CAR WARS! BMW's All-New M4 vs. Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG — Precision OR Power, Pick YOUR Poison

The BMW M3 vs. Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG debate always went something like this.

If you want precision and care about track time, there's no question you'll want the M3. It's sharper, more precise and better balanced. Pretty easy win, really.

The Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG changed the game though because while it may have been considered more "pig-ish," it's still loved the world over because it is simply a hoot to drive.

So, how is that dynamic NOW that the all-new M4 is out and about? Autocar's Steve Sutcliffe takes a look into the matter and measures up where the BMW and Mercedes stand.


It's the battle of the performance coupes as BMW's new M4 takes on the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG. Can the M4's turbocharged 425bhp six-cylinder petrol engine compare to the 6.2-litre V8 of the C63 AMG? Steve Sutcliffe has the keys to both, and he's about to find out.

cidflekken - 5/15/2014 4:26:25 AM

+2 Boost

I must say I'm a bit surprised by the outcome, but they're both fine cars. But now I've seen the C63 507 beat the RS5 and the new M4.

Car4Life - 5/15/2014 1:42:33 PM

+2 Boost

Right, starting to think the C63 507 has really raised the bar and expectations for the next gen lineup's sport/AMG models.

Well done Benz

skytop - 5/15/2014 10:26:34 AM

+1 Boost

Quirky closed road track with light standards just a few feet off the roadway. Tragedy just waiting to happen.
Good test video. Thanks.

Yonder7 - 5/15/2014 10:45:45 AM

+2 Boost

I just want to see the next C63 coupe...Hopefully will continue the tradition of the current one...more power and less weight

BMWm4 - 5/15/2014 10:52:22 AM

-4 Boost

That wasnt really a comparison. That was just an opinion of a drive around the block so to speak.

cidflekken - 5/15/2014 11:51:46 AM

+6 Boost

LOL. Rationalize much?

Gennissen - 5/16/2014 2:25:12 AM

+3 Boost

Wow, Steve Sutcliffe's opinion no longer matters?

BMWm4 - 5/16/2014 10:56:43 AM

+1 Boost

Not saying that at all. He likes the sound of a V8 more than a turbo-inline 6 cyl. Who doesnt? I like the deep sound of a V8, yet i am not buying a sports car for the exhaust sound. How it handles, drives and performs is much more of factor. He like the C63 due to the sound of the engine. He said that the M4 handles better, is quicker, and has better dynamics.

poot66 - 5/15/2014 12:42:48 PM

+1 Boost

That outcome is alarming considering the age gap in those cars. I just would hate to spend all that money on a C63 when it has one foot out the door. It's crazy with just a little less weight and a better transmission the M4 was quicker. I have noticed though in these newer cars they can be quicker but feel slower and less fun to drive. With these new transmissions, it's like they give your artificial speed.

cidflekken - 5/15/2014 1:14:29 PM

+1 Boost

True, but the reality is that the C63 coupe update probably won't get here for another 2, maybe 3, years.

DTMFan - 5/16/2014 5:18:51 AM

0 Boost

The C-class looks rubbish as a Coupe, so the M4 would be my choice here... though if we were talking about the 4 door versions, I wouldn't be so sure.

scorveyron1 - 5/16/2014 5:21:10 PM

+1 Boost

I found this review pretty annoying "While I know the BMW has to have an engine like this, I'm going to fault it...Well, no, this is not a standard C63, we have to have a special version to compete with the stock M4, but I'll add $8,000 brakes to the M4, then not test braking, to make it more even..." Also, those vents on the C63 look like trash. I'm surprised they didn't include some Buick pearls on the front quarter panel while they were at it.

Oh, did I mention I'm a BMW fanboy?

Yonder7 - 5/18/2014 5:45:29 PM

+1 Boost

I am an MB fan and I disagree with this compare: The M4 is by the numbers the clear winner and thats final. Second the MB is special version but also an old car car (the design, for me is more attractive in and outside) but to deny the tremendous performance that BMW got in this new car is to be biased. Nice big and powerful engine in the MB (which I also prefer over the M4)...but you need to do the compare with next C63, this one is just a subjective compare. Great Job BMW and thanks for rising the bar again.

cidflekken - 5/19/2014 2:10:24 PM

+1 Boost

LOL. Clearly Sudcliffe doesn't agree with you and he's the one driving the two cars. At the end of the day, the conclusion comes down to how each car makes the evaluator feel. And in this case, the evaluator felt the Mercedes was the better car, regardless of any numbers involved. Much the same as the C63 507 was chosen over the RS5 in another publications' evaluation, despite what any of the numbers might suggest.

Touchè for Mercedes for building such a formidable, yet old, performance car.