I've always been a fan of BMW's M division and its creations as they've been true drivers cars. That was until I drove the AMG C63 a few months ago and was shocked by the type of performance the car was capable of. Even more shocking was the fact that I considered it to be much more fun to drive than the E92 BMW M3 with the manual transmission. So when the opportunity arose to drive a CLK63 Black Series I could not pass it up. I really wanted to see for myself what a true hardcore AMG would be like, especially one with what I consider to be one of the best engines of recent times.
After pressing the start button the engine greets you with a deep roar and settles into a nice burble. The AMG 6.2-liter motor sounds just as good as does in the AMG C63, however, I was expecting it to be a bit louder in the Black Series.
The ride was pretty stiff but wasn't jarring, the benefit of the stiff ride was the absolute lack of body roll. If there was any body roll it was not discernable. That in itself is quite an accomplishment on such a heavy car. On the highway the car tramlined considerably over ruts and pavement imperfections, one of the ruts even caught me a bit off guard...luckily I had a nice grip on the flat-bottomed steering wheel. What added to the enjoyable driving experience were the deeply bolstered seats. The bolsters are electrically adjustable and can really squeeze you in place if you want a racecar style fit. I believe that good visibility and nicely placed and weighted controls are fundamental to a true drivers car and with the Black Series AMG has done a commendable job.
Full throttle acceleration test with the stability control turned on results in a decent amount of burnt rubber and a very squirrely rear end. The same test in the AMG C63 results in the management system cutting the throttle immediately. So it was nice to see that AMG has tuned the stability control to allow a decent amount of wheel slip off the line for a more sportier character befitting the Black Series. The torque is very strong right at throttle tip-in but the 22-lb ft advantage over the C63 is hardly noticeable. It would have been nice to have more torque but I guess 465 lb-ft is nothing to complain about. After hooking up the rear wheels the car takes-off like a rocket and the surge of power is relentless throughout the gears. There wasn't even a hint of squat during the hard launch. The driver is reminded to shift up to the next gear by the LCD display turning red. I hit the rev-limiter a couple times and the crackles and pops from the exhaust were like music to my ears. The brakes were very strong although they lacked a bit in feel. As expected, there was no dive under hard braking. In order to truly appreciate the Black Series you have to take it to the track and properly adjust the remote reservoir coilovers, unfortunately my drive was limited to the road.
Despite the Black Series' gorgeous exterior and a driver focused interior I feel that the AMG C63 offers very similar performance for half the price of the Black Series. The Black Series sure is more exclusive than the C63 but in terms of the bang for the buck the AMG C63 still rules. Ultimately I was a bit dissapointed because I was expecting a car that would be a lot more hardcore then the C63. I guess this is just a testament to what an amazing car the AMG C63 really is. I'm sure things would have been different if I had the chance to test both cars at the track. But you know what? It's all about real world driving performance...and that's precisely why I prefer the C63 over the BMW M3!
