It used to be a clear-cut situation: BMW M cars were fast around corners, and Mercedes AMG cars were fast in a straightline. But now the lines - and the curves - are blurred.
BMW also once dominated the luxury high-performance coupe sector with the mighty M3 while Mercedes-Benz kept the mantle of the best-selling high-performance sedan. But once the non-aggression treaty was broken, both German manufacturers jumped into each other's territory.
The result? BMW brought back the M3 sedan and now Mercedes has produced a two-door version of the C63 AMG.
The new Coupe that can go from 0-100km/h in a ballistic 4.3 seconds - faster than the sedan but also faster than the fastest M3, also the coupe, which takes 4.6 seconds.
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Of course it's not all about numbers and acceleration times. We know from the success of the BMW M3 Coupe that there is more to a car than just being the fastest and that the C63 AMG coupe has a lot to prove in the ride and handling department to be a worthy contender for the M.
Before we charge into the coupe, it's important to analyse its sedan sibling. The C63 AMG sedan has always been a manic car; it can be truly brutal in every sense of the word and yet as comfortable as an E-Class saloon all in the space of five minutes.
It has so much power and torque that it's become a hit with tyre salesmen. Then there's the sound emitted from the quad-pipes that is almost deliberately tuned to scare little children and enrage environmentalists. It's like an enraged wolf, hungry to devour its next meal. If you're one of the few lucky C63 sedan owners, you know what we are talking about. It's about as fun as a practical sedan can be.
But the folks at Mercedes-Benz have taken the C63 AMG coupe to a different level. It's more grown up, more skilful and certainly more elegant in its road-hugging behaviour. It also seems to have worked out its differences with the rear tyres. Thankfully, though, it's still just as fun as the sedan.
Our C63 AMG Coupe test car came in obsidian black with AMG 19-inch matt-black alloys ($1980) and the highly recommended Performance Package ($14,900). With 358kW and 600Nm of torque (with the latter option), the 6.2-litre Mercedes-Benz AMG V8 will go down in history as one of the best naturally aspirated eight-cylinder engines of all time (along with the current M3's V8, to be fair). Its effortless power delivery and addictive sound is pure ecstasy in a world regulated by bureaucrats and red tape.
Behind the wheel the C63 is every bit a driver's car. It oozes enormous street presence and drives you in a never-ending pursuit of an open patch of road to unleash its might.
