SL looks for C 63 AMG

Mid-life update for Benz's top-note 'C' introduces brutal new looks and AMG's seven-speed auto box
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Mercedes-Benz has unveiled its refreshed C 63 AMG for 2011. The hot-rod in the W204 C-Class range now features a more aggressive look at the front, courtesy of SL sports car styling cues for the headlights, grille and bonnet.

The 7G-TRONIC transmission of the pre-facelift model gives way to the AMG SPEEDSHIFT MCT box, which is also a seven-speeder, but features wet-plate clutches in lieu of the earlier unit's torque converter. According to Benz, this change, along with a revised power steering pump, has lowered the car's fuel consumption by roughly 10 per cent -- to 12.0L/100km for the sedan, 12.3L/100km for the wagon.

Output for the AMG-built 6.3-litre engine remains fixed at 336kW, but the sports suspension has come in for some tweaking. While AMG and Benz aren't revealing what that tweaking entails, it's said to improve both roadholding and ride comfort. Inside, the car is equipped with a new generation telematics system, featuring improved internet access. Benz declares that this will boost safety and comfort.

The new model can be identified by the new headlights and larger grille, matched to a revised front apron and an aluminium bonnet with restyled 'powerdomes'. Daytime running lights and a lower crossmember finished in high-gloss black feature prominently in the new apron. A new AMG-branded alloy wheel sets off the new looks with its five paired-spoke design and titanium grey finish.

At the rear, the designers have kept the SL 63 AMG cues coming -- with a black diffuser insert and two sets of chromed twin exhaust pipes.

Here in Australia, we won't see the revised C 63 AMG until around the end of the second quarter, according to David McCarthy, Senior Manager Corporate Communications for Mercedes-Benz Australia. And the C 63 will be leading the charge of an upgraded C-Class range. Based on timing for the new model range ("into the third quarter" McCarthy told the Carsales Network), the first public unveiling is likely to be this year's Australian International Motor Show in Melbourne.

Asked how much of the C 63's style would trickle down to the other C-Class variants, McCarthy explained that some elements would remain AMG-specific, but some would certainly make it to the lesser variants, possibly in modified form.

"Over time, some of it [will filter down to the non-AMG C-Class models], but an AMG [owner] is a different buyer to a C 200 [buyer], which is also different to a C 300 buyer. It has to fit the buyer profile -- it's not one size fits all."

As with the pre-facelift C 63, which also featured a unique bonnet pressing, the facelifted model's bonnet is unlikely to be adopted for the rest of the range, but chances are strong that the new C-Class will go with the new headlights, quarter panels and grille -- albeit a grille likely to be "toned down" for the non-AMG applications.

"You can't mess with the architecture, but you can tailor the look of the car to fit its market segment and what buyers are clearly showing a preference to," McCarthy explained.

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