- Delivered across Sydney
- Bond and fees shown before you pay
- Never swapped to a lesser car
AMG stopped putting eight cylinders in this car. That single fact is why the C63 S has gone from a fast Mercedes to something people seek out, and why we get asked for it by name more than almost anything else in the fleet.
Check C63 S availability
One in the fleet and it books out early. Tell us your dates and we will confirm before you pay.
Specifications
| Model | Mercedes-AMG C63 S |
|---|---|
| Year | 2017 |
| Engine | 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 |
| Power | 375kW |
| 0-100km/h | 4.0 seconds |
| Drivetrain | Rear-wheel drive |
| Seats | 5 |
| Tier | Performance |
The engine is the reason this car exists. Hand-assembled, twin-turbocharged, and sitting in a
body small enough that the combination has always felt slightly unreasonable. Its replacement has
four cylinders and a hybrid system, which is a fine engineering answer and not the same
experience.
What It Is Actually Like in Sydney
It feels bigger than its size
Sit in a C-Class and the numbers do not prepare you. This is a compact saloon that behaves like
something a class or two above it: wide-hipped, planted, and with a bonnet that shudders slightly
on start-up in a way no press release ever mentions.
The width is real, and it is the first thing guests notice in a car park. The track is
noticeably wider than a standard C-Class, so in narrow inner-city lanes and older garages you
place it more deliberately than the badge suggests you should need to.
The noise is the product
It idles like something that should not be legal in a residential street and gets more
theatrical from there. There is a valved exhaust, and the difference between its modes is not
subtle.
Worth planning around. In a quiet street at 6am it will wake people, and there is no discreet
mode that genuinely hides it. If that is a problem for where you are staying, say so and we will
suggest something else; it is a much better conversation to have before the booking than at
seven the following morning.
Four doors change what the weekend can be
This is the argument for the C63 S over anything mid-engined. You can put three friends in it,
you can put luggage in the boot, and you can drive it to dinner without anyone performing a
gymnastic routine to get out. It is a genuinely usable car that happens to have a supercar's
engine.
That usability is also why it is our most common choice for people who want something dramatic
for several days rather than several hours. A Huracán is an event. This is a weekend.
Rear-drive with 375kW asks something of you
On a dry road it is completely composed and the electronics are excellent. In the wet it
demands a gentler right foot than the all-wheel-drive cars in our fleet, and the difference is
larger than the spec sheets imply. This is not a car to be casual with on a greasy Victoria Road
at night.
Things You Should Know Before You Book
It is firm, and that is deliberate
Ride quality is the trade for the way it corners. Sydney's patched surfaces come through more
than they would in the Range Rover. Nobody has ever described this car as restful, and nobody
booked it for that.
Fuel and tyres are real
Twin-turbo V8, premium unleaded, and a heavy right foot is the entire point of the car. Budget
accordingly. It is not expensive by supercar standards and it is not cheap by saloon standards.
It books out early
We run one. It is the most-requested performance car in the fleet by name, and weekends in
spring and summer go weeks ahead. If your dates are fixed, book early rather than hoping.
How It Compares to the Rest of the Fleet
Against the M3 Competition xDrive
The most useful comparison we can offer, because they are the same idea executed in opposite
directions. The M3 is all-wheel drive, quicker in a straight line, quicker still in the wet, and
more forgiving. The C63 S is rear-drive, louder, more physical, and more of an occasion.
Our honest advice: for a first prestige hire, or if your weekend involves rain, take the M3.
If you have driven fast cars before and want the one with the most character, take this.
Against the Mustang
Both are rear-drive V8s and there the similarity stops. The Mustang is naturally aspirated,
cheaper, and more raucous in an uncomplicated way. The C63 S is a considerably more sophisticated
machine with a better chassis, better brakes and four usable doors. You feel the price difference
in every corner.
Against the Huracán
Different tiers, and people do cross-shop them for the same occasion. The Huracán draws
crowds and seats two. The C63 S draws knowing looks and seats four. For a proposal or a shoot,
the Huracán. For three days of actually driving, this.
Living With It for a Weekend
The first hour is the adjustment
Almost everyone drives it cautiously to begin with, and that is the right instinct. The
steering is quicker than most cars, the throttle is sharper and the brakes bite earlier. By the
end of the first proper drive it feels natural, and the car stops being intimidating and starts
being enjoyable.
Drive modes matter more than usual
The gap between the softest and firmest settings is genuinely large: suspension, throttle
response, gearshift speed and exhaust volume all move together. Around town in the softest mode it
is a comfortable, quiet Mercedes. On a good road in the sharpest mode it is a different vehicle
entirely. Use both rather than picking one and leaving it there.
Parking it is the only real chore
The width and the low front end mean steep driveways and older garages need a deliberate
approach. Nothing about it is fragile, but scraping a front splitter is an expensive way to learn
where the car ends. Take the angles slowly and it is a non-issue.
Passengers enjoy it more than they expect
The back seats are properly comfortable for two adults, the ride in the softer modes is
civilised, and the noise from inside is exciting rather than tiring. It is the rare performance car
where the people not driving still want to come along on the second day.
The Drives Worth Booking It For
The Old Road to Mount White
Fast, open corners with good sightlines. This car has the brakes and the body control to enjoy
it properly, which the softer cars in the fleet do not.
Macquarie Pass and Kangaroo Valley
Tighter, steeper and more demanding. Come at it with respect, particularly in the wet, and it
is one of the best pieces of road within reach of Sydney.
Anywhere you want to be heard arriving
Not a road. But it is honestly half the bookings, and there is no point pretending otherwise.
Who Actually Books This One
People who know exactly what the engine is and know it is not coming back. People who want
supercar drama with four doors. And a steady stream of guests who booked something else first,
drove this one afterwards, and now ask for it by name.
The group we steer away from it: anyone hiring their first fast car in winter. Rear-drive,
375kW and a wet Sydney road is a combination that rewards experience, and there is a better
starting point three lines up this page.
Everyone else: book it before the weekend you want disappears. It is the one car in the fleet
where the engine genuinely is not being made any more, and that is not marketing, it is simply
what happened to the model.
If the Mercedes-AMG C63 S is booked
We never move you down a tier. If your dates are taken, these are the performance cars we will offer instead, and we will tell you plainly if none of them is free rather than substituting something lesser on the day.
BMW M3 Competition xDrive
- 390kW
- 3.5s
- AWD
- 5 seats
Quicker than most of the exotics with four doors and a boot. The one that asks you to give up nothing.
Ford Mustang GT
- 347kW
- 4.3s
- RWD
- 5.0 V8
The noise, for a third of the money. Rear-drive and a naturally aspirated V8, which is a combination getting harder to hire every year.
Want all-wheel drive instead?
The M3 Competition xDrive is quicker in the wet and just as usable. If your weekend involves rain or a nervous passenger, it is the better call.
Guide rates, weekday winter pricing. Longer hires taper; the exact total for your dates is shown before you pay.
The bond held on your card equals the excess of the cover you choose. It is a pre-authorisation, released after return.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I collect it?
From Mascot or Parramatta, or delivered. Delivery is arranged when you book and the handover happens wherever the car will actually be kept for the trip, which matters for a car this valuable.
Is it difficult to drive?
Not at normal speeds, and genuinely demanding beyond them. It is rear-wheel drive with a lot of torque, and unlike the all-wheel-drive cars in our fleet it will not quietly cover for a clumsy throttle. Treated sensibly it is docile and comfortable.
What is it like in the wet?
It needs respect. Sydney rain arrives suddenly and the first ten minutes are the worst. The traction and stability systems are excellent and should be left switched on. If your dates look wet and you would rather not think about it, take the M3 xDrive instead.
What licence and age do I need?
A full licence held for the required period, checked in person at handover, every time, including for returning guests. Additional drivers must be listed and meet the same requirements. An unlisted driver voids cover completely.
Is there a security bond?
Yes, and the amount is on your booking before you pay. It is a pre-authorisation held against the card rather than a charge, released after the car is returned.
Is there a kilometre limit?
Yes, stated on the booking before payment, with extra kilometres charged at a set rate rather than estimated afterwards.
Does it really seat five?
Four comfortably, five at a push. It is a compact saloon, so the middle rear seat is a short-trip proposition. The boot is a proper boot and takes a weekend for four.
Can I take it on a track day?
No. Circuit and track use is not permitted on any of our vehicles under any circumstances, and this is the car we are asked about most often.
Can I take it interstate?
With prior written approval noted on the booking, so the kilometre allowance and roadside cover are set correctly.
Will it clear my driveway?
Usually, with care. The front end sits low and the approach angle is the tightest of any car in our performance tier, so a steep driveway wants a slow diagonal rather than a straight run. If you know your driveway is difficult, tell us at booking and we can arrange the handover somewhere flat instead.
Is it a good wedding car?
It can be, and it is not the obvious choice. It seats four comfortably, looks purposeful in photographs and sounds like an entrance. What it does not have is the roomy back seat and easy access of the G-Wagon, which matters if somebody is getting out in formalwear. For the couple it is excellent; for a bridal party it is the wrong shape.
How does it compare on running cost to the supercars?
Considerably cheaper, and that is the quiet reason people book it for longer trips. Fuel, tyres and the bond are all meaningfully below what a mid-engined car costs, while the experience is closer than the price gap suggests.