy I haven't experienced any of the serious issues I've read about from others (e.g. misfiring, transmission issues, etc.)...knock on wood
My first impressions involve directly comparing against the M4...
The AMG is much "nicer" and luxurious. The materials and interior is definitely better in the AMG. It just feels more high-quality. I LOVE LOVE LOVE that the seats can automatically slide back/forth when getting in/out of the car. It's such a small but nice touch that makes it easy to get in/out of the car. I don't need the steering wheel to go up/down since it's not obtrusive where I position it, but it's still nice to have a power steering wheel. The manual adjustment in the M is not a huge problem but it is kind of weird that a luxury car wouldn't have an automatic one included these days. It was never noticeable to me in photos or in the online configurator, but I was pleasantly surprised to see the red stitching matching my red interior incorporated throughout the dashboard and rear seat areas of the interior. Very beautiful, subtle, yet distinct and nice touch that makes the interior feel even more premium. There are a few questionable material choices I don't understand (such as the sides of the center console, right under the carbon fiber, which feels like cheap plastic), but overall, much nicer materials than in the M.
Build quality is questionable. I think I saw a post from someone else showing how panels don't fit exactly right or line up correctly. This is definitely the case. Although better materials and more luxurious, it just seems slapped together in certain areas, when you look closely. One weird thing I've never had to deal with on other cars is how I have to clean the door sill rim around the door entrances due to excess dirt getting inside the door crevices. It's more noticeable due to my white-colored vehicle, but it's annoying...like it wasn't sealed correctly. Anyone else notice this?
AMG is more visceral compared to the M4. Obviously the engine is the highlight here. It growls and pulls so much more satisfyingly than the M4. It's good to feel torque again, which was sorely missing in the M4.
AMG feels heavier, especially in the corners. The M4 is definitely better balanced and more nimble and you can feel it in everyday driving.
I think the AMG has slightly worse CoD, so it's a little windier with the top down compared to the M. You have to use the AIRCAP when people are in the back to have any chance of a convo, or use the windscreen for just 2 people.
Although more capable, technology-wise, the AMG electronics are more difficult to navigate through and not as intuitive. Slightly annoying to have to take extra steps for things that the M4 did in one. That said, I hate the "car horn honk" feature when locking the vehicle and much prefer the "digital beep" sound of the M. There must be some logic behind it, but it just sounds so not premium with the car horn (and I don't want to turn it off because I need the audible sound to know it's locked).
Small one, but internal storage space: it's so much better in the AMG! The center console feels cavernous compared to the M and the glove box is also huge in comparison. Such small, but simple niceties that make the AMG more livable inside. Also the door pockets are larger in the AMG.
Overall, the AMG is just a more fun and better car to me, in spite of its disadvantages
Some cools things I've noticed/liked:
DISTRONIC is awesome. It was a little disconcerting in the beginning getting used to trusting the car to stop itself (especially at higher speeds), but I've become progressively more comfortable and trusting with it. It is especially awesome in stop-and-go traffic. That's where it shines and is worth its weight in gold. That said, I wish it would start slowing down sooner (like the Tesla's system, for example, which works flawlessly). There are definitely a couple of times where I just couldn't bring myself to allow the car to stop, such as when a car suddenly stops on the highway at high speed. I had to intervene.
CONVERTIBLE SOFT TOP: The soft top is soooo much better than the M4's hard top. As I've said many times in the past, the hard top is a novel idea, maybe looks slightly better when up/closed, but in the real world, it's just not practical (too slow to operate), it adds a lot of weight to the top of the car, and the mechanicals start deteriorating a lot sooner due to moving around so much mass (M4 squeeked a lot later in its lifespan).
SHIFTER STALK: I thought I would hate this Mercedes signature feature, but I actually LOVE it. The center console shifter is such a dated concept, especially when the shifters are all electronic now. They used to HAVE to be in the center console to be able to engage the transmission right underneath, but because electronic now, why not get that bulkiness out of the way (especially when you don't use it that often) and free up valuable space in the center console area? I think it's ingenious. That said, one sorely missing feature now is that I cannot shift in manual mode with anything other than the steering wheel shifters. And because they are mounted to the wheel and not the column, it's annoying when making sharp right turns. Either I have to shift early (before turning) or let the engine rev high and wait to shift when the wheel is back to a more normal position. I used to be able to just use the center console shifter in the M4 for situations like this. A small, but noticeable, discrepancy in the AMG...I do also hate that I always turn on my wife's window wipers in her Audi every time I try to back up though. LOL.
PERFORMANCE SEATS: ever the point of contention among owners, I was on the fence as to whether to get them myself. These seats are simply the best seats I've ever had in a car. They are firm, but not at the expense of comfort. You may have to work to get the position you want/need, but once set, they are VERY comfortable. I love them, how they feel, how they look. VERY happy I chose them, especially since the AIRSCARF feature is included in them now, which work flawlessly, and better than in the M4 (blower is so much stronger).
MAGNO PAINT: Although a hefty cost option, I'm just enamored with the color of this car. It looks incredible at any angle/time of the day and for some reason it seems to look better every day to me (placebo effect?). Very happy I got it. It also helps differentiate me from the C300 convertible owners I see on every street corner haha (although I do know anyone can get this paint technically). On a side note, I wholeheartedly endorse ceramic pro. It has made washing my car SO easy. The tire residue that shows up on my white car is so pronounced and there's so much that builds up over a short time, that I have to wash it often (weekly at least) to keep it looking in tip top shape. Those marks just slide off when I wash the car. It's so nice. Everyone should get ceramic pro coating. It's awesome.
I'm still too lazy to read through the entire manual, as well as do searches in the forums, so I have questions:
Automatic Hi-Beam: I thought you basically keep the light switch in Auto and push the stalk forward to engage it, yet I've never seen it automatically go to Hi-Beam, ever. Is there another step involved I'm missing?
Why isn't auto start/stop disabled in Race mode? I typically only drive the car in this mode but hate having to disable it every time. I thought it was disabled in every mode except for comfort? Is it only in individual mode?
Couple of times when I get into the car, the seat doesn't move forward when I turn on the car (have to press the memory button to get it there). Is this a glitch or did I perform some combination of things that disables it somehow?
What is this button space for (I hate having these covers on buttons in my cars):
I'm sure there is other stuff I'm forgetting to mention...I'll just add as I go.
Overall, very happy with the vehicle. Hopefully, it lasts through my 3YR lease period without drama.
Oh, I wanted to mention, after much searching, I finally ended finding and getting these door lights...I like them a lot! Gives a nice touch to the car at night. Just wish they were a little brighter...
My C63 had the same spotty build quality, panel gaps were inconsistent especially at the rear bumper.
I found the material quality to be inconsistent as well...most areas were nice but some were really cheap. It always felt like the sunroof switch was going to break when I used it. The material quality in the car I had before it and the one I’ve replaced it with are much higher (IMO) and more consistent.
The storage inside the car is nice. My current car has much less interior storage space than the C63.
My C63 had the same spotty build quality, panel gaps were inconsistent especially at the rear bumper.
I found the material quality to be inconsistent as well...most areas were nice but some were really cheap. It always felt like the sunroof switch was going to break when I used it. The material quality in the car I had before it and the one I’ve replaced it with are much higher (IMO) and more consistent.
The storage inside the car is nice. My current car has much less interior storage space than the C63.
Continue to enjoy your car sir!
Agree 100% on inconsistencies. What car did you switch to, @boosteddub69 ?
Agree 100% on inconsistencies. What car did you switch to, @boosteddub69 ?
I bought an Audi S5 Sportback. I considered the RS5 but couldn’t justify the price/performance for a daily driver. I’ve put a JB4 on the S5 and its a very quick street car.
Last edited by boosteddub69; Oct 2, 2019 at 06:48 PM.
There's definitely some inconsistency with material quality. I just discovered that my passenger side Aero pkg side sill is coming off at the front. I have an open case with MB USA about the side sills not being carbon fiber, so I'm trying to decide if I should just make a service appointment to get it fixed, or wait in case they gonna replace them with the carbon fiber version anyway. My fuel door is also a bit misaligned and has a gap at the top. I'm also 3000 miles from the 10,000 miles service and these issues aren't bothering me too much at the moment, so I might just get it all addressed during the 10,000 miles service. Unfortunately, they don't build them as they used to anymore. The skill level, attention to detail etc. is going down everywhere and it's too expensive to build solid products. They get built to be good enough these days and any issues that arise will get addressed under warranty anyway.
I'm still too lazy to read through the entire manual, as well as do searches in the forums, so I have questions:
Automatic Hi-Beam: I thought you basically keep the light switch in Auto and push the stalk forward to engage it, yet I've never seen it automatically go to Hi-Beam, ever. Is there another step involved I'm missing?
Why isn't auto start/stop disabled in Race mode? I typically only drive the car in this mode but hate having to disable it every time. I thought it was disabled in every mode except for comfort? Is it only in individual mode?
Couple of times when I get into the car, the seat doesn't move forward when I turn on the car (have to press the memory button to get it there). Is this a glitch or did I perform some combination of things that disables it somehow?
What is this button space for (I hate having these covers on buttons in my cars):
Agree with you about the dirt on the door sills and having to clean them constantly. Same goes with the trunk sill area.
- Auto Hi-Beam engages if there are no cars directly in front of you (up to a certain distance at least). I have used it on unlit freeway entrance ramps with curves and it works fairly well.
- Auto start/stop light comes up in Sport/Sport+/RACE modes but they don't do anything even if you leave it on that way. Only in Comfort it really turns off the car when you come to a full stop (at traffic lights, etc.).
- Not sure about the memory seats, so far have had no issues with them.
- They have empty filler buttons and fill them up based on the options you spec. Mine doesn't have Distronic and hence I don't have buttons for those and see more blanks than you.
I'm still too lazy to read through the entire manual, as well as do searches in the forums, so I have questions:
Automatic Hi-Beam: I thought you basically keep the light switch in Auto and push the stalk forward to engage it, yet I've never seen it automatically go to Hi-Beam, ever. Is there another step involved I'm missing?
Why isn't auto start/stop disabled in Race mode? I typically only drive the car in this mode but hate having to disable it every time. I thought it was disabled in every mode except for comfort? Is it only in individual mode?
Couple of times when I get into the car, the seat doesn't move forward when I turn on the car (have to press the memory button to get it there). Is this a glitch or did I perform some combination of things that disables it somehow?
What is this button space for (I hate having these covers on buttons in my cars):
I'm sure there is other stuff I'm forgetting to mention...I'll just add as I go.
Overall, very happy with the vehicle. Hopefully, it lasts through my 3YR lease period without drama.
Pretty much agree with all your points. Distronic and the Active Steering Assist are great. They've come in handy on many trips already and dealing with traffic. Don't have much issue trusting the system. It occasionally needs some manual steering input. Once in a while it bounces around a bit like a drunk driver, but in general does a great job. I also love the stalk shift lever. I've gotten so used to it, that on other cars I tend to activate the wipers now. The center console shifters are indeed dated now that most of them are basically just massively oversized switches. It's so quick an convenient to go between R and D when maneuvering the car w/o having to take your hands of the steering wheel. Not sure why they chose to move it back to the center on models like the GT and GT63. The little stump far back on the center console is kinda cumbersome to use.
As for your questions:
Yes, all you have to do is put the headlights in Auto and push the stalk forward. It remembers it between restarts. They only turn on if the camera doesn't see a light source ahead of you from oncoming cars and cars in front of you for a certain distance. Unfortunately, that includes other light sources that it mistakes for headlights as well as your own lights reflecting off something else, but they do work. They kinda do a cool light show. The high beams don't come on at ones. They turn on segment by segment and also turn off segment by segment. I've actually ended up turning them off, because at times they come on briefly between oncoming traffic and I felt like it must seem that I'm flashing my high beams constantly. I generally don't drive in areas where I really need high beams. The low beams are already bright enough to light up the road.
Auto start/stop is only active if the powertrain is in Reduced or Moderate mode, so Comfort and Slippery mode and Individual mode if you use Reduced or Moderate. The green light stays on, though, unless you manually push the button to turn it off for good. And it stays off until you restart the car. I generally turn on the loud mode for the exhaust and turn off auto stop/start right after turning on the engine. Then start out in Comfort and as soon as I hit the highway or an open road I push the drive selector on the steering wheel to activate Individual mode, which I've configured to be essentially S+, but with suspension in Comfort and transmission in M and AMG DYNAMICS in Master. The latter stays in Pro, though, unless I put ESP in Sport Handling mode or turn it off completely. So my Individual mode is a mix of C, S+ and Race essentially.
Not sure about the seats not moving. I have convenience entry/exit turned on as well, but in my case only the steering wheel moves. My seats are apparently already so far back with my driving position that they don't move farther back to ease exit/entry.
Not sure what the button space is reserved for. I don't have the HUD, so I have two spaces left blank.
Last edited by superswiss; Oct 2, 2019 at 09:06 PM.
There's definitely some inconsistency with material quality. I just discovered that my passenger side Aero pkg side sill is coming off at the front. I have an open case with MB USA about the side sills not being carbon fiber, so I'm trying to decide if I should just make a service appointment to get it fixed, or wait in case they gonna replace them with the carbon fiber version anyway. My fuel door is also a bit misaligned and has a gap at the top. I'm also 3000 miles from the 10,000 miles service and these issues aren't bothering me too much at the moment, so I might just get it all addressed during the 10,000 miles service. Unfortunately, they don't build them as they used to anymore. The skill level, attention to detail etc. is going down everywhere and it's too expensive to build solid products. They get built to be good enough these days and any issues that arise will get addressed under warranty anyway.
I gotta say though, comparatively speaking, the M4 had better build quality than the C63. I'm already starting to get some small squeaks when going over bumps; the M took at least a year to get any squeaking. The C63 seems to use nicer and more luxurious materials and configurations, but implements it in a messy way...
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Agree with you about the dirt on the door sills and having to clean them constantly. Same goes with the trunk sill area.
- Auto Hi-Beam engages if there are no cars directly in front of you (up to a certain distance at least). I have used it on unlit freeway entrance ramps with curves and it works fairly well.
- Auto start/stop light comes up in Sport/Sport+/RACE modes but they don't do anything even if you leave it on that way. Only in Comfort it really turns off the car when you come to a full stop (at traffic lights, etc.).
- Not sure about the memory seats, so far have had no issues with them.
- They have empty filler buttons and fill them up based on the options you spec. Mine doesn't have Distronic and hence I don't have buttons for those and see more blanks than you.
Darn. Trunk sill area too? Haven't checked there...
Is the auto hi-beam set correctly for me, by my description? it's literally NEVER turned on, and it seems like I've driven in dark enough areas that it should have. The M4 turned on flawlessly every time.
Auto start/stop...did not know that! I will check it out.
Memory seats, I feel like it happens if I do something too quickly...just not sure what it is.
I have what I thought are all the options that entail buttons...why would they have another button cover? Drives me crazy
Pretty much agree with all your points. Distronic and the Active Steering Assist are great. They've come in handy on many trips already and dealing with traffic. Don't have much issue trusting the system. It occasionally needs some manual steering input. Once in a while it bounces around a bit like a drunk driver, but in general does a great job. I also love the stalk shift lever. I've gotten so used to it, that on other cars I tend to activate the wipers now. The center console shifters are indeed dated now that most of them are basically just massively oversized switches. It's so quick an convenient to go between R and D when maneuvering the car w/o having to take your hands of the steering wheel. Not sure why they chose to move it back to the center on models like the GT and GT63. The little stump far back on the center console is kinda cumbersome to use.
As for your questions:
Yes, all you have to do is put the headlights in Auto and push the stalk forward. It remembers it between restarts. They only turn on if the camera doesn't see a light source ahead of you from oncoming cars and cars in front of you for a certain distance. Unfortunately, that includes other light sources that it mistakes for headlights as well as your own lights reflecting off something else, but they do work. They kinda do a cool light show. The high beams don't come on at ones. They turn on segment by segment and also turn off segment by segment. I've actually ended up turning them off, because at times they come on briefly between oncoming traffic and I felt like it must seem that I'm flashing my high beams constantly. I generally don't drive in areas where I really need high beams. The low beams are already bright enough to light up the road.
I really have to check these out now. It's never turned on for me. I hope they work, haha.
Auto start/stop is only active if the powertrain is in Reduced or Moderate mode, so Comfort and Slippery mode and Individual mode if you use Reduced or Moderate. The green light stays on, though, unless you manually push the button to turn it off for good. And it stays off until you restart the car. I generally turn on the loud mode for the exhaust and turn off auto stop/start right after turning on the engine. Then start out in Comfort and as soon as I hit the highway or an open road I push the drive selector on the steering wheel to activate Individual mode, which I've configured to be essentially S+, but with suspension in Comfort and transmission in M and AMG DYNAMICS in Master. The latter stays in Pro, though, unless I put ESP in Sport Handling mode or turn it off completely. So my Individual mode is a mix of C, S+ and Race essentially.
I always immediately start driving in RACE mode. Haha. I love everything about RACE mode and to me it doesn't feel harsh or unwieldy. The only thing it does which I have to be careful about is it wants to rev all the way to redline anytime I even mildly push it. Haha
Not sure about the seats not moving. I have convenience entry/exit turned on as well, but in my case only the steering wheel moves. My seats are apparently already so far back with my driving position that they don't move farther back to ease exit/entry.
Not sure what the button space is reserved for. I don't have the HUD, so I have two spaces left blank.
I gotta say though, comparatively speaking, the M4 had better build quality than the C63. I'm already starting to get some small squeaks when going over bumps; the M took at least a year to get any squeaking. The C63 seems to use nicer and more luxurious materials and configurations, but implements it in a messy way...
I've gotta say the car actually feels pretty solid at 7200 miles, otherwise. No squeaks and rattles. The only squeak is the very common frameless window weather strip squeak that occurs periodically especially after washing the car, but there are products such as Gummipflege that fix that. I've had this with every car so far that had frameless windows. I'm guessing the cab with the soft top will rattle and creek more due to the less rigid roof. For me it's mainly the switch gear that doesn't feel as solid as I'm used to from Audi. In particular the new additions such as the AMG Drive Unit. It's all plastic and especially the two programmable buttons squeak when pressing them. The whole steering wheel is all plastic and they could have done a better job IMO. The Aero package feels a bit cheaply made, too, especially the front splitter and the side sills. On the other hand, they are the most likely parts to get damaged by scrapping it somewhere, so maybe they are somewhat cheap, so it's not too expensive to replace them if they get banged up. I'll see how MBUSA wants to resolve the carbon side sill issue and if they agree to replace them with carbon parts, maybe they'll be more solid.
I've gotta say the car actually feels pretty solid at 7200 miles, otherwise. No squeaks and rattles. The only squeak is the very common frameless window weather strip squeak that occurs periodically especially after washing the car, but there are products such as Gummipflege that fix that. I've had this with every car so far that had frameless windows. I'm guessing the cab with the soft top will rattle and creek more due to the less rigid roof. For me it's mainly the switch gear that doesn't feel as solid as I'm used to from Audi. In particular the new additions such as the AMG Drive Unit. It's all plastic and especially the two programmable buttons squeak when pressing them. The whole steering wheel is all plastic and they could have done a better job IMO. The Aero package feels a bit cheaply made, too, especially the front splitter and the side sills. On the other hand, they are the most likely parts to get damaged by scrapping it somewhere, so maybe they are somewhat cheap, so it's not too expensive to replace them if they get banged up. I'll see how MBUSA wants to resolve the carbon side sill issue and if they agree to replace them with carbon parts, maybe they'll be more solid.
Yeah, I think the cab effect contributes to the squeakiness. It's not really noticeable at this point, but since I can hear some things if I try at this point, I feel like it can only get worse/more pronounced over time. In any case, I don't really mind it at this point, but just goes to show that build quality is probably questionable all over this car...
Yeah, I think the cab effect contributes to the squeakiness. It's not really noticeable at this point, but since I can hear some things if I try at this point, I feel like it can only get worse/more pronounced over time. In any case, I don't really mind it at this point, but just goes to show that build quality is probably questionable all over this car...
I've found that the creaking/rattling is low to non-existent in Comfort suspension setting. Can you try if that helps? It is there in other settings (for the suspension) with my C63S sedan.
Yeah, I think the cab effect contributes to the squeakiness. It's not really noticeable at this point, but since I can hear some things if I try at this point, I feel like it can only get worse/more pronounced over time. In any case, I don't really mind it at this point, but just goes to show that build quality is probably questionable all over this car...
Was driving the SLC 43 on the track as well and boy did the roof creak and it's a hardtop. Both my driving partner and I commented that we wouldn't wanna own this car. In comparison, we also drove the SL 63 and not a peep from the roof. All the other cars for how hard they were driven, none creaked or rattled.
I'll see how MBUSA wants to resolve the carbon side sill issue and if they agree to replace them with carbon parts, maybe they'll be more solid.
Very curious to see how this resolves for you. If your experience was/is anything like mine, MBUSA is ultimately going to tell you to pound sand. They were adamant that my car had CF sills on it per the spec sheet because that's what the computer was telling them. You and I have the same exterior build so I imagine it will look the same in the computer. Even photographs of the car didn't help change their mind.
I've found that the creaking/rattling is low to non-existent in Comfort suspension setting. Can you try if that helps? It is there in other settings (for the suspension) with my C63S sedan.
Any rare, nearly inaudible squeaks I have seem to come from the windshield area if anything and are only noticeable when I'm going over an uneven surface, like into a parking lot entrance for example. I'll try the comfort settings, but it seems more structural than anything drivetrain related.
Any rare, nearly inaudible squeaks I have seem to come from the windshield area if anything and are only noticeable when I'm going over an uneven surface, like into a parking lot entrance for example. I'll try the comfort settings, but it seems more structural than anything drivetrain related.
Yeah I'm not saying it's drivetrain related, but just wanted to point out that changing the suspension settings is how I have it under control. I know it's not a real fix, but I don't trust the dealer to make any good efforts here to fix either.
What is this button space for (I hate having these covers on buttons in my cars):
Mercedes uses that same panel in the E Class and S Class. Only the AMG E63 and S63/65 fill out the panel completely. On those models the “raise vehicle” (they have air suspension) button and the rear sun blind button go on that panel. On the regular E and S class those buttons are on the center console but in the AMG models those buttons are replaced on the center console with the transmission mode and suspension settings buttons.
Yeah I'm not saying it's drivetrain related, but just wanted to point out that changing the suspension settings is how I have it under control. I know it's not a real fix, but I don't trust the dealer to make any good efforts here to fix either.
Mercedes uses that same panel in the E Class and S Class. Only the AMG E63 and S63/65 fill out the panel completely. On those models the “raise vehicle” (they have air suspension) button and the rear sun blind button go on that panel. On the regular E and S class those buttons are on the center console but in the AMG models those buttons are replaced on the center console with the transmission mode and suspension settings buttons.
Thanks...but that is SO LAME. I hate those button covers. The fact that this is a shared layout is toopid, too. Why would MB do that on their AMG line?
2010 BMW M3, 2010 Lancer Evolution X, Incoming 2020 C63S Coupe
To solve the unevenness of the empty buttons with the functional ones, I just ordered my car without any of the those pesky driver assists and options.
Thanks...but that is SO LAME. I hate those button covers. The fact that this is a shared layout is toopid, too. Why would MB do that on their AMG line?
Because it’s cheaper one panel that will work with multiple models than it is to build unique panels for each model.
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