EVERY now and then, the kind folks at Mercedes-Benz Malaysia collect their most powerful, high-performance cars and hand over the keys to us, the motoring press.
This year was no exception, and earlier this week, we gathered in a parking lot in Desa Parkcity, Kuala Lumpur, where millions of ringgit worth of machinery from Stuttgart and Affalterbach waited patiently to be flogged with little mercy, in the name of science.
My drive started in the AMG C63 S Coupe. What a way to start the drive.
With a handcrafted AMG 4.0L V8 biturbo engine and 503hp, and under the bonnet, the C63 S is a fire-breathing monster of a car.
Unfortunately, my co-driver and I immediately got caught in heavy traffic the moment we entered Route 54, heading to Sungai Buloh.
The crawl lasted all the way to the toll plaza, and we could not help but grin as we overtook our colleagues in the AMG GT S, inching their way carefully through traffic.
This was definitely not the way to spend time in such a sports car.
After the toll plaza, however, traffic gradually eased up, and I could finally floor the throttle of the C63 S.
The C63 S coupe was launched late last year at the Sepang International Circuit.
I took it for a short drive around the track, where we first sampled its vicious acceleration and sharp, precise handling.
On the North-South Expressway (NSE), the C63 S is a joy to drive.
Leave it in Comfort mode, turn on the cruise control and the C63 S is a docile beast. In fact, even in city traffic it feels just like any Mercedes-Benz from the C-Class range.
The moment you shift the car to Sports mode and stomp on the throttle though, the deceptive veneer of civility quickly evaporates.
The mean, capable manner of the beast is thus revealed, and it’s truly astounding how the monstrous coupe devours the tarmac.
Bred for the Autobahns, the C63 S makes short work of our own little NSE with R&R’s and exits disappearing in the rear view mirror as it cruises at speed.
In-gear acceleration is ferocious. There is no need to touch the gear paddles on the steering wheel.
From a standstill, the C63 S accelerates to 100kph in 3.9s. But what is even more impressive is the way the turbocharged engine delivers in an even swathe of power that makes driving the coupe a less than terrifying affair. Modulate the throttle through one of those long corners on the NSE and you can easily keep the chassis settled at tremendous speeds without ever touching the brakes.
What you do have to take care of though, is the differential speed between you and the car in front of you. Unlike on the Autobahn, Malaysian drivers are notorious for hogging the right lane while driving slowly, and coming up to a car doing 90kph on the right hand side in a casually cruising C63 S is like coming to a stalled lorry on the left lane. The difference in speed is jarring.
GOING TOPLESS
Having briefly sampled the C63 S, we hopped into a C300 convertible at a lay-by, swapping the C63 S with our colleagues from Berita Harian and Harian Metro.
The difference in performance was immediately apparent. With 241hp under the bonnet, the convertible had less than half the power of the coupe. The 2.0L turbocharged four-pot feels sluggish in comparison, delivering its power in a much more docile manner. What was most surprising was the handling. Despite this being a ragtop, the cabriolet handles well at high speeds, with the chassis feeling very rigid. With the top up, we managed to keep the C63 S in sight, although it eventually pulled away as traffic started to clear up further north.
Before making a turn into Tapah, Perak, we managed to pull the top down. The mechanism is quite impressive, and apparently works up to 50kph, folding up in less than 20s.
THE BEAST AND THE MOUNTAIN
At the Tapah exit, we swapped back to the C63 S for a quick dash up Cameron Highlands.
Cameron Highlands is my hometown, and having been up there before in another AMG, the GLA45, I was at first apprehensive because the Tapah route is riddled with potholes and rough tarmac, and the new AMGs have suspensions that are rather harsh. The ride in the GLA45 for example, was simply jarring with its 19-inch rims and the low profile tyres and sports suspension working hard to absorb the roads.
The C63 S though, seemed to handle the roads better.
In fact, barely a few kilometres into the tight corners, we had the C63 S singing along, overtaking slow cars on a whim with each pump of the throttle.
Despite weighing in at 1.85 tonnes, it was simply incredible how the C63 S carved its way along the tight corners, seemingly turning on a dime. The steering is simply one of the sharpest, most precise setups that we have driven.
The 60km or so from Tapah to Tanah Rata was dispatched in a jiffy.
We arrived at Cameron Highlands Resort for a steamboat lunch. After spending a few hours in Tanah Rata with a photoshoot thrown in for good measure, we proceeded to the Ye Olde Smoke House. It was there that we would start driving the ultimate car in the Dream Car range, the AMG GT S.
CANYON CARVING MONSTER
We startled a few old ladies when we started the GT S’ V8 in the driveway of the smoke house. The GT S idled like a beast and roared with the slightest application of the throttle. You sit low in the GT S. The first thing you realise is how wide the car is, with the driver seat located quite a distance from the passenger.
It was my co-driver’s turn to drive. He quickly got comfortable in the sports seats. By the time we were in Brinchang, the GT S was already tearing through the corners.
The brute acceleration of the GT S simply jolts you into the seat every time the throttle is buried. My co-driver was having a great time, giving a running commentary on the car’s handling and braking. The first few minutes was terrifying because the car took corners so fast and braked so late that it set off alarms in your head. After some time though, you start to realise that it was well within the performance envelope of the car. Having terrified the wits out of me, I smiled broadly when it came my turn to scare the wits out of my co-driver.
The GT S drives beautifully. It is easily ushered even through the tightest bends. Just choose a line and blast through it.
The level of grip of the tyres was immense. Push it through the corners, and despite your mind telling you it will soon give, the car claws itself to the tarmac stubbornly.
Powered by the same power plant as the C63 S, with the same dynamic engine mounts, the GT S also has the same dynamic mounts for the transmission. There is an amazing 650Nm of torque at 1,750rpm, making the beast lurch forward at the slightest provocation. We reached Ipoh feeling like we haven’t had enough. So we snapped back in the direction of Cameron Highlands and did it again.
GRAND TOURING IN OLD IPOH
Having had a night’s rest at the Banjaran Hotspring Retreat, the next morning was spent touring around Ipoh town in a S63 Coupe, which had mysteriously appeared in the driveway sometime that night. Powered by a 5.5-liter twin-turbocharged V-8, the S63 is no doubt one of the most beautiful cars in the Dream Cars range. Large and elegant, it possesses an old school demeanour rarely found today and harkens back to a time when large coupes were the epitome of automotive style.
Lavishly appointed inside, the car we were driving had a white interior which was simply opulent. There is 577hp under the hood, and the car will do 0kph to 100kph in under four seconds. But it has none of the manic aggressiveness of the smaller AMGs.
Instead, it feels long-legged and relaxed, the engine purring underneath the bonnet - the perfect ride to tour old Ipoh town in. Before handing over the keys, we glanced at the windscreen, and was shocked by the roadtax - which came in at a cool RM39233.50 (company owned).
BACK TO THE CITY IN THE SLC
We returned to Kuala Lumpur in the SLC200. After two days driving high-end performance cars, the SLC felt sedate in comparison. With a 2.0 litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine churning out 180hp at 5,500rpm and 300Nm of torque between 1,200 and 4,000 rpm the SLC still has an impressive 0-100 kph time of 6.9 seconds with a 237 kph top speed. The baby in the Dream Car range still performed admirably on the NSE. What was even more impressive was that the boot managed to swallow all our luggage while still having the capability to stow the top away. We arrived in Kuala Lumpur at about 5pm, just in time to get caught in traffic. Nevertheless, the little SLC was a great way to gradually wake up to the real world after a weekend of driving the dream cars.