DRIVEN + VIDEO: The 2014 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG 507 WAGON — Would YOU Have THIS Over An ML63 AMG?

Why is the reviewer biased?

Sorry, I should ask it this way: Why are you calling the reviewer biased?

[Sigh]

Please read closer.

The story is about picking a tarted up wagon vs. a tarted up SUV. As noted at the top, most journos are in LOVE with high-powered wagons and this review is simply a piece about a great car with essentially no actual critique aside from the transmission. The reviewer makes it clear he would have the wagon from the get go AND the summary text even says "The question isn't whether or not a wagon fanatic like Lieberman likes the 507 wagon (he does)..." and he says "...cars don't get much cooler."

AND when he asks about having the ML over the C he says "you know which way I'd vote."

I guess what's unclear is why are you treating this bias as if it's a negative thing? It's no different than any other person's bias towards a certain car type.
And, if he can't find fault with the car, then he can't find fault with the car. It's like you WANT him to dislike this Mercedes for some reason. I've watched plenty of Lieberman's reviews of cars and he's very honest with his opinions.

I don't see any negativity in 00R characterizing Lieberman as biased to the AMG wagon -- he's just stating a fact.

Nonetheless, Lieberman is wrong about a couple of things.

In the video clip, Motor Trend's Jonny Lieberman thinks the new E63 AMG S 4Matic T Modell wagon is the quickest station wagon on the planet... and this C63 Special Edition 507 wagon would be the second quickest.

The RS6 Avant wagon should be able to sprint 3.2 to 3.4 seconds for 0 to 60 mph. The RS6 Avant wagon has been clocked at 3.5 seconds for the 0 to 100 km/h sprint (0 to 62 mph) and 12.1 seconds 0 to 200 km/h (0 to 125 mph) in instrumented tests by the editor of Auto Motor und Sport, the second largest car mag in Germany and Europe. Another German car mag reached a top speed of 313 km/h (195 mph) in an RS6.
http://tinyurl.com/k6s8nwj
http://tinyurl.com/mmbvoyp
http://tinyurl.com/legjxgz

Video clip of 400-metre Drag Race: Audi RS6 Avant wagon vs the new Caterham Seven 485 R.
Caterham claims the 485R sprints in 3.4 seconds for 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEA-I7M83fA

Germany's Sport Auto car mag has hit a top speed of 313 km/h (195 mph) with the RS6. It probably has the optional Dynamic Plus Package that increases the speed limit to 305 km/h (190 mph)... er to 313 km/h.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzYmcP0lVU0

As for the C63 AMG Edition 507, it's top speed is supposed to be limited to 280 km/h so the limiter would probably have kicked in soon after 290 km/h despite Lieberman feeling he could have driven faster had another car not blocked him.

In-car video clip: Mercedes C63 AMG T-Modell wagon with optional Performance Package vs Audi RS4 Avant wagon laptimes at Hockenheim race track laps by Sport Auto car mag's Jens Dralle. Mercedes claims this Performance Package version of the C63 AMG wagon sprints in 4.4 sec to 100 km/h -- while the Special Edition 507 wagon driven by Lieberman sprints in 4.3 seconds to 100 km/h (probbaly faster). The in-car video does show that the interior engine sound is more muted in the C63. The C63 was 0.1 sec faster than the RS4 in this Hockenheim. However, the RS4 was 0.5 second faster than this C63 at the Autozeitung test track.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdis6chkW24

00R: "Is it as precise as an M3, no. But it's not meant to be a track day star as much as it's more of a roadgoing, play thing. Sure it has all those track-specific gadgets but if you buy an AMG for the track you're probably a little goofy."

Or just smart, practical and confident...
...at Hockenheim racetrack (which co-hosts Germany's F1 Grand Prix):
- the BMW M3 coupe's best laptime was 1:14.30. The BMW M3 coupe with Competition Package (yes, that much-hyped Competeition Package) was only slightly better after trying twice: 1:14.20 and 1:14.00.
- Mercedes C63 AMG T Performance Package wagon's laptime was 1:14.20 driven by a goofy driver
- Audi RS4 Avant wagon was 1:14.30 also driven by a goofy driver
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- Audi RS4 Avant wagon was 1:14.30 also driven by a goofy driver
http://fastestlaps.com/tracks/hockenheim_short.html

What kind of 'track star' is the M3 when it can't beat the laptimes of a couple of 'imprecise' station wagons by Mercedes and Audi on a real racetrack? It's disappointing that enthusiasts who should know better about these cars have their heads in the sand when it comes to their illusions about BMW cars. Times have changed.

For sure, the C63 AMG Edition 507 wagon would be faster than the M3 Coupe Competition Package around a track.

Had Audi made an RS4 Avant Plus, it would also faster than the M3 with Competition Package. The regular RS4 Avant wagon is as fast the M3 on the track -- the RS4 Avant was faster than the M3 on two tracks.
http://fastestlaps.com/cars/audi_rs4.html

@Satriani1

You really need to pump the brakes with the novel-esque comments. I appreciate your enthusiasm but you're just overkill.

Second, the only proper numbers comparisons that actually are worth bringing to the table is when the same driver on the same day on the same track sets times. The rest is simply armchair quarterback stuff sitting around arguing about who's faster to 60 by a tenth of a second as if it actually matters.

AND when I mention the C63 not being as precise as an M3 it's because it needs SO much more power and torque to be even close to the M3. Sure you can get the time down but there will be roll and the car will not be nearly as easy to drive at the limit than, say, an M3.

That's what makes the Porsche Cayman SO great. It's EASY and predictable to drive at the limit so you're using it at 10/10ths MORE, which makes you FASTER.

I carefully chose Hockenheim's laptimes because all three laptimes were done by Sport Auto mag drivers. Both the Mercedes C63 wagon (1:14.02) and Audi RS4 wagon (1:14.03) were driven by the same Sport Auto tester. However, the BMW M3 (1:14.03) was driven by Sport Auto's best Hockenheim driver and supercar tester Horst von Saurma (see link): von Saurma drives the same cars for his Supertests slightly faster than the other Sport Auto testers are able to achieve with the same cars for their own smaller tests. In other words, Horst von Saurma could have achieved faster laptimes had he driven these Audi and Mercedes wagons. That's why the laptimes of the M3 sedan, C63 wagon and RS4 wagon are highly credible.
http://tinyurl.com/mbyfw2d

What happened at Hockenheim is validated by what happened at other tracks: in almost all tracks, the M3's laptimes were very close to the two wagons. In one track the RS4 wagon was faster than the M3.

I knew exactly what I was talking about when I cited Hockenheim. So I wasn't doing "simply armchair quarterback stuff" stuff. You were the armchair quarterback jumping to conclusions based on assumptions. In any case, the "same driver on the same day on the same track sets times" does not always result in "proper numbers comparison that actually are worth bringing to the table". Ultimately the driver is the most critical factor in these laptimes. Like in any profession, only a tiny minority of drivers are so highly competent (like Horst von Saurma) that they can consistently get the very best from the different cars that they test-lap on track (while other drivers are better at driving a BMW than a Mercedes or an Audi, and vice versa... or drive their second or third lap worse/better than their first lap with different cars, etc.).

Second, you said "if you buy an AMG for the track you're probably a little goofy." In the case of the C63 wagon, of course it "needs SO much more power and torque to be even close to the M3" -- the C63 is a big, heavy station wagon that needs the power and torque. The C63 is 473 lbs heavier, bigger and 3" longer than the M3 (the C63 wagon is almost the weight of the BMW M5, which has more power and more torque than the C63). Similarly the Porsche Cayman S is 425 lbs lighter than the M3, even though the Porsche has much less power and less torque tha the M3. Even better, the Donkervoort D8 RS06.

A 'sports' car and 'track day star' -- by definition -- should be competitive against its rivals in speed (i.e., it's actually the faster car when it competes against others). Some amateur drivers may enjoy the feeling from being able to drive the easier and more predictable slower M3 to its fastest limits. But bottom line, the slower BMW can only go so fast at its limit (that's why there are so many faster cars than the M3 on every track it laps). The track day star has the ability to sensitively use his steering and gas pedal to capitalize on his car's power and torque. It's not the other c

I don't understand the journos' love for wagons. For the same price, get the freakin' coupe/sedan and make your wife drive the kids in her SUV. Why anybody would compromise their sports car by attempting to combine kids with sports performance is ludicrous. Families with this sort of money have at least 2 cars (often 3), so why compromise on the sports car? One car is the family hauler and the other one more sporty.

Europeans and their love for wagons makes sense if the household only wants ONE car, but upper class Americans have two (or more) so the wagon is an unnecessary compromise.

I would guess that Mercedes gave an all-expenses paid trip/junket (and goodness knows what else) to Jonny Lieberman to give a driving report on the C63 wagon in that area in Germany to help them educate and motivate Americans to buy Mercedes station wagons in the USA. If just a few thousand Americans want to buy any C Class wagon, Mercedes can expand their product line up in the USA and sell more cars.

Some of Lieberman's comments really are questionable. If you watch the in-cabin video clip of Sport Auto's laps of the Mercedes C63 AMG wagon (RWD) and the Audi RS4 wagon (AWD) at Hockenheim, it's obvious the RS4 wagon had more control than the C63 (which was being driven at its limit). The '507' edition wagon that Lieberman drove is simply a special edition (with a more powerful engine) of this same C63 wagon you see in the clip. It's likely that some of the issues with the C63 wagon would be accentuated with a more powerful engine in the 507 edition, regardless of the other refinements that Mercedes makes to the wagon. Surely Lieberman picked up on some of these issues, so why didn't he mention it in his review?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdis6chkW24