C63 AMG Estate
Discussion
Mine was pretty reliable, but ate tyres and fuel (19mpg) and it wasn’t ideal as an every day car - it’s shouty, loud, struggled with traction, and cabin felt cramped and a bit low-rent. When you’re in the mood and stretch it’s legs it was epic, but really too fast for regular roads tbh as it felt like a one-trick, drag, pony.
Overall I’m glad I owned one, the last really great (affordable) V8 - but wouldn’t go back.
Overall I’m glad I owned one, the last really great (affordable) V8 - but wouldn’t go back.
Yeah, we have owned a W204 C63 estate for the last 3 years which my wife uses as a daily driver. Fuel costs are what most people worry about but the trip is showing 20mpg for the last 1000 miles where here drive to work is only a handful of miles. When I drive it at the weekend it's much less of course!! Ours is in a rare blue colour and has a Quaiffe diff fitted which makes a big difference to the handling and makes it more predictable to drive in the wet.
As an experience to drive it's fairly underwhelming when just pottering around town; it's gearbox is a bit clumsy and in Comfort mode it doesn't anticipate the change of power that well. Ours is the facelift version with the MCT gearbox so much better but still not perfect. Inside it's fairly standard C-class but the real experience is the noise - the standard sound is epic!! When you are pushing on the weight of the car is noticeable but as a straight line machine it's hard to beat!
Reliability wise we haven't had too much issue - we cracked a headlight which was expense but then no more than most cars. We broke a thermostat sensor last year while on a road trip which was a bit fiddly to get to but the parts prices weren't too bad. Tyres last about 10k on the rear which is fairly good compared to other owners.
Happy to answer questions if you have any...
As an experience to drive it's fairly underwhelming when just pottering around town; it's gearbox is a bit clumsy and in Comfort mode it doesn't anticipate the change of power that well. Ours is the facelift version with the MCT gearbox so much better but still not perfect. Inside it's fairly standard C-class but the real experience is the noise - the standard sound is epic!! When you are pushing on the weight of the car is noticeable but as a straight line machine it's hard to beat!
Reliability wise we haven't had too much issue - we cracked a headlight which was expense but then no more than most cars. We broke a thermostat sensor last year while on a road trip which was a bit fiddly to get to but the parts prices weren't too bad. Tyres last about 10k on the rear which is fairly good compared to other owners.
Happy to answer questions if you have any...
Edited by Castor on Thursday 2nd January 12:59
I've had a C63 S204 for just over 2 years now. I bought it from a main dealer so it had the 2 year extended warranty which I've used to sort some electrical gremlins on the SRS airbag module, sticky parking brake, leaking diff seal and the camshaft adjusters. Several thousand pounds worth of work which is mostly the adjusters. Had I not had the warranty I'd have just fixed the plate inside for several hundred pounds instead. Overall, they are reliable with a few known weaknesses similar to pretty much all cars.
250 miles on a tank is possible but you'll either be down to your last few litres or will have had to drive like a saint. I get around 18-20mpg with mixed use that includes motorway cruising around 80mph+, A-road and city with fairly regular use of the power. Go out for a fast drive and you'll easily get 10-15mpg or sit at 70mph on the motorway for miles on end to get 25mpg.
It handles well and doesn't feel like a barge. The seats are excellent and I really like the interior, some parts more than the 205 even, like the dials. You get decent enough traction with PS4S tyres and a torque biasing differential like Quaife or Wavetrac. The factory LSD is rare. Never felt cramped in the cabin, although the boot is a long way off the size of an E or 6 series. It's not loud inside due to good sound insulation and if it's too loud on the outside then it's probably had the exhaust tinkered with.
One of the things I love about it is that it's special all of the time and not just when you're hammering it. the engine sounds delicious at all revs, unlike the Audi 4.2 that only really sings at high revs. The hydraulic steering is another touch point you can enjoy at normal speeds.
The biggest weakness in the driving experience is the gearbox. It shifts very smoothly in Controlled Efficiency but can feel a little lethargic. Sport is a nice compromise as it shifts right up to a high gear when driven sedately but still responds quickly to a prod on the throttle. Sport Plus is only really fun when you're on a banzai run as it's too sensitive to kick down in normal traffic, although the downshift blips are fun. Manual has fast shift speeds like Sport Plus but there is a delay between pulling the paddle and it changing gears so the overall time/feeling can be a bit slow. You get used to it though.
In summary, it's still a C Class so makes a very good everyday car so long as you can live with the fuel consumption. Driven like crazy all the time you can easily need new rear tyres in a few thousand miles but driven as an everyday car with some use of the performance I have been getting 12-15k from a set of Michelins, which are known to wear well.
The ISF has no estate but is an interesting choice. I test drove a B8 RS4 on the same day and it was a no brainer for the C63. The seats lacked support (they weren't the B7 buckets), the steering was lifeless, the engine sounded anodyne below 6krpm and it understeered heavily at modest speed on a roundabout. The C63 was simply more fun more of the time.
250 miles on a tank is possible but you'll either be down to your last few litres or will have had to drive like a saint. I get around 18-20mpg with mixed use that includes motorway cruising around 80mph+, A-road and city with fairly regular use of the power. Go out for a fast drive and you'll easily get 10-15mpg or sit at 70mph on the motorway for miles on end to get 25mpg.
It handles well and doesn't feel like a barge. The seats are excellent and I really like the interior, some parts more than the 205 even, like the dials. You get decent enough traction with PS4S tyres and a torque biasing differential like Quaife or Wavetrac. The factory LSD is rare. Never felt cramped in the cabin, although the boot is a long way off the size of an E or 6 series. It's not loud inside due to good sound insulation and if it's too loud on the outside then it's probably had the exhaust tinkered with.
One of the things I love about it is that it's special all of the time and not just when you're hammering it. the engine sounds delicious at all revs, unlike the Audi 4.2 that only really sings at high revs. The hydraulic steering is another touch point you can enjoy at normal speeds.
The biggest weakness in the driving experience is the gearbox. It shifts very smoothly in Controlled Efficiency but can feel a little lethargic. Sport is a nice compromise as it shifts right up to a high gear when driven sedately but still responds quickly to a prod on the throttle. Sport Plus is only really fun when you're on a banzai run as it's too sensitive to kick down in normal traffic, although the downshift blips are fun. Manual has fast shift speeds like Sport Plus but there is a delay between pulling the paddle and it changing gears so the overall time/feeling can be a bit slow. You get used to it though.
In summary, it's still a C Class so makes a very good everyday car so long as you can live with the fuel consumption. Driven like crazy all the time you can easily need new rear tyres in a few thousand miles but driven as an everyday car with some use of the performance I have been getting 12-15k from a set of Michelins, which are known to wear well.
The ISF has no estate but is an interesting choice. I test drove a B8 RS4 on the same day and it was a no brainer for the C63. The seats lacked support (they weren't the B7 buckets), the steering was lifeless, the engine sounded anodyne below 6krpm and it understeered heavily at modest speed on a roundabout. The C63 was simply more fun more of the time.
Thank you all really helpful insights but also makes choosing very difficult. When we do long journey tend to be evenings so usually cruise at 70 but may be times of a bit faster.
What's room like at the back, I'm 6ft so tend to not have much space behind me in the 2dr ideally would like the person behind me to be able to keep their legs on.
What's the maintenance schedule like? Currently service at 10k but do it myself at a friend's garage to save on costs.
Any key bits to look out for when looking at one?
What's room like at the back, I'm 6ft so tend to not have much space behind me in the 2dr ideally would like the person behind me to be able to keep their legs on.
What's the maintenance schedule like? Currently service at 10k but do it myself at a friend's garage to save on costs.
Any key bits to look out for when looking at one?
bobski1 said:
Thank you all really helpful insights but also makes choosing very difficult. When we do long journey tend to be evenings so usually cruise at 70 but may be times of a bit faster.
What's room like at the back, I'm 6ft so tend to not have much space behind me in the 2dr ideally would like the person behind me to be able to keep their legs on.
What's the maintenance schedule like? Currently service at 10k but do it myself at a friend's garage to save on costs.
Any key bits to look out for when looking at one?
I’ve also owned a C63 estate for a few years. Sold it last year and truly miss it. The engine is just excellent and can be enjoyed all the time, not just when hammering on. What's room like at the back, I'm 6ft so tend to not have much space behind me in the 2dr ideally would like the person behind me to be able to keep their legs on.
What's the maintenance schedule like? Currently service at 10k but do it myself at a friend's garage to save on costs.
Any key bits to look out for when looking at one?
Service intervals were 12.5k, basically minor and major service alternating. Servicing didn’t break the bank like my old Range Rover sport and I was pleasantly surprised.
As for rear leg room. Not great but manageable. I’m 6ft 1in. I have three kids all in a child seat of some sort. We managed just fine. However, the B7 RS4 is utterly useless in the back and the M3 isn’t much better than the B7. The C63 is the most practical by far IMO.
Castor said:
Yeah, we have owned a W204 C63 estate for the last 3 years which my wife uses as a daily driver. Fuel costs are what most people worry about but the trip is showing 20mpg for the last 1000 miles where here drive to work is only a handful of miles. When I drive it at the weekend it's much less of course!! Ours is in a rare blue colour and has a Quaiffe diff fitted which makes a big difference to the handling and makes it more predictable to drive in the wet.
As an experience to drive it's fairly underwhelming when just pottering around town; it's gearbox is a bit clumsy and in Comfort mode it doesn't anticipate the change of power that well. Ours is the facelift version with the MCT gearbox so much better but still not perfect. Inside it's fairly standard C-class but the real experience is the noise - the standard sound is epic!! When you are pushing on the weight of the car is noticeable but as a straight line machine it's hard to beat!
Reliability wise we haven't had too much issue - we cracked a headlight which was expense but then no more than most cars. We broke a thermostat sensor last year while on a road trip which was a bit fiddly to get to but the parts prices weren't too bad. Tyres last about 10k on the rear which is fairly good compared to other owners.
Happy to answer questions if you have any...
I do like that. Perfect.As an experience to drive it's fairly underwhelming when just pottering around town; it's gearbox is a bit clumsy and in Comfort mode it doesn't anticipate the change of power that well. Ours is the facelift version with the MCT gearbox so much better but still not perfect. Inside it's fairly standard C-class but the real experience is the noise - the standard sound is epic!! When you are pushing on the weight of the car is noticeable but as a straight line machine it's hard to beat!
Reliability wise we haven't had too much issue - we cracked a headlight which was expense but then no more than most cars. We broke a thermostat sensor last year while on a road trip which was a bit fiddly to get to but the parts prices weren't too bad. Tyres last about 10k on the rear which is fairly good compared to other owners.
Happy to answer questions if you have any...
Edited by Castor on Thursday 2nd January 12:59
bobski1 said:
Thank you all really helpful insights but also makes choosing very difficult. When we do long journey tend to be evenings so usually cruise at 70 but may be times of a bit faster.
What's room like at the back, I'm 6ft so tend to not have much space behind me in the 2dr ideally would like the person behind me to be able to keep their legs on.
What's the maintenance schedule like? Currently service at 10k but do it myself at a friend's garage to save on costs.
Any key bits to look out for when looking at one?
I am 6ft and I find the rear leg room to be fine, even when I am sat in the back. I thought it would be helpful to share this picture with you of my rear seat with a model 12 year old sat in them!! He's 5ft tall and gave the rear legroom a review of "pretty good actually" - his favourite part of the car is the noise it makes in tunnels and carparks!!What's room like at the back, I'm 6ft so tend to not have much space behind me in the 2dr ideally would like the person behind me to be able to keep their legs on.
What's the maintenance schedule like? Currently service at 10k but do it myself at a friend's garage to save on costs.
Any key bits to look out for when looking at one?
Thank you for the info, all really helpful stuff!
How does the mrs find driving it? I have this worry in the back of my head about if Mrs Bob would be able to handle in wet/bad weather or if say the rear stepped out how would she handle it, one of the reasons for the RS4 being on the list is the 4WD.
C63
Space
Speciality
Noise
Interior
RS4
Audi specialist to look after
4wd
last manual so special in that sense
How does the mrs find driving it? I have this worry in the back of my head about if Mrs Bob would be able to handle in wet/bad weather or if say the rear stepped out how would she handle it, one of the reasons for the RS4 being on the list is the 4WD.
C63
Space
Speciality
Noise
Interior
RS4
Audi specialist to look after
4wd
last manual so special in that sense
darreni said:
Castor said:
Yeah, we have owned a W204 C63 estate for the last 3 years which my wife uses as a daily driver. Fuel costs are what most people worry about but the trip is showing 20mpg for the last 1000 miles where here drive to work is only a handful of miles. When I drive it at the weekend it's much less of course!! Ours is in a rare blue colour and has a Quaiffe diff fitted which makes a big difference to the handling and makes it more predictable to drive in the wet.
As an experience to drive it's fairly underwhelming when just pottering around town; it's gearbox is a bit clumsy and in Comfort mode it doesn't anticipate the change of power that well. Ours is the facelift version with the MCT gearbox so much better but still not perfect. Inside it's fairly standard C-class but the real experience is the noise - the standard sound is epic!! When you are pushing on the weight of the car is noticeable but as a straight line machine it's hard to beat!
Reliability wise we haven't had too much issue - we cracked a headlight which was expense but then no more than most cars. We broke a thermostat sensor last year while on a road trip which was a bit fiddly to get to but the parts prices weren't too bad. Tyres last about 10k on the rear which is fairly good compared to other owners.
Happy to answer questions if you have any...
I do like that. Perfect.As an experience to drive it's fairly underwhelming when just pottering around town; it's gearbox is a bit clumsy and in Comfort mode it doesn't anticipate the change of power that well. Ours is the facelift version with the MCT gearbox so much better but still not perfect. Inside it's fairly standard C-class but the real experience is the noise - the standard sound is epic!! When you are pushing on the weight of the car is noticeable but as a straight line machine it's hard to beat!
Reliability wise we haven't had too much issue - we cracked a headlight which was expense but then no more than most cars. We broke a thermostat sensor last year while on a road trip which was a bit fiddly to get to but the parts prices weren't too bad. Tyres last about 10k on the rear which is fairly good compared to other owners.
Happy to answer questions if you have any...
Edited by Castor on Thursday 2nd January 12:59
bobski1 said:
Thank you for the info, all really helpful stuff!
How does the mrs find driving it? I have this worry in the back of my head about if Mrs Bob would be able to handle in wet/bad weather or if say the rear stepped out how would she handle it, one of the reasons for the RS4 being on the list is the 4WD.
C63
Space
Speciality
Noise
Interior
RS4
Audi specialist to look after
4wd
last manual so special in that sense
We test drove a B7 RS4 before buying the C63. My wife decided the Audi was boring!How does the mrs find driving it? I have this worry in the back of my head about if Mrs Bob would be able to handle in wet/bad weather or if say the rear stepped out how would she handle it, one of the reasons for the RS4 being on the list is the 4WD.
C63
Space
Speciality
Noise
Interior
RS4
Audi specialist to look after
4wd
last manual so special in that sense
It's driven daily by her in all conditions but she did admit recently that it hasn't ever been flat throttle under her driving! In comfort mode it's fairly compliant, yes it feels powerful but if you're sensible it's just fine. She did once get a bit of a slide on coming out of the school in the wet as the gearbox is a little clumsy sometimes - didn't bother her... maybe due to the diff being fitted.
We came from a 4WD Forester STI so she does feel that the car feels less predictable - but as I said, just drive it sensibly and you'll be fine!
juice said:
Bloody love those wheels !
Thanks! They are replicas of the 507 edition wheels but just slightly wider and staggered with a nice rear dish. I think they show off the brakes a bit better than the standard wheels as well as not cracking like the originals are prone to. I have a set of 18" wheels in the garage that are a winter set if the weather gets really bad.
I think next weekend needs to be some test drives of the RS4 & C63.
Seems that both cars have a fairly solid background. Seems a decent amount of estates out there. A few creeping over the 100k mark, worries me a bit as not sure what life they will have had before that, any known weakspots at that age?
Seen a 2008 with 80k or 2011 with 110k, which year is best year to go for, any facelifts or must haves?
Seems that both cars have a fairly solid background. Seems a decent amount of estates out there. A few creeping over the 100k mark, worries me a bit as not sure what life they will have had before that, any known weakspots at that age?
Seen a 2008 with 80k or 2011 with 110k, which year is best year to go for, any facelifts or must haves?
Get a facelift if you can, better gearbox and interior. From mid 2012 the dials screen changed to white/black from a brown colour before and also the indicator stalk was improved (located at quarter to 3 and slimmer instead of fat and 20 to 3, the cruise control stalk swapped places with it).
No headbolt issues on the facelift, but some of the earlier cars were affected.
More likely to have had sensible owners with an estate as they don't appeal to youths.
What's your budget?
No headbolt issues on the facelift, but some of the earlier cars were affected.
More likely to have had sensible owners with an estate as they don't appeal to youths.
What's your budget?
Edited by steve_n on Friday 3rd January 20:27
Original budget was 12 but thinking of pushing it to 15 now given the choice. Found a place which has a saloon C63, E63 state & a RS6 Avant. Will see what the Mrs says about them and how she feels driving them.
The C63 seems to be the favourite for her but that's because it has DAB v the B7 RS4
The RS6 has come into contention just for space as the B7 is a bit small but concerned about the car size and how she'd manage
The C63 seems to be the favourite for her but that's because it has DAB v the B7 RS4
The RS6 has come into contention just for space as the B7 is a bit small but concerned about the car size and how she'd manage
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