Skip to main content

Mercedes-Benz C450 AMG 4MATIC

In the vast space that exists in the Mercedes-Benz C-class lineup between the entry C300 and the balls-to-the-wall 2015 Mercedes-AMG C63, Mercedes-Benz currently offers the C400. Nice as that car is, though, one jack-of-all-trades model isn’t really suitable for spanning the divide, so Mercedes is bringing in reinforcements. Luxury-leaning, green-minded customers, for example, soon will have the option of the C350e plug-in hybrid. And folks who might otherwise be attracted to the Audi S4 and the BMW 335i xDrive will be mightily tempted by the car here, the 2016 C450 AMG 4MATIC. (Once the C450 arrives, in fact, it will replace the C400 in the lineup.)
As the new kid on the sports-sedan block, the C450 AMG 4MATIC has a lot to prove, and while it may not be a full-on Mercedes-AMG product like the steroidal C63, it contains enough of its big brother’s goodies to earn the AMG badge. It starts with a power boost for Benz’s twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6, from 329 horsepower and 354 lb-ft of torque in the C400 to a solid 362 horses and 384 lb-ft in the C450. Torque distribution for the 4MATIC all-wheel-drive system is fixed at 33 percent front and 67 percent rear. As with its competitors, the C450 AMG offers multiple drive modes (Eco, Comfort, Sport, Sport+, and Individual) that tweak throttle, transmission, suspension, and steering-effort parameters, and the seven-speed automatic is capable of shifting twice as quickly as the similar unit in the C400.

SHOVIN’ IT
Acceleration is forceful, as the power is delivered in a rapid crescendo and with but a whiff of turbo lag. Mercedes conservatively pegs zero to 60 mph at 4.9 seconds—we achieved 4.7 in the C400—and with all four wheels doing the clawing, it stays more glued to the road than the tail-happy, rear-drive C63, especially when rocketing away from tight, bumpy corners at full tilt. As with the C63, Sport and Sport+ downshifts are served up just when you want them with a throttle-blipped exhaust bark once you go for the brakes. All the while, the V-6 sounds incredible, with a lighter, less restrictive exhaust system than the C400 and a delicious crackling pop-pop-pop on overrun that recalls that of the Jaguar F-type V-6. This is a powertrain that encourages you to wring it out. Like, all the time.
Equally impressive is the C450 AMG’s chassis, which received quite a workout on the lumpy, twisting ribbons of asphalt that snake through southern Portugal’s Algarve region. The car rides on a uniquely developed multilink suspension with three-stage electronically adjustable dampers that come straight out of the C63. Whether bombing down smooth, high-speed straights or making quick left-right-left transitions on broken asphalt, the chassis loyally transmits the road’s texture at all four contact patches. Steering response is immediate, with satisfyingly linear buildup of effort and copious feedback tickling the driver’s fingertips. Even on long, winding descents, the brakes (with rotors measuring a robust 14.2 inches up front and 12.5 inches out back) always seemed to have enough power in reserve, with excellent pedal feedback. If there’s a bone to pick, it’s that the stiffest of the three-stage adjustable shock settings can be too brittle.

ALMOST ALL THE AMG, ALL THE TIME
The C450 AMG looks almost exactly like the C63 and has a nearly identical interior, including the must-have optional one-piece racing-style seats. Indeed, from aesthetic and driving-comfort perspectives, at no point did we wish we were in the C63. Plus, as the C450 weighs some 200 pounds less than the C63, it drives smaller and feels nimbler, lending the midlevel car its own charm. One might see it as the spiritual successor to the 2002–2004 C32 AMG, which, when we last tested one, started at $52,120, or roughly where the C450 AMG 4MATIC is likely to fall without considering inflation. And the 349-hp C32 was slower, too.

Popular posts from this blog

McLaren P2 by Rakesh

The McLaren P2 is a concept created by Rakesh Bag , a Student of The Aditya Birla Public School , Veraval , Gujarat from INDIA The styling of the McLaren P2 is more attractive and less clinical than the McLaren P1 , but you can bet your entire worldly possessions on the fact every last millimetre of the bodywork has been extensivley analysed in the windtunnel. The front is unique and original, the way lower part of the bumper flows back into the ‘C’ shaped headlights is inspired. And the P2’s rear end has got to be one of the best in the business. Stunning. “the McLaren P1 and P2 will be the result of 50 years of racing and road car heritage. Twenty years ago we raised the supercar performance bar with the McLaren F1 and our goal with the McLaren P1 and P2 is to redefine it once again.” “Our aim is not necessarily to be the fastest in absolute top speed but to be the quickest and most rewarding series production road car on a circuit,” adds McLaren Automotive Managing Director Anton...

Ferrari Millenio by Marko Petrovic

The Ferrari Millenio designed by Marko Petrovic (27-year-old Serbian designer), is a two-seater supercar concept that features ultra-light weight design with implemented high tech body materials. Inspired from the Ferrari World Park in Abu Dhabi, it features complex back-and-forth body surfaces, textures and materials. Unique about the Ferrari Millenio concept is its body structure made of Buckypaper, a thin sheet made from compressed carbon nanotubes, which is 10 times lighter and over 500 times stronger than steel. The concept feature two electric motors (one for every axle) which can be recharged via solar panels molded around the bodywork or through a traditional power point socket. The Millenio also features multiple LCD-displays throughout the cockpit with the prominent speedometer being the main point of the interior. Have more information about this car than please comment us or email us at roadstrikersIN@gmail.com Thank you

Porsche 913

Forgetting the Panamera, Cayenne and Macan, Porsche offer a pretty well-rounded sports car range. Starting with the Boxster and Cayman, and moving up the multitude of variations of the Porsche 911, all the way up to the 918 Spyder supercar. But there is a HUGE price gap between the top of the range 911 Turbo ($250,000 will all the options ticked), to the 918 Spyder ($800,000). Somewhere in that range Porsche could surely offer something to compete with the likes of Ferrari and Lamborghini. Something like the 913 possibly? Conceived by the fertile mind of Rene Garcia, a professional 3D modeller who has created conceptual vehicles and highly detailed models for some of the biggest movies of the past decade, including the Matrix Trilogy, Transformers, the latest Star Trekthrillers and The Avengers, the Porsche 913 is an exquisitely rendered design in every detail. It has a bit of the 918 Spyder about it, but there’s also a lot of originality to the design. It looks like a Porsche, ...