SLS-enhanced C 63 AMG Performance Package Plus Coming To America

By Nelson Ireson

Nelson Ireson

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SLS-enhanced Mercedes-Benz C 63 AMG Performance Package Plus

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SLS-enhanced Mercedes-Benz C 63 AMG Performance Package Plus

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The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is an impressive car by any measure, though its looks have certainly proven divisive. The C 63 AMG, on the other hand, has earned fairly widespread acceptance. The latest performance package for the C 63 AMG throws a little SLS into the mix, upping the performance and appearance accordingly. And according to Mercedes-Benz USA, we Americans won't have to simply drool and envy our European friends.

In an email interchange with Edmunds, Mercedes-Benz spokesman Rob Moran wrote, "We'll likely adapt the engine modifications as part of the existing P30 package for the C63. Expect this early next year. Sorry, but a price has not been finalized." That's just fine Rob--we'll gladly wait and see. Pricing won't be cheap, however, as it starts around €7,000, or about $10,500 in Europe. We'd expect similar pricing here--there are some fairly exotic additions included.

While the C 63 AMG might not be as much the driver's car as the Audi RS4 or the BMW M3, it deserves its place in the mid-range super sedan hall of fame for its pure, unadulterated power. And the Performance Package Plus adds 30 horsepower to that heady mix, bringing the total to a whopping 487 horsepower.

So where does the SLS get mixed in? Mercedes-Benz says it comes in the form of the forged pistons inside the 6.3-liter V-8 engine, adopted together with new connecting rods and a lightweight crankshaft that together cut almost 7 pounds of rotating and reciprocating mass from the engine's internals. This makes the engine freer-revving, more willing to spin and helps reduce power lost parasitically. Enhanced engine management helps extract even more power, pushing performance further as well.

The C 63 AMG Performance Package Plus is good for 0-62 mph in just 4.4 seconds, 0-124 mph in 13.9 seconds, though top speed is limited to 155 mph. Still, it beats the regular C 63 AMG by up to 1.2 seconds in the dash to 124 mph. Big carbon ceramic front brakes help turn all that increased performance into quickly-dissipated heat when it's time to slow down.

The engine compartment is dressed up with a titanium grey variable intake manifold, while the interior gets a nappa leather and Alcantara treatment. On the outside, the car gets a carbon fiber trunk lid lip spoiler, reflecting the influence of the C-Class DTM vehicles just as the car's performance potential draws near its racing counterparts.