arian_ma
09-13-2010, 09:25 AM
For everyone who was following the thread, you all know that rage offered up a prize to the first person to guess his new car right. Luckily, I happened to be correct and thought I was going to win a Starbucks gift card or something. A few days later I get a PM from rage informing me that my prize is not a Starbucks card, no...he told me that I would get to drive both his C63 and CLK Black back to back and compare them as a prize. Being a huge Benz fan, and the CLK Black being my favorite car, I was pretty damn excited about it. So finally, after a long wait, I got to test the cars out this weekend.
As we roll up to rage's house, the first thing I see is two flat black Benz's sitting out front. Needless to say, it was an excellent first encounter with the cars. The C63 looks amazing, but the Black is in a whole different league. The wide wheel arches, the stance, those huge wheels, brakes and meety tires, just perfect. As was mentioned in a previous thread, the car's flat black vinyl wrap is different than the typical wrap job. It looks much shinier and overall much better as well.
http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj311/amoarian/IMG00104-20100912-1842.jpg
So we start with the C. Coming from a 1991 SL500 and an S2000, I didn't really know what to expect from a 500hp 4 door sedan. I thought it was going to feel heavy and sluggish in the corners. Turn the car on and immediately you are greeted by the incredible growl of that tuned 6.2L. As I drive the car, I start to realize more and more what these new AMG vehicles are all about. The car is fast. It corners amazingly, sounds incredible, and is all around a very tight car. The suspension is stiff but forgiving, and is pretty much bang on for what I like in a daily driven street car. When I realized that the car weighed 4000+ pounds I was shocked. It definitely felt like it was much closer to the 3000lb mark. After a quick rip in the C63, I was totally amazed, and could not even imagine how much more the black could offer.
So on to the real deal. The Black Series. The interior of this car is unreal. Unlike the European version, this car has comfortable leather seats which hug better than my mom. The steering position is perfect, and the car's controls are heavy yet sensitive at the same time somehow. The first thing that immediately stands out is how loud the car is. The C is loud, but this car is in a whole other league. It can be heard from a long distance away, and when you floor it there are no words that can describe the sound. As everyone says, the back end is out of control. For me, the straight line speed is unbelievable, but rage was commenting on how it is pretty slow in a straight line, he is crazy though. You would often find yourself nearly doubling the speed limit after only seconds of lead footed action. The suspension is hard but manageable. I could easily see myself going on a long trip or daily driving the car (in good weather obviously).
http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj311/amoarian/IMG00105-20100912-1842.jpg
However, none of these things even hold a candle to the car's craziest weapon; the handling. Being 4200lb monster with a 500hp power plant up front and a tail like a dog's, one would think that the car is hard to control. Well, near the limits maybe, but for everyday driving I was flabbergasted at the level of grip and the precision of the steering. Being an ex-S2000 owner, I know a little about good handling vehicles, and this car blows the S2K out of the water. If the C felt like a 3500lb car, the Black felt like it was 3000lb. As soon as you turn the wheel the car is facing exactly where you want to go, with no drama at all. After I finished driving the car, rage took me for a proper rip in it and my God, it was incredible. Even when the back end is stepping out the car is in control and going exactly where you want it. The gear changes are immediate, with each downshift sounding like the engine just poured a liter of gasoline into the exhaust. And the best part about it all is that you are going fast as hell and cornering amazingly, and all the while you have a nice cool breeze blowing at you from the AC, the Nav telling you where to go, and the music blaring through the sick sound system. Jeremy Clarkson said it best: This car is built just for fun.
I'll let rage step in here with a few pictures from the day. Thanks rage for letting me drive your cars, it was truly a car guy's dream to be able to drive one of his favorite cars. Nice to meet a couple of the other beyond big shots as well.
As we roll up to rage's house, the first thing I see is two flat black Benz's sitting out front. Needless to say, it was an excellent first encounter with the cars. The C63 looks amazing, but the Black is in a whole different league. The wide wheel arches, the stance, those huge wheels, brakes and meety tires, just perfect. As was mentioned in a previous thread, the car's flat black vinyl wrap is different than the typical wrap job. It looks much shinier and overall much better as well.
http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj311/amoarian/IMG00104-20100912-1842.jpg
So we start with the C. Coming from a 1991 SL500 and an S2000, I didn't really know what to expect from a 500hp 4 door sedan. I thought it was going to feel heavy and sluggish in the corners. Turn the car on and immediately you are greeted by the incredible growl of that tuned 6.2L. As I drive the car, I start to realize more and more what these new AMG vehicles are all about. The car is fast. It corners amazingly, sounds incredible, and is all around a very tight car. The suspension is stiff but forgiving, and is pretty much bang on for what I like in a daily driven street car. When I realized that the car weighed 4000+ pounds I was shocked. It definitely felt like it was much closer to the 3000lb mark. After a quick rip in the C63, I was totally amazed, and could not even imagine how much more the black could offer.
So on to the real deal. The Black Series. The interior of this car is unreal. Unlike the European version, this car has comfortable leather seats which hug better than my mom. The steering position is perfect, and the car's controls are heavy yet sensitive at the same time somehow. The first thing that immediately stands out is how loud the car is. The C is loud, but this car is in a whole other league. It can be heard from a long distance away, and when you floor it there are no words that can describe the sound. As everyone says, the back end is out of control. For me, the straight line speed is unbelievable, but rage was commenting on how it is pretty slow in a straight line, he is crazy though. You would often find yourself nearly doubling the speed limit after only seconds of lead footed action. The suspension is hard but manageable. I could easily see myself going on a long trip or daily driving the car (in good weather obviously).
http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj311/amoarian/IMG00105-20100912-1842.jpg
However, none of these things even hold a candle to the car's craziest weapon; the handling. Being 4200lb monster with a 500hp power plant up front and a tail like a dog's, one would think that the car is hard to control. Well, near the limits maybe, but for everyday driving I was flabbergasted at the level of grip and the precision of the steering. Being an ex-S2000 owner, I know a little about good handling vehicles, and this car blows the S2K out of the water. If the C felt like a 3500lb car, the Black felt like it was 3000lb. As soon as you turn the wheel the car is facing exactly where you want to go, with no drama at all. After I finished driving the car, rage took me for a proper rip in it and my God, it was incredible. Even when the back end is stepping out the car is in control and going exactly where you want it. The gear changes are immediate, with each downshift sounding like the engine just poured a liter of gasoline into the exhaust. And the best part about it all is that you are going fast as hell and cornering amazingly, and all the while you have a nice cool breeze blowing at you from the AC, the Nav telling you where to go, and the music blaring through the sick sound system. Jeremy Clarkson said it best: This car is built just for fun.
I'll let rage step in here with a few pictures from the day. Thanks rage for letting me drive your cars, it was truly a car guy's dream to be able to drive one of his favorite cars. Nice to meet a couple of the other beyond big shots as well.